The Kind of Coastal Cape Cod
You guys. I have big news. We are buying a house!!!! If you have been following along on IG or my newsletter you probably already know that a move has been in the works (if your not already following along, then what the heck are you waiting for?) We made an offer on an old cape cod right down the road from our current house. It was a very spontaneous decision. We only had a few weeks to get our current home listed and sold in order to snag this one. The past month has not been all sunshine and butterflies. As a designer I like to think that I am able to acknowledge the flaws in our current home with a sense of professionalism. But no matter how professional I may be, its no fun having strangers come into your home and tell you what they think is wrong with it! It's a long running joke in the industry that interior designers often act as marriage counselors and I am here to say that relators have it wayyyyyyy worse!!! But all drama aside, we are so close to closing on our house that I just couldn't wait a moment longer to share all of my design plans on the next fixer upper! Introducing #thekindofcoastalcapecod catchy hashtag, huh?
Recognize this beauty? This is HGTV's 2015 Dream Home in Marthas Vineyard. Patrick Ahearn is the architect responsible for this cozy inviting cape. When I envision our future home's exterior you better believe it has a charming portico, white clapboard siding and a cedar shake roof. Our current layout is more like the stunning cape cod below by Arturo Palombo Architecture
The house currently looks nothing close to these timeless beauties, but there is enough space for our family to grow while we work on all the details that will make this our forever home. The new house will be a short walk from the water so the overall design vibe will be coastal, charming with just a touch of sophistication added to the mix. Lets walk thru the interior renovations plans next shall we?
The Kitchen
Raw oaks, warm whites and just a hint of black like this stunner above by Kate Marker Interiors are high on my wishlist for the kitchen renovation. We will need to bring out an exterior wall between the main house structure and the garage and take some interior walls down in order to create a wider footprint to fit a large island. I love the look of inset sinks with a ceiling details but the layout of our space will determine whether we can do that or not. What I am certain of is that we will be adding a butlers pantry behind the range wall which will most definitely include THIS ONE by La Cornue. Insert the touches of glamour. Parkes and Lamb Interiors nails the casual sophisticated vibe in these kitchens below. I would consider giving up my first born for an oak island like the second one pictured. Sorry Charli.
The Living Room
So imagine the stunning kitchens above with a charming living room right behind the island. This is where all the walls will need to come down in order to make things flow between spaces. Since I am such a sucker for symmetry its pretty much decided that the layout will be this.
I have been pinning Sonja's house from JS Life& Style for years. Her simple sophisticated style is something I can relate to. Panel moulding is a must have on my wish list along with a limestone fireplace surround. Some white oak herringbone floors wouldn't hurt either.
The Dining Room
The dining room might be my favorite existing space. Right now there is a stone fireplace with some funky looking closets on either side that we can either blow out or use the existing frame to create built ins. The dining room opens up into a sunroom in the back that the kids are already claiming as their hangout space. Since the two spaces are adjoining I'm leaning towards a more casual dining area full of raw oak beams, a stacked stone fireplace and steel frame French doors leading out into the sunroom. Don't these finishes look like match made in heaven together?
There are exactly 15 rooms in this house that need to be gutted plus exterior updates. My mind is absolutely spinning with ideas right now, so I think its best to group the rooms and prioritize which group needs to get done first to ensure that we don't go crazy. Stay tuned next Sunday for another run down of #thekindofcoastalcapecod renovation plans. Have a wonderful week and as always thanks for reading.