Houzz Tour: Crisp White Highlights the Views in This Coastal Home
A white-and-wood palette, coastal chic furniture and a new guest room add casual charm to this coastal getaway
Bryan Anthony
10 January 2020
With this beachside Massachusetts home’s breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean from nearly every room, architect Andrew Reck says keeping the interior details “classic, simple and clean” was key to the renovation of the family holiday house.
“We didn’t want to distract from the views,” Andrew says. “White walls, warm wood and some classic Cape Cod details, such as tongue-and-groove and soapstone, were all that was needed.”
“We didn’t want to distract from the views,” Andrew says. “White walls, warm wood and some classic Cape Cod details, such as tongue-and-groove and soapstone, were all that was needed.”
House at a Glance
Who lives here? A family when on holiday
Location Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, USA
Architect Andrew Reck of Oak Hill Architects
Photos by Jared Kuzia
Previously only a three-step change in levels separated the hallway from the living room. The former living area also featured a double-height ceiling. “The old design was really too open for the space,” Andrew says. “There was no delineation from the entrance to the living room, and the high ceiling created too much of a void.”
Now the front door opens into a small foyer that leads directly into the living room, with its wall of windows overlooking the ocean. Andrew and his team created the foyer by adding two half-walls covered in decorative panelling and topped with slabs of red birch to match the refinished original floor. A column on each half-wall boosts the sense of separation between the two spaces.
Find architects on Houzz.
Who lives here? A family when on holiday
Location Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, USA
Architect Andrew Reck of Oak Hill Architects
Photos by Jared Kuzia
Previously only a three-step change in levels separated the hallway from the living room. The former living area also featured a double-height ceiling. “The old design was really too open for the space,” Andrew says. “There was no delineation from the entrance to the living room, and the high ceiling created too much of a void.”
Now the front door opens into a small foyer that leads directly into the living room, with its wall of windows overlooking the ocean. Andrew and his team created the foyer by adding two half-walls covered in decorative panelling and topped with slabs of red birch to match the refinished original floor. A column on each half-wall boosts the sense of separation between the two spaces.
Find architects on Houzz.
Andrew and his team lowered the ceiling in the living room, using the space above the new ceiling to create an enlarged master suite.
The living room side of the half-walls features open shelves for storing books, a chessboard and other décor. The coastal-inspired furniture had been previously purchased by the homeowners.
The living room side of the half-walls features open shelves for storing books, a chessboard and other décor. The coastal-inspired furniture had been previously purchased by the homeowners.
The idea of covering some of the existing kitchen windows with cabinets for additional storage was never seriously considered. “The kitchen has amazing light because of all of the windows,” Andrew says.
Instead, the design team added a large island with built-in cabinets on both sides. The tongue-and-groove on the cabinet doors and the rush seats on the bar stools are classic coastal touches.
Instead, the design team added a large island with built-in cabinets on both sides. The tongue-and-groove on the cabinet doors and the rush seats on the bar stools are classic coastal touches.
The worktops are soapstone, and the splashback is Calacatta marble mosaic tiles. The gas hob is built into the island and has a downdraft extractor that pops up when necessary.
The kitchen opens to the family room. The design team replaced the tiled floor with red birch. That timber flooring now runs throughout the house except for the bathrooms.
The family room furniture, fireplace surround and built-in bookcases are existing features from the previous design. Andrew and his team simply replaced the bookcase doors with tongue-and-groove ones to match the kitchen cabinets.
Floor-to-ceiling tongue-and-groove covers the walls in the new master bedroom. “We wanted to keep the walls white, so tongue-and-groove was a great way to add some texture and a classic Cape Cod touch to the space,” Andrew says. A glass door leads to a walk-out balcony with stunning sea views.
The new master bathroom is also a case study in white, but if you look closely, there’s a slight difference between the crisp white on the walls and the grey-tinged white on the double vanity unit and recessed medicine cabinets. “That subtle difference in colour keeps everything from looking too flat,” Andrew says.
The other side of the master bathroom includes a freestanding tub and a walk-in shower. The floors are covered in a tumbled limestone tile the colour of sand. Tongue-and-groove appears again on the lower half of the walls and the inside of the built-in cabinet.
Andrew and his team converted a former attic art studio into a bunk room. Both ends of the room feature identical built-in beds tucked into the sloping roofline. The beds include storage underneath and are flanked by floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves. The walls and built-ins are covered in tongue-and-groove.
Tell us…
What do you like most about this Cape Cod home? Let us know in the Comments section.
Tell us…
What do you like most about this Cape Cod home? Let us know in the Comments section.
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I can only dream of having a home like this..its beautiful, peaceful and relaxing with fantastic views.
Beautiful. Love that New England coastal style.
beautiful indeed and love the white clean walls.