A Light-Filled Coastal Home in Rye, New Hampshire

The dining area, anchored by a custom table and an Apparatus chandelier, opens to the living room.

Architect Russ Tyson worked to accommodate the clients’ request for a centerpiece TV in the living room while also providing a view out to nature.

Roman clay plaster on the walls and ceilings throughout the house begins in the entryway, as does the interesting use of lighting; witness the pair of vintage sconces. The bench is by Jacob Kielland-Brandt.

The open kitchen features some of interior designer Heidi Lachapelle’s favorite lighting: pendants by Allied Maker.

A tucked-away butler’s pantry was incorporated in order to make the main kitchen more suitable for easy entertaining.

In the primary bedroom, Tyson proposed a half wall behind the bed to conceal storage and the bath and to create a more intimate sleeping area without impeding the flow of air and light.

A guest bath showcases sconces by Allied Maker.

A dressing area nestled behind the primary bedroom’s half wall features ash cabinetry that offers plenty of storage

Whitten Architects Designs a Coastal Retreat

It was the height of Covid when the couple reached out to Portland, Maine-based firm Whitten Architects looking for help creating a summer retreat in Rye, New Hampshire. The pair spent most of the winter months as snowbirds in Florida and sought a modern beach retreat to come “home” to. “They’re big outdoors people,” says Whitten principal Russ Tyson. “And they wanted this home to reflect that love, both inside and out.”

Right from the get-go, Tyson pulled in Heidi Lachapelle Interiors, a frequent collaborator. The firms were afforded wide creative license, even though the couple hadn’t worked with either before. “They were incredibly trusting, even as things evolved,” says Heidi Lachapelle, “which is really lovely, because magic happens when you can combine what’s happening on paper with what’s happening on-site, and you know that you can shift and adjust.”

Tyson arranged the 3,500-square-foot, three-bedroom, open-floor-plan home around a bell-shaped courtyard. Most rooms face the sun, toward light and nature, and offer immediate access to the outside. Expansive window and door profiles, designed in collaboration with Lachapelle, were chosen to let the outside “pour in,” says Tyson. A first-floor guest suite allows for aging in place.

Organic Materials Create a Cozy Vibe

Lachapelle, in turn, worked to craft interiors that were “incredibly materials-forward,” she says, focusing on natural textures that enhance the architecture’s clean lines. One major feature: Lachapelle came up with the idea of surfacing the interior walls and ceilings in Roman clay.

“It created this very organic-feeling texture that is pretty incredible,” says Tyson. “It’s almost like a piece of pottery that you can touch, and it plays a big part in the overall inside-out feel of the home.”

Lighting, says Lachapelle, also narrates the entire aesthetic, and for that she called on a combination of interestingly arranged wall sconces, chandeliers, and table lamps.

In the end, the idea of prospect and refuge guided Tyson and Lachapelle’s joint design, to the clients’ delight. “We believe that people flourish in spaces where they feel, at times, full refuge, but also can look to the future,” says Tyson. “Like when you go to a restaurant. Everybody wants to sit in the window booth. It’s the best light, but also you feel protected and have this amazing view. The back room of the place… it’s just not as dynamic.”

Project Team
Architecture: Whitten Architects
Interior design: Heidi Lachapelle Interiors
Builder: Chase Construction
Landscape design: Soren Deniord Design Studio

Styled by Sarah Storms Greenwald