“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

– Ernest Hemingway

During the early days of the newly formed America, the town of Dennis was a bustling hamlet, mostly due to the reinvigoration of sea-faring trade after the 1814 peace settlement that brought the 1812 war with the British to an end. One of those busy and hard-working captains of industry was Sea Captain James Downs, and as a result of his success in ship building, he was able to build a masterful home for his family.  

Three hundred years later, a new family calls the 19th century property home, with restorations by interior designer Mary Maloney of Hopkinton’s Bee’s Knees Interior Design Studio, and mid-Cape builder George W. Blakely.

“I fell in love with this place the minute I crossed the threshold,” Maloney recalls. The home, which is actually a married structure of two homes, had been relocated from its original site to a stately neighborhood in the middle of Dennis. The transformation over the centuries has evolved into a very long narrow abode that showcased a plethora of period details and charm but clearly required some updates to bring it into 21st century livability.

Gordon Clark III of Yarmouthport’s Northside Design Associates, a firm with a solid reputation for restoring antique structures in this area, was tasked with a design plan for the home that would include a new addition that would provide an updated functional kitchen for the busy family with grown children. The addition also allowed access to the exterior spaces for seasonal enjoyment of the quiet bucolic setting. The mechanical systems of the home were also updated and a basement was excavated under the addition for many of the mechanicals. George Blakely, an established fine home builder across the Cape for more than 40 years, and his son Josh Blakely directed the renovation of the project with lots of input from the homeowners as well as Maloney. “I’ve worked on a lot of old homes,” Blakely says. “And there is a difference between renovation and restoration. On this project everyone involved had the restoration of this structure firmly in the focus.” One of the elements requiring restoration were all of the windows of the home which required removing them, and repairing them, and re-installing them with remarkable functionality. Blakely and his son diligently restored every antique window in this project. 

Blakely also cites the importance of interior doors in an antique home. “New doors are much thicker these days than what craftsmen were making by hand hundreds of years ago. Luckily I have collected lots of doors through the years so when I take on a project we do what we can to replace any inappropriate doors with the correct period details,” he shares. An addition on the second floor allowed for a new bath to be added to the primary suite. Blakely says that when he opened up the structure it was evident that part of the original structure had been a one-story original Cape Cod style home. The road map of history often tells the stories of many families over the years who have inhabited the home and how it evolved through their lives.

For the thoughtful and respectful design of the home, Maloney’s deft touch “married the old with the new, all while respecting the past,” she states. “Our goal was to keep everything feeling timeless and classic, nothing trendy.” Maloney, like each of the other professionals on this project, embraces working with period homes. “It’s what we love to do. If I could take my favorite projects over and over again, it would be old homes; bringing old homes back, improving their infrastructure, updating the electrical and the plumbing, and then adapting the environment so that we can make it suitable for the way we live currently, yet with the long-ago charm that we don’t find a lot today.”

Throughout the home, Maloney and her team used their modern resources to complement the historic charm of the home. Simple lighting fixtures which evoke colonial sensibilities are found in the dining and kitchen areas. Subtle wood tones are prominent and serve as primary accent colors to the soft hues found in the paint colors used in the overall design scheme. 

Upstairs in the primary bedroom an antique wallpaper, yet without any historical significance, became a topic of design decisions. “I really thought about how we could keep it, but ultimately it was removed and the original plaster with its handcrafted textures and warm tones worked perfectly for the homeowner who appreciates the calm and serene palette that sets the stage for her bedroom.”

Both the homeowners and design team embraced the concept of a painted brick backsplash. The homeowner initiated the idea of applying the German Schmear technique for painting the brick in the new kitchen and “thankfully it came out beautifully,” Maloney affirms. The kitchen was so artfully accomplished by all involved, upon first inspection, it does not immediately appear to be an addition, but rather a long-ago established space that feels as though it has been part of the home for centuries. “That is the greatest compliment of all,” both Maloney and Blakely state after hearing the assumption.

The new kitchen area has become the hub of the home as the adult daughters gather with friends and extended family. Weekend days in the summer end with a fresh feast of local delicacies being prepared with everyone’s input. Dining al fresco on the adjacent deck just outside the patio doors puts the finishing touch on memorable moments together as a family. “It is such a beautiful piece of property,” Maloney confirms. “So now there is a seamless connection to the exterior landscape. And just beyond is a little guest cottage that is adorable. I could just move in there.” 

