Barn Charm

In the living room, a daybed beckons would-be nappers to take in ocean air thanks to gigantic barn doors that required extra structural supports. “There are portals to the outdoors everywhere, making it easy to commune with nature,” designer Courtney Taylor says. The house and patio overlook the red-roofed, 1930s-era Coast Guard Station.

The floating steel staircase defines the first-floor living areas, almost like a transparent wall. The striped accent pillows feature Wells Textiles Showa linen.

A custom hand-tufted wool rug from Rustigian Rugs in Providence echoes the patterning of the couple’s antique rugs, while the East Asian profile of the Gregorius Pineo coffee table complements the globally inspired decor.

In the kitchen, the designer incorporated an on-trend blue island, a statuary marble countertop, knotty cypress cabinetry, and custom shelving with brass supports.

Taylor used high-gloss paint on the tongue-and-groove ceiling in the kitchen to contrast the barn’s raw-wood structure.

In the powder room, Taylor sets up a glam-meets-industrial juxtaposition with Anthony Critchlow glass-bead sconces and a steampunk-style Waterstone Faucets sink

Richly patterned drapery and upholstery pop against the custom Australian cypress built-in shelves on the mezzanine. Sliders open to a deck above the kitchen with a fabulous water view. Taylor searched for outdoor furniture that wouldn’t be too difficult to relocate in windy weather, and she landed on a teak and stainless-steel set from Barlow Tyrie.

Downstairs, the owners’ Turkish rug warms the poured concrete floor, which was polished then ground.

An engineered pebble floor with outdoor grout runs from indoors to out while a louvered door offers both light and privacy.

A door from the primary bath leads to the outdoor shower and landscape beyond.

The couple’s adult children share the upscale bunk room where beds are dressed in duvets made of Italian linen ticking.

Sometimes you just need a bit more glam and a bit less granola—even in a barn. The well-traveled couple who commissioned Chris Delaney of Maple Hill Design to create a timber-frame summer home on Block Island imagined an altogether different vibe than the barns on their working farm in Woodstock, Vermont.

“They wanted a distinctly modern take on a traditional barn,” Delaney explains. While the gambrel roof of the new house is all barn, the front of the house is absolutely contemporary. “There’s a three-story stretch of glass that frames a floating steel stair running from the lower level to the loft,” Delaney says.

That said, the timber-frame aspect of the structure was equally important. “The husband camped out on the island off-season to help us raise it,” Delaney adds.

The couple was lured to the Island by friends, who not coincidentally own the house next door. “We met fifteen years ago when our kids began ski racing together,” the husband says. “We thought it would be fun to carry our friendship over to Block Island.” The two families host large groups of friends from up north, spreading merriment over both properties. “We wanted to create a gathering space built for easy open-air entertaining,” the husband explains.

The barn sits at the mouth of Great Salt Pond, capturing not only sailboat-studded views of the pond, but expansive views of Block Island Sound. “Every side of the house looks out to the water, and the design is focused on honoring those views,” designer Courtney Taylor says. The living area, for instance, features massive barn doors that lead to the patio, where music from the top-notch sound system spills out for summer revelry, including the sixtieth anniversary party that the couple threw for the husband’s parents.

Inside, the exposed timber frame fashioned from yellow heart pine reclaimed from a linen mill in Connecticut provides a rustic backdrop for global-meets-Americana decor with a side of glam. The couple once lived in the Far East and have traveled extensively, which sparked Taylor’s creativity. Their Moroccan rugs, for instance, prompted layers of upholstery in rich colors and patterns. Taylor points to the leather sling chair from BDDW as the embodiment of her clients’ casual-chic aesthetic. “They’re not stressed about having wet bathing suits on leather,” she says. “They totally understand that [the leather] will get better with age.”

The pairing of refined materials with the barn’s authentic ones creates a tension that Taylor pushes further by introducing elements with shimmer and even glitz. There’s the glass teardrop chandelier in the living area, the sculptural shelving fabricated from walnut and polished brass in the kitchen, and disco-worthy sconces and antiqued glass tiles in the powder room.

While the owners commend her for creating a “warm, inviting space” for their family and visitors, Taylor says the home conveys so much more. “They didn’t want typical coastal seaside decor,” she says. “This really reflects their sophisticated but unfussy style.”

Architectural design: Chris Delaney, Maple Hill Design
Interior design: Courtney Taylor, Taylor Interior Design
Builder: Shea E. Butcher, B.I. Housewright