A Long Barn in Osterville is the Center of a Multigenerational Family Retreat

The “long barn,” as the owners refer to it, is clad in vertical red cedar siding with a steeply pitched roof, copper gutters, and an oversized dormer. Sea View Builders won a 2025 Gold Prism Award from the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Boston for the project.

In a corner of the great room, the homeowner insisted on wall-to-wall banquettes, deep enough for sleeping (with storage drawers below). The hand-finished wood chandelier was purchased long before plans were drawn up for this house. Says the homeowner, “I can always find a place for beautiful things!”

A painted Dutch door leads into the mudroom, where straw hats hang from a bamboo rack from Palm Beach Regency.

The entire kitchen was designed around the massive, structurally reinforced cast-iron sink from Randolph Morris.

The homeowner and JWH Design + Cabinetry collaborated on the compact wet bar.

Calling to mind the spirit of a working barn, the compact powder room features a deep wall-mounted porcelain sink from Rejuvenation and a simple industrial light fixture from Amber Interior Design.

Not to be mistaken for a window treatment, the reclaimed fluted pilasters slide open to conceal a TV niche in the great room.

The loft bedroom’s tongue-and-groove ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue. The bed is from Thuma, and the bedside tables are vintage stools from the family’s collection.

A small, motorized cupola on the roof ridge brings fresh air and daylight into the great room.

Stone made a “fabulous interior wall” for the outdoor shower, says the homeowner. The Dutch door leads into the mudroom.

“Stay in your lane” is a boundary-setting directive with a decidedly bad rap. It’s often used as an admonishment or rebuke, but not in the case of an Osterville summer home.

The three principals involved in this project attribute its success to collaboration—and sticking to the roles assigned by their areas of expertise. It helped that all three were “respectful of our lanes and strong opinions,” says homeowner Nora Keefe. It was Keefe’s vision—for a “long barn” (and eventually, a family compound) on her three-acre property on Bumps River—that drove the project.

Keefe has four grown children and four grandchildren, so she wanted a place where they could all gather: a main house (in the planning stages) and several guest cottages all connected by a walking path, all oriented toward the river.

Sea View Builders addressed the site challenges. “The area was heavily wooded, and it sloped quite a bit,” says owner Jeremiah “Miah” Hegarty. “We had foundation and conservation concerns.” They regraded the site by building “massive retaining walls, some hidden by landscaping and all veneered in New England fieldstone,” he adds.

There are two bedrooms on the lower level, including the primary suite, which is being used by the homeowners until the main house is built; the long barn will become a guesthouse. A kitchen and great room are situated on the main level, and the loft contains a third bedroom, accessed by a spiral staircase.

It is such a unique structure, says Jennifer Howard, founder and principal designer of JWH Design & Cabinetry in Rye, New York. Her firm did the cabinetry and custom millwork, and Howard acted as liaison for her repeat client. “The goal of a great professional marriage is getting the client what they want—even if they can’t envision it yet,” says Howard. “That’s why we think outside the box.”

Inside the box, the homeowner took the lead on the interiors, from finishes to furnishings. The result is an eclectic mix of mostly relaxed but polished pieces, curated by Keefe over the years.

Keefe credits Howard with using 3D renderings to “take everyone’s vision and make it a reality.” She managed distance and time restraints, as well. Because the homeowner and her husband primarily live in Florida, meetings took place virtually. And because they were eager to start making summer memories, construction began after Labor Day in 2024 and finished on July 3, 2025—a mere nine months after breaking ground.

Project Team
Architecture: Schmitt Anderson Architects
Cabinetry and custom millwork: JWH Design & Cabinetry
Builder: Sea View Builders
Landscape design: Bernice Wahler Landscapes

Exterior photography by Jana Cevolo | Interior photography by Sean Litchfield