Julie Craven Wagner is the editor of Cape Cod HOME.

The post Timeless Traditions appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

This column from 21 years ago catches a great glimpse into what life was like for Judy, me and our two sons, Joshua and Maxwell. And, I must first explain, when the boys were born we named them Joshua and then Joel. Joel’s nickname quickly became Jo Jo. However when he was three years old he told Judy and me he was changing his name to MAX! We thought his idea would pass. However, two years later he was starting school. The school contacted Judy and said he was going through school by a different name than his birth certificate showed. Judy, Max and I went to court and changed his name officially to Maxwell.

This column from year 2000 leads up to what I refer to in the column as “…the high point of the boating season for me.” A very special time to remember.

Max held onto this toy boat for many years. After we moved one or two times and Max went off to school I ended up saving the toy boat and toy boat memory.

When we just moved to our new home in September of this year, Max was helping us pack and move, and I offered the boat back to Max. Joshua, one of our best photographers took this photo for me, capturing the moment!

Thank you Josh and thank you Max.

My Best,

Brian Shortsleeve

Publisher, Cape Cod Life Publications

The Top of the Hill

At the outset of the boating season which has just ended, Judy and I agreed that both of our boys were now old enough to do some cruising aboard The Lady Carline. Joshua, who is six, knows the boat well; Jojo who is three, loves to climb aboard, but his longest stint has been the occasional over-night. This year, our longest cruise was eight days; the boys loved it, it wasn’t all easy, but it was very rewarding.

We made it very clear to the boys that each promised departure was dependent upon safe boating weather. While underway, Josh would look to the horizon and say, “Pop, I think those might be storm clouds.” Jojo would observe the waves, point and ask, “Mom, is the wind blowing this way?” Josh looks to the sunset and says “Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors’ take warning!” Jo observes the early morning harbor and comments, “The water is calm as glass.” They both talk about “fog rolling in.”

Their innocent enthusiasm for boating, for Cuttyhunk, for being outside, for carefree schedules, reminds me of Judy’s and my cruises aboard The Lady Carline for many years.

After days of preparation, the moment comes. We drop the mooring lines, carefully wend our way through Megansett Harbor and into Buzzards Bay. Almost immediately we see the Cleveland Ledge Lighthouse, the first major marker of our roughly 21 nautical mile run to the island of Cuttyhunk. Almost immediately someone asks, “How much longer will it take to get there?” Just south of Woods Hole we can detect Cutty as a greyish line on the horizon, and growing. It’s great fun to see the gleam in the boys’ eyes as we enter the harbor, tie to a mooring and wave to friends. 

Joshua wakes up early, like me. One of his favorite things is for Josh and me to sneak out while Judy and Jojo are  still asleep. We whisper while dressing, quietly climb down into our dory, push ourselves off and drift silently away from The Lady Carline. Only when we are beyond earshot do we start the outboard on the dory. We tie up by the small bakery at the Fish Dock for a private picnic of cinnamon buns. A little later, all four of us visit The Cuttyhunk Fishing Club (B&B) for a full breakfast. After eating, the boys run and play in the huge yard overlooking Vineyard Sound. At the edge of the bluff high above the beach, with a view to the Gay Head Lighthouse, we sit in Adirondack chairs feeling the morning sun, the four of us quiet for a moment. 

Mid-week we sailed over to the Vineyard for a few days. A brisk breeze blew from the Northeast; there was enough chop on the Sound for waves to splash over the bow and onto the windshield. The boys said they were riding bucking broncos. Cutting across the waves the four of us were singing, “This old man, he played one… this old man came rolling home.” Menemsha gradually grew into focus, and we eased into the harbor.

Jo and Josh couldn’t wait to go exploring… along the dock, past fishing trawlers, behind fish and lobster markets, past kids crabbing, over the high lookout hill and down to the Coast Guard dock, just beyond the Mememsha Market general store, where they sell penny—I mean nickel—candy. One morning it was raining; we taxied over to Oaks Bluffs so the kids could ride on the Flying Horses Carousel and grab for the brass ring. The sun popped out, we watched para-sailors go up with colorful parachutes, and big rigs load onto the freight ferry. Judy’s brother Bill, who lives on the Vineyard, joined us for dinner at Lambert’s Cove Country Inn. 

