Design New England - July/August 2011
Architect: Charles R. Myer & Partners Ltd. of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Builder: S + H Construction, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Written by Regina Cole
Photos by Eric Roth
WELL LOVED AND USED BY THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN OF ITS FIRST OWNER, the 1920s “shaky ancestral summer shack” was foundering. “One bedroom was falling off, into the ocean,” recalls Don Knerr, project architect for Charles R. Myer & Partners Ltd. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When the current owners, a professional couple, inherited the structure and its glorious site atop a rocky promontory at ocean's edge in Rockport, Massachusetts, they envisioned a summer retreat that would easily accommodate them, their four children, various pets, and a constant flow of friends and relatives. Remarkably, they got a new house that sits on the same footprint as the demolished original, but at 3,600 square feet is more than double the size of its predecessor — all without deviating from the unpretentious spirit of the original cottage.
The new two-story structure is a modern take on the Cape Cod-style house, complete with traditional cedar shingles stained gray and wood trim painted white. As befits an ocean-side summer home, it fairly bristles with decks, porches (both open and screened), viewing platforms, and bays. The cheerful crowning touch is a rectangular, windowed cupola sporting a sea serpent weather vane riding above a blue glass sphere.
"The house is very complicated in its simplicity,” says John Ellis, project manager for S+H Construction, the Cambridge company that built the house. “It looks very simple, but the technology is carefully thought out.” He points to two steel beams supporting the structure. “They are what allow the first floor to be wide open.” The space is 22 feet by 26 feet, with no walls to block the views. “The house is overbuilt and the windows are double-glazed, because the house is so exposed to the weather,” Ellis says, noting that in winter, storms often sheath the house with frozen saltwater spray. Invisible high-tech elements include radiant heat, steel porch columns, blown-in insulation, and soundproofing.
But the decor is low-key old-time summer. “We were careful to not overdesign the interior,” says Andra Birkerts of Andra Birkerts Interior Design in Wellesley, Massachusetts, who previously had teamed up with Charles Myer and S+H to build the family's year-round residence in Lexington, Massachusetts.
"The last thing they need is fussy furniture that's hard to care for,” says Birkerts. “The family comes here to enjoy being by the sea. They sail, swim, barbecue, go to the Fourth of July bonfire, watch the sunset. We kept the interior light, with blues and greens used as accent colors.” And, she notes, “all the fabrics have to be tough."
Her greatest challenge was the big, open first-floor living/dining area. There, she opted for conversational groupings that allow for a constant flow of traffic. “People are always coming and going through all these doors,” she says. “Usually, there are wet dogs, sand, or wet bathing suits involved."
Upstairs in the children's bunk room, steel ladders lead not only to upper beds, but also to ceiling-height aeries and secret hideaways. Enormous windows flood the room with light. “This is a kids’ house as much as it is for adults,” says Birkerts. “Ten children can sleep in this bunk room, and there's another children's room, which has a little private deck looking down on the main entry. Kids can come and go; there are all sorts of magical spaces."
There are nautical overtones throughout, but Birkerts steered clear of cliches, opting instead for subtle touches like a shower curtain that once was a sail.
The basement, which contains the laundry area and a guest suite, also functions as a rainy-day room with a rolling cart full of cubbies stocked with art supplies. “There's no TV in the house,” Birkerts notes with a smile.
During the design phase, the location of the bed in the master suite changed several times. “At first it was against the wall,” says Birkerts. “Then the homeowner told me that she wanted to wake up looking right at the water, so we put the bed in the middle of the room. Now it feels like an old-fashioned sleeping porch."
"It looks rustic and simple,” John Ellis says. “But in the very careful use of space, and in the way the design is all about function, this house is constructed like a boat."
"The house is really kid-centered and playful,” Don Knerr says. “But it's also seriously functional.”
