Tour a Light and Airy Cape Cod Coastal Home
July 16, 2018
A Cape Cod house is designed to concealâthen dramatically revealâits waterfront views.
Text by Robert Kiener   Photography by Nat Rea   Produced by Karin Lidbeck Brent
When architect John MacDonald and his team began discussing how to replace their clientsâ vintage 1970s waterfront property on Cape Cod, they came up with a novel idea that they hoped would both delight and surprise the owners. âWhile their second home had served them well for years, it was time for a change,â says MacDonald. They hoped for a new getaway that would be more suitable for themselves, their extended family, and the visitors they love to entertain. âThey wanted a home where they could make memories,â says the architect.
Like many waterfront property owners on the Cape, the couple also wanted a dwelling that fit in with the neighborhoodâs classic Shingle-style architecture, nestled comfortably on its lot, blurred the lines between indoors and out, andâmost importantâmaximized the drop-dead views of the sheltered bay the home overlooks.
Inspired by the idea of a surprise, the design teamâarchitects, designer, builder, and landscape architectâgot right to work. The original home had an almost quarter-mile-long, straight-as-a-runway front approach. âWe replaced that with a curving drive that meanders through the wooded lot,â says landscape designer Michael Coutu. âThe new driveway offers more privacy and serves to delay the arrival experience for visitors, building in a bit of a surprise factor,â adds project manager and architect Anthony M. Frausto-Robledo.
MacDonald and Frausto-Robledo further heightened the sense of surprise, designing a two-story house and an angled garage that postpone the first glimpse of the siteâs picture-postcard views. âWe wanted to suspend visitorsâ first view of the water until they were actually inside the home,â says MacDonald. âWhile you may sense the ocean via a sea breeze and a hint of salt in the air, itâs not until you open the front door that you are confronted by that wow factor.â
To make the scene even more dramatic, MacDonald employed what he whimsically describes as âa nice little architectural parlor trick.â He dropped the great room down about two feet below the level of the rest of the first floor. âThis enhances the sense of arrival and helps to maximize the view out the great roomâs oversized windows,â he explains. âItâs another surprise.â
Interior designer Ally Coulter outfitted the gracious two-story roomâand most of the rest of the houseâin a neutral palette of soft whites with touches of blue that echoes the hues of the nearby shore. Sandy-colored floors of rift- and quarter-sawn washed white oak boost the beachfront feel. âWe didnât want to compete with nature but to enhance it,â Coulter says. âWe wanted a light, airy feel to the interiors.â
Here and thereâin the entrywayâs rug, in the kitchenâs backsplash, and in several of the pieces in the homeownersâ contemporary art collectionâa splash of bright blue adds a shot of energy to the serene color scheme.
Furniture was chosen with both elegance and comfort in mind. The great roomâs convivial seating arrangement places twin sofas upholstered in a fabric the color of a sun-warmed sand dune at right angles, with a focus on the fireplace. The simple lines of the sofas are mirrored in a pair of pale blue lounge chairs. An array of blue and sandy-hued toss pillows ties the scene together nicely.
The one exception to the light and airy look is a snug and handsome study where the sand tones are deepened to cozy browns and beiges, the blues take on a hint of gray, the rich woodwork has a warm natural stain, and a bold, geometric-patterned rug anchors the space.
The owners have a keen eye for art and decorative objects, and the home is dotted with both newly acquired and longtime favorite pieces. âI think of art and accessories as the final layer of a homeâs interior design,â says Coulter. âThe owners loved choosing these pieces; they really make the house come to life and make it a home.â
Coulter strove for continuity in the look and feel as the rooms flow from one to the next. âThere is a harmony to this design,â she says. âFurniture, paintings, rugs, and art objects may be varied in color, texture, and periods, but they are all harmonious.â
The interior woodwork also does its part to add to the harmony. âItâs not too built up,â explains builder Kevin LagassĂŠ, âbut is simple and restrained, yet elegant.â
MacDonald concurs, adding, âThe millwork, columns, and moldings are streamlined, contemporary versions of their architectural predecessorâ-traditional Cape homes. As we did with much of the house, we were trying very hard to create a more contemporary take on a familiar theme.â
The exterior exhibits that same spirit: the front is more classically Shingle-style, while the rear, with its large windows and decks and porches, is decidedly more modern. âWe married those two experiences of front and rear, that dual nature, by employing a more contemporary design language inside the house,â says Frausto-Robledo.
When landscape designer Coutu helped site the house, he was careful to save as many of the mature trees, including oaks and elms in front of the new home, as possible. The property slopes to the bay, and a protected coastal bank between the pool and the shore was replanted with native, conservation-approved plantings such as bayberry and rose.
Closer to the house, Coutu added colorful plants such as hydrangeas, rose of Sharon, and other summer flowering varieties. âWe used local fieldstone for retaining walls to tie in with the base of the home, which is also clad in fieldstone,â says Coutu. âThat gave the back of the house, its patios and porches and pool, a great visual connection.â
Every time owners open their front door, they are thrilled by the view that MacDonald and his team framed so beautifully. Thereâs one more detailâanother surpriseâthey love. A small, windowed cupola tops the home, a nod to the rooftop beacon lights that used to adorn many historic Cape Cod homes. âIt can be lit at night and is one of the first things you see when you arrive via the driveway,â says MacDonald. âItâs like a cherry on top of a sundae.â
Project Team Architecture: John MacDonald and Anthony M. Frausto-Robledo, Morehouse MacDonald and Associates
Interior design: Ally Coulter, Ally Coulter Designs
Builder: Kevin LagassĂŠ, The LagassĂŠ Group
Landscape design: Michael Coutu, Sudbury Design Group
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