Late in the week we returned to Cataumet by way of Cuttyhunk, where we had a couple of days of beautiful end-of-the-season beach weather. I would say we had a marvelous summer, but I have to share with you the high point of the boating season for me.

One morning at Mememsha general store, Jojo, our three-year old, picked up a purple toy speed boat and asked me if he could get it. I said, “No, I’ve already bought you some candy and you know the rule—one thing!” He asked if he could put the candy back. I said “No, we have already paid for it.” We stepped outside the store; he turned and buried his face against me and began to cry. I told him that if he were to be good all day, we could return to the store later and buy the speed boat. He was good all day and reminded me more than once. Late that day, he and I hiked over the lookout hill up to the store with the purple boat. On the return trip, we were atop the hill with a postcard-perfect view for miles around; we were quietly walking hand in hand. The speed boat was clutched very securely under his right arm. With his left hand , he brought my hand up to his face, and without a word he kissed my hand. 

The warmest of holidays to your and yours.

My best,

Brian

The post Gunkholing: A Special Memory appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Above, the 2020 issue of Cape Cod LIFE June, known to readers as the Best Of issue.

Digital:

During these “please stay at home” months, online visitation and readership has increased almost everywhere. Knowing this was happening, Cape Cod Life placed significant emphasis on our annual “Best of Cape Cod and the Islands” readers’ choice awards.

For decades, this feature has been very popular.  However, this year we went all out, with the very professional help of our web design contractors at 3Thought in Plymouth, MA. Go to stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud/best-of-cape-cod-2020 and find 864 interactive gold and silver winner profiles, advanced search functions and a sleek new appearance, plus more!

The 864 clickable winner profiles are designed to facilitate the website visitor’s use of this report. There are five major sections: Dining, Food & Drink, Lodging, Shopping and Things to Do. These five sections are broken down into 72 specific categories, for example, Waterview Restaurants, plus Men’s or Women’s Clothing, Walking or Bike Paths, etc. Winners can be pulled up by town, plus cross-referenced with a category, such as “Falmouth, Best Beaches.”

With over 74,000 votes cast in 2020, our web pages saw over 10,000 sessions within the first five days of our announcing the winners. This year, compared to the first week of announcing the winners last year (2019) at stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud:

Web traffic is up 214%

Users are up 202%

Page views are up 240%

Average session duration is up 48%

Pages per session is up 9%

Needless to say, we are delighted with these pages (the most popular on our site) and hope you find this special feature very helpful in planning your time on Cape Cod & the Islands.

Print:

Since I founded Cape Cod Life 41 years ago, it has always been very helpful to hear from our readers. It is heartening to hear how much people enjoy Cape Cod Life and the number of months and years they retain and refer back to their issues.  It makes all the hard work feel very worthwhile.

By way of example, here is one letter I just received in June.

Dear Brian Shortsleeve,

I read the first words of the insert to the latest Cape Cod Life & Home and my heart stopped (so to speak). I thought you were going to say that henceforth everything would be online! I am so glad you didn’t say that! For me taking the magazine outside to read or to sit in a relaxing chair in the living room is like being on vacation! I’m at a computer a lot for task oriented activities. Having the physical magazine seems more in keeping with a sense of relaxation, reflection (especially the photos) and enjoyment. I look forward to your article that is a follow up to the teaser, “We had a party in his honor.”  How  about an issue on groups, institutions (on the Cape) that provide knowledge about water, land, environment, such as Woods Hole Research Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History (won several awards for “Best Of Cape Cod 2019”) for starters? Your publication is excellent!  Thanks! Angelyn Dries

Dear Angelyn,

Thank you for your kind letter.  You made my day. I have shared
 your editorial suggestions with our editor, Julie Wagner.

Sincerely, Brian

Thank you to all our online followers and readers.

My Best,

Brian Shortsleeve, Publisher

Gunkholing is the art of getting a boat into any small shallow cove, forbidden to boats of deeper draft and out again, without running aground much over a dozen times. – J. Benjamin

Read the June 2020 edition of Gunkholing HERE.

