Scope

Skip and Barbara purchased an undeveloped piece of property on Morris Island in Chatham, MA. We were introduced to the clients through the local Chatham builder we had worked with on the Barcliff project. The general scope of the project was to design and build a new summer home that would accommodate a three-generation family and their guests during the high season.

Our Approach

The major design challenge was in creating a house that could accommodate multiple families at a time, but was not so large that it was unmanageable for two people. We accomplished this by locating the main living spaces and a master suite on the main level of the house and locating guest suites on the second floor, which could, for all intents and purposes, be shut off from the main house during the winter months.

The main living spaces were designed and arranged to promote entertaining as well as to connect the interior with the beautifully landscaped property and terraced pool area. A guest enters the house through a wide covered porch leading to the front hall flanked on one side by the formal dining room and the formal living room on the other. Beyond the foyer, one catches a glimpse of the great room. This double-height space features timbered ceiling trusses, an oversize stone fireplace and hearth, and a large circular window on the gable end. The great room is the main gathering space of the home and has direct access to the exterior patio, breakfast area, and kitchen.

The first floor master suite is situated at the far end of the house away from the entry drive and exterior patio. The suite contains a sleeping room, dressing area, and master bath. The bathroom suite includes double sinks, walk-in shower, toilet room, soaking tub and towel warming drawers. The soaking tub is set against an arched picture window that looks directly onto a private garden area. The dressing area includes large walk-in his and her closets and also built-in laundry services.

The second floor contains five bedroom suites, each with a separate closet and full bath. The bedrooms are organized by the main stair and landing which opens onto the great room, creating a connection back to the main living areas.

The basement level was built-out and includes a billiards room with stone fireplace, work out room, home theater, and a carpentry work shop.

The Details

From the exterior it appears as though the house includes a four-car garage when in fact it is only three. The fourth bay is shallower and used for sail and sea kayak storage. We also designed a direct access from this storage area to the basement to provide easy access to the workshop when materials and product were delivered and removed.

In the kitchen, in order to increase organization and efficiency, we designed a distinct communication area to hold incoming mail, cell phones, and keys. We also incorporated a walk-in pantry area for food storage.

A serving pantry connects the kitchen and dining room. In this space, we integrated a full wet bar with icemaker and cold beverage storage, as well as a large built-in buffet counter from which to serve guests.

On the exterior, we helped the clients integrate their pool, hot tub, and free-standing cabana. Due to the setback regulations, we were limited as to how far the pool could be located from the house. We designed a long rectangular pool that had an edgeless hot tub immediately adjacent. Both of these were accessible from the patio, which allowed the owners full access from the house.