This multigenerational getaway on a peninsula in Bourne was a classic Cape Cod summer home situation: a sprawling structure added onto over time to accommodate the needs of a growing family. Monica Landry’s parents purchased the bayfront lot in 1963. As the story goes, they piled their four kids into the station wagon for a day trip, got ice cream, saw a sign advertising the opportunity, and that was that. About five years ago, Landry bought out her seven siblings, committed to continuing their parents’ Cape legacy.
Although Landry’s parents were meticulous about upkeep, it was time for a refresh. “The scope evolved as I explained how various interventions could improve the function of the home,” says Kristen L’Espérance, principal of Cultivation Design Studio. “So it would feel more cohesive, I cleaned up the circulation, organizing the spaces in relationship to the site, and brought back some classic vernacular details to echo the original Cape Cod-style house.”
Most importantly, the owner says, was to maintain the familial spirit of her parents, who would ensure her siblings and 16 nieces and nephews always felt welcome. She hosts two reunions each year for more than 30 family members.
The home sits on the point of a peninsula at the end of a winding drive. Spending time outdoors is essential. L’Espérance redesigned the deck on the oceanside of the home to feel more in keeping with the architecture, maintaining the connection points for the original sunshade, and added a grilling/dining area and firepit to the front, where wind is less likely to ruin dinner.
The sun-dappled entry hall stayed the same but L’Espérance tweaked the layout, creating a casual lounging area beneath the skylights and providing separation from the kitchen. She took advantage of a tall wall to establish the color palette and welcome the family with vestiges of their childhood, albeit in a different form. “Monica handed me some old windsurfing sails and asked if I could do something with them,” she says. “I cut and arranged them in abstract compositions, then had them stretched on canvas and framed.”
The kitchen has a whole new look with flat-front cherry cabinetry and a navy tile backsplash — a combination that nods nautical. The large-format limestone floor tile has blue striations that reference the ocean; its finish will patina over time. L’Espérance preserved much of the layout, though she added a glass door to pull in light as well as add access to the dining room and grill. She also inserted a pantry off the kitchen by borrowing dead space from the dining room.
In the living room, L’Espérance installed shiplap on the ceiling and reconfigured the windows. “A strange triangular window occupied half the gable at one end,” she says. “I leaned into symmetry; the house was asking for organization.” Sofas and swivel chairs face the view and the original stone fireplace. The designer closed the opening on the flip side of the two-sided, central structure, where she created a built-in bar with lounge seating. “Now people can walk into the house, grab a drink, and continue out to the patio or into the living room,” she says.
A glass door between the living room and kitchen leads into a dining room that L’Espérance calls the Table Room. “Monica said she needed to seat 30 and I was like, ‘At the same time?!’” she says with a laugh. L’Espérance collaborated with local makers on a clean-lined birch table that expands from seating 16 to 24 (or even 30). The piece sits atop a colorful carpet tile runner that L’Espérance devised based on old Scandinavian weaving patterns; she had recently completed a textile residency in Iceland. The runner on the table itself was woven by someone she met there.
Landry, who remembers sleeping on a couch or air mattress when the home was at full capacity over the years, wanted to be sure there were beds for everyone. (The six bedroom house sleeps 21 people.) At the top of the stairs off the table room, there’s a guest bedroom with three beds. Beyond the Table Room, in what was long ago the garage, are two identical bedrooms with whitewashed pine paneling.
On the other end of the home is a large bunk room at the top of the stairs. A now-straight corridor leads to an oceanside guest bedroom with multiple beds, and at the end, the primary bedroom. L’Espérance closed off the top of the extra-tall space, giving Landry an airy office; she also added a private outdoor shower, wanting Landry to have something special for herself. “The primary is now like its own little retreat for Monica,” she says.
Resources
Architectural Designer: Cultivation Design Studio, cultivationdesign.com
Contractor: Samuel K Swift Builders
More Photos
Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram @StyleCarrot. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.