The post Gunkholing: Best of Both Worlds appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Ultimate Cape Cod

HGTV’s 2019 Ultimate House Hunt highlights a few remarkable properties across the region, proving what locals and frequent visitors already know: the Cape with its arresting views, rich history and talented architects is simply one-of-a-kind. 

A restaurant turned waterfront home, a riverside retreat, a boathouse that sits out over the shoreline, and a colonial estate… There’s a reason these Cape homes were chosen by HGTV as some of the ultimate abodes across the nation.

Each year, HGTV selects spectacular home listings across the globe, separating them into eight notable categories. Then, it’s up to the audience to decide which spaces top the list. With such a spectacular coastline and unbelievable landscape and architecture across the region, it’s no wonder that the 2019 finalists included four Cape Cod homes—three in the “Waterfront Homes” category and one in the “Curb Appeal” category: featuring standout properties with front yards and entrances that make these residences show stopping even at a glance.

All four of these astonishing properties, each with their own striking settings, are available through local real estate companies, and, in a true mark of success, a few were even sold before the contest’s completion. Flip through these next few pages to choose your favorite and dive into exactly what makes these properties “ultimate” Cape Cod destinations!

Click below to explore!

Historic Home on Provincetown Harbor

Cape Cod Retreat on Eel River

Cape Cod Cottage and Boathouse

Idyllic Colonial Estate

Visit hgtv.com or luxuryportfolio.com to explore further!

The post Ultimate Cape Cod: HGTV’S Ultimate House Hunt highlights properties across the Cape appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

“I’m really trying to paint the essence of the Cape,” says Ginny Nickerson. “I have a love of wild nature, the oceans and beaches.” It’s no wonder that the love of the wild beauty of the Cape is deeply in her blood, as her ancestor William Nickerson settled in its wildness and founded Chatham in the 1600s. In her paintings, Nickerson says she wants to express “… the softness of the light on the water, sand and dunes. To be able to capture this beauty… I can think of nothing more wonderful.”

The colors of the Cape are very special to Nickerson. “Our sand is a rarity,” she says. “The purple in the sand is from quahog shells. I love to blend the purples and grays and taupe colors. I want to create a mood so the viewer can feel they are walking into the painting.”    

Though watercolor was her medium for many years, her passion now is for pastels. “With pastels you’re painting with sticks of pure pigment. You have to choose the right color, not mix it on the palette like you do oil paint,” Nickerson explains. “That takes us back to the paintings by the cavemen, so we know that, treated properly, they can last a long time.”

She works on gatorboard, which is stiff and impervious to water. She adds a gel pumice mixture with a three-inch brush randomly, which gives it the tooth to make it painterly, and when it dries it becomes archival. Then the fun of layering beautiful colors begins. Nickerson’s paintings begin with thoughtful pre-planning for visits to her favorite places to hit the light and the tides when they are just right for taking photos. Back in her studio, she prints the photos from her computer, some in black and white and some in color. From these photos she’ll start two or three paintings and then decide which one she wants to continue to work on.

Nickerson’s artwork brings her closer to nature, and she is so grateful to be able to experience its beauty. She says, “If I can look out at the water shimmering like diamonds under a rising sun and capture that and bring it to life for others to appreciate, I’ve done something for someone.” 

Nickerson recently created a series about clamdiggers to honor the men and women who provide food for us, and she is now focused on painting trees. “It saddens me that our ancestors had to chop down so many trees, and we continue to see the habitat for wildlife disappearing,” she says. “Hopefully we’ll realize that the wildness adds to the Cape’s beauty and we’ll be able to protect it.”

Nickerson counts five family connections to the Mayflower Pilgrims. As chair of the board of the Chatham Historical Society, she is looking forward to next year’s celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ first landing on the Cape, and the many ways we will be reminded of how life was back then. Undoubtedly her art will transport her audience in yet another new and intriguing way.

Ginny Nickerson is represented by Gallery Antonia, Chatham, galleryantonia.com.
Learn more about Nickerson at ginnynickerson.com. 

The post Artist Profile: Ginny Nickerson appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Do you know where you’re celebrating the Fourth of July this year? Click HERE to see a full guide and interactive map of festivities across the region!

