Houzz Tour: New Midcentury-Inspired House Opens Up to Ocean Views
The beachfront home in Massachusetts features a vintage Danish furniture collection
An understated, compressed entrance with a bluestone walkway leads into the home. It’s not until guests walk inside that they’re confronted with the expansive ocean views.
Find bluestone pavers
Find bluestone pavers
The height of the Douglas fir ceiling from the entry to the wall of windows bumps up about 4 feet, “so you enter in a compressed space, and it opens up into an expansive living room,” DiRocco says. The mahogany-framed windows are from Dynamic.
The double-sided gas fireplace in the living area is white plaster with a New York limestone base. A blackened metal insert separates the two materials. The fireplace features an open flame with no glass or other type of barrier.
The double-sided gas fireplace in the living area is white plaster with a New York limestone base. A blackened metal insert separates the two materials. The fireplace features an open flame with no glass or other type of barrier.
To incorporate as many ocean-facing windows as possible, DiRocco and his team added columns to support the angled roofline, which peaks to about 18 feet. Two rows of clerestory windows on the ocean side add to the view and light.
On the other side of the main living area, a built-in storage unit beneath clerestory windows hides media equipment. The light fixture above the dining table is from Louis Poulsen.
On the other side of the main living area, a built-in storage unit beneath clerestory windows hides media equipment. The light fixture above the dining table is from Louis Poulsen.
Large sliding glass doors connect the kitchen, dining and living areas to a big deck. The dining table and chairs are vintage Danish midcentury.
Digging for Gold in Old Danish Designs
Digging for Gold in Old Danish Designs
In the kitchen, the cabinetry and part of the island countertop are mahogany. “It’s really appropriate for the house with its midcentury look, and it creates nice, clean lines,” DiRocco says. A pocket door on the right side of the kitchen leads to a pantry. Honed black granite countertops are featured near the gas range and on the kitchen side of the island.
The master bedroom windows frame a water view, with a pair of vintage Danish chairs positioned to take advantage of it. A pocket door to the right leads to a screened-in porch.
The master bathroom’s curbless walk-in shower includes a door that leads to an outdoor shower. Mahogany was used for the cabinets, which have honed black granite countertops.
How to Add an Outdoor Shower
How to Add an Outdoor Shower
At night the house glows like a lantern. Floating on its hilltop site, it incorporates active and passive solar design, incorporating photovoltaic panels and deep roof overhangs with the ventilating clerestory windows.
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: An academic couple who work at universities but also write from home
Location: Truro, Massachusetts
Size: 2,900 square feet (269 square meters)
Architects: Don DiRocco and Mark Hammer of Hammer Architects
At the end of a dirt road through the woods, an empty lot with Atlantic Ocean views provided the ideal spot for a couple to build their dream home. Avid collectors of vintage Danish furniture, these empty nesters desired a new midcentury-inspired house to feature their furniture collection and take advantage of the views.
Architect Don DiRocco says the design of the house “was informed by the views,” with all the public rooms and bedrooms featuring ocean vistas. The exterior of house is covered in red cedar.
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