Houzz Tours
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Houzz Tour: A Breezy Coastal Cottage in New England
Crisp but relaxed, the sophisticated style of this summer home offers an inviting getaway for relaxing and entertaining
Interior designer Molly Frey didn’t always love the layout of this cottage. Before the renovation, Frey recalls that the home was a ‘designer’s worst nightmare’ - a split-level floor plan with multiple, disconnected staircases and disjointed rooms. ‘The first things I did were reconfigure the rooms, open up walls, build a central staircase and create a functional flow between spaces,’ she says.
The designer layered in elegant decor inspired by the expansive sea, sky and sand. ‘I love that this summer home has an air of sophistication. The cottage evokes a casual-chic feel for the family while they visit in the summer, but it’s also elegant enough for dinner parties and entertaining guests,’ says Frey.
Houzz at a Glance
Who vacations here A couple and their 3 children
Location Massachusetts, USA
Size 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
The designer layered in elegant decor inspired by the expansive sea, sky and sand. ‘I love that this summer home has an air of sophistication. The cottage evokes a casual-chic feel for the family while they visit in the summer, but it’s also elegant enough for dinner parties and entertaining guests,’ says Frey.
Houzz at a Glance
Who vacations here A couple and their 3 children
Location Massachusetts, USA
Size 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
The staircase visually opens the cottage and makes its different parts accessible to one another. Frey maximised the space efficiently, and the layout - which started off as a nightmare - turned into a feature that the designer and her clients came to love.
Frey opened up what she describes as closed-off and dated rooms on the ground floor by removing a wall separating the rooms. She kept the structural wall’s support posts but integrated them visually into custom cabinetry, thereby adding storage on the kitchen side and paneling detail (not visible) on the living room side.
See more white schemes
See more white schemes
Armchairs with slip covers by the window, cushions in cool coastal hues and inviting seating lend a casually chic feel to the living room. Sunlight floods the space from the surrounding windows.
The family entertains guests over the course of their stay in the summertime, so incorporating additional sleeping areas was key.
‘We made good use of the space by adding daybeds and beds in nooks where guests could sleep comfortably while visiting. These spaces were designed to be quaint, unique spaces that add character to the house in addition to being functional,’ says Frey.
‘We made good use of the space by adding daybeds and beds in nooks where guests could sleep comfortably while visiting. These spaces were designed to be quaint, unique spaces that add character to the house in addition to being functional,’ says Frey.
Labeled wicker bins hide away toys, making tidying and organising a breeze after a day of play.
Check out storage containers to keep your home clutter free
Check out storage containers to keep your home clutter free
The designer thinks she was meant to take on this project. After closing on their cottage, Frey’s clients arrived from California eager to hire a designer and clutching pictures of a home they saw in a magazine.
‘They chatted with a friend who saw the photos and recognized the house immediately. It was my home,’ says Frey, ‘just down the street from this cottage.’
What do you like about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
‘They chatted with a friend who saw the photos and recognized the house immediately. It was my home,’ says Frey, ‘just down the street from this cottage.’
What do you like about this home? Tell us in the Comments below.
‘We moved the front doorway to a new location and created a two-story hallway that is open to both the living room (foreground) and family room (background) — the perfect place for the boat display,’ Frey says.
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