The post A Week of Celebration: Fourth of July 2019 Fireworks & Festivities appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

What a Wonderful World

Broadway’s Joe Grandy takes his talents to the Cape Playhouse

We look to you
In good times and bad
The worlds you create
Make the real ones seem less sad
The curtain goes up
And every now and then
It feels as if we’re coming home again

“We Look to You” from “The Prom”

There have been countless worlds Joe Grandy has helped create throughout his lifetime in theater, but perhaps none as momentous as “The Prom.” The hit Broadway musical—nominated for seven Tony Awards this year, including Best Musical, and set to receive the movie treatment for Netflix by Ryan Murphy—has struck a major cord with its message of self-acceptance. A heartfelt and witty story centered on two gay high school students who want to attend prom together, “The Prom” is about more than what’s on stage, says Grandy, a co-producer of the project—it’s a show with the power to change the lives of its audiences.

“So I thought, ‘We need to be a production that actually does that too,’” Grandy recalls. Before “The Prom” opened on Broadway in 2018, Grandy helped establish a partnership with the Educational Theater Association. A portion of tickets sales would benefit the organization’s Jumpstart program, which creates theater programs in schools without them. “We wanted to do that because it felt right and it felt like using our platform for a larger cause, but also that was shaping that world around the show and trying to say to people, ‘Coming here will not only change your life, it’s going to change someone else’s life,’” Grandy explains. “What I think of in building the world around a show, it’s introducing to the audience that yes, this show is entertaining, it’s wonderful, and it’s a great way to get away for a bit… but it’s also putting something else out into the world.”

Grandy is still working to build worlds, just now on Cape Cod, as the new executive producer of The Cape Playhouse. “The whole reason we’re here is for the community,” Grandy says of the Playhouse. “We are here for their smiles as they’re leaving, for the laughter while they’re in there, for the applause after a great number, or even for their tears, so that they walk out changed and relieved in some way. Here, the world around the Playhouse is how we’re connected with the community and how we are here for them.”

The importance of community was instilled in Grandy at an early age—as was his love of theater. Grandy’s story, as he explains, is just like that of the character Michael from “A Chorus Line,” referencing the lyrics of the song “I Can Do That”:

I’m watchin’ Sis go pitter-pat.
Said, “I can do that,
I can do that.”
Knew ev’ry step right off the bat.
Said, “I can do that,
I can do that.”

“When I was 2, going on 3 years old my sister was in ballet class,” recalls Grandy, a native of Belleville, Illinois. “My mom would take me on watch week, and I would get really bored, so I’d go in the back of the room and start dancing, doing whatever they were doing in class. One week, the teacher had been trying to get the kids to do this tap step for many weeks, and none of them could do it still, so out of frustration she said, ‘Can anyone do this?’ And of course I thought that meant me too! So I jumped off my mom’s lap and said ‘I can!’ I did the tap step, and the teacher walked over and grabbed my shoulders, looked at my mom and said, ‘He’s mine!’” 

Grandy’s mother later encouraged him to pursue theater, which led him to The Muny in St. Louis. “They were looking for a way to connect more with the community,” Grandy says, “so they started this summer program for kids. They built shows around us, and then we toured around the city of St. Louis doing these shows. And I got to be in these main stage productions with real Broadway actors when I was 7 and for many years after that.”

After studying musical theater at Syracuse University, Grandy moved to New York City, and for the next several years he worked as a performer. But, “My brain always was kind of dipping into the producer world,” he admits. “I believe that the reason I was put on this earth is to be a storyteller, in whatever facet that takes. And right now it’s certainly coming out in producing.”

It’s been in recent years that Grandy has discovered The Cape Playhouse, coming down to Dennis to see shows his Broadway friends were starring in. Grandy recalls one night after he saw a show at The Cape Playhouse with longtime friend Michael Rader, the Playhouse’s artistic director. “That night I think we stayed up ’til probably past 2 a.m. drinking rosé on the porch—as you do on Cape Cod,” he jokes. “I said to him, ‘Michael, this is the Lincoln Center of Cape Cod! This can be everything!’ This campus—it’s a theater, it’s a cinema, it’s an art museum, it’s a restaurant—it’s everything you need in one place. And I thought it was phenomenal that there was so much opportunity here.”

In February Grandy officially joined The Cape Playhouse as executive producer, a newly created position at the theater company. The goal, says Grandy, is to take the Playhouse’s reach to the next level. “I’m overseeing the operations and business side of it all, but approaching it with a different lens, which is that whole world we can build around the Playhouse,” he explains. Grandy is in talks to partner with the Cape Cinema to host film screenings that coincide with this season’s shows. “It would be wonderful if at the end of this season the community here feels ownership of the Playhouse,” says Grandy, who also hopes to collaborate with the Cape Cod Museum of Art on behind-the-scenes exhibits.

“I’m so, so excited that we have Joe,” says Michael Rader. “I think we have very bright times ahead for us.”

Continuing in the storied tradition of The Cape Playhouse—whose coveted stage has seen the likes of Julie Andrews, Betty White and Henry Fonda—its 93rd season, beginning June 12, is set to be marked by some serious star power. Grandy is so utterly giddy about this summer’s lineup he can barely contain his excitement. Highlights include Edward Hibbert (“Frasier”) as Lady Bracknell in “The Importance of Being Earnest,” Andrew Keenan-Bolger (“Newsies”) as Seymour in “Little Shop of Horrors,” and Heidi Gardner (“Saturday Night Live”), alongside Playhouse favorite Jennifer Cody, in “Noises Off.”

“‘Noises Off’ might be the play I’m most excited for,” Grandy reveals. But of course, he adds, “I can’t wait to hear the music of ‘A Chorus Line,’” which premieres July 24.

For Grandy, “A Chorus Line” is both a reminder of his roots and of his future—a future that will take him far with an indomitable can-do attitude.

For more information on the Cape Playhouse and the 2019 season, visit capeplayhouse.com.

The post Broadway to Cape Cod appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

Gunkholing: What Does 40 Years of Cape Cod Life Look Like?

Our first issue, left, published in 1979. The first issue of our 40th year, right, hit the newsstands in January. Average issue readership of Cape Cod LIFE in 2019 is just over 160,000 readers.

The first Cape Cod Life wall calendar, at left, was printed in 1988. Our 2019 Seascapes calendar is on the right. All Cape Cod LIFE subscribers receive a copy of our calendar.

The first edition of “The Best of the Cape & Islands,” left, was published in 1992. Our 2019 “Best of” issue is on the right. Cape Cod Life readers vote to choose the winners. This year over 12,000 people voted, and over 64,000 votes were cast!

In 1995 stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud debuted on the web. Today, there are over 34,000 page views per month at stg-capecodlifecom-staging.kinsta.cloud

The first issue of Cape Cod HOME, left, was published in 1996. Our 2019 HOME Annual Guide is at right. Average issue readership of Cape Cod HOME in 2019 is 102,000 readers.

The first issue of “Cape Cod Arts,” left, was published in 1998. Today, Cape Cod ART is included as part of the subscription package for all Cape Cod LIFE subscribers.

Thank you to all current and past Cape Cod Life staff members. Thank you also to all of our creative writers, photographers, many fine advertisers, plus our distributors and managers of so many retail outlets. We couldn’t have done 40 years without you.

The post 40 Years of Cape Cod Life: A message from Brian Shortsleeve appeared first on Cape Cod LIFE.

A charmingly reimagined West Dennis cottage epitomizes Cape Cod through and through

What does it mean to live on Cape Cod? Beach days. Harbor sails. Main Street strolls. Lobster rolls. This all might sound cliché, but it’s all inextricably part of the Cape Cod experience. And these quintessential Cape experiences speak to a larger truth—that Cape Cod living is easy-breezy living, the kind of living that relishes in and celebrates life’s simple pleasures.

A Cape Cod home, then, should reflect and encourage this type of living. That’s exactly what designers Sarah Waldo and Peyton Lambton of Washashore Home set out to accomplish in the renovation of a classic Cape-style cottage in West Dennis. The home was simply outdated, as it hadn’t been touched since it was built in 1956. Dark, yellow-varnished knotty pine paneling throughout made already modest spaces feel even smaller, and the vibe was more 1950s cabin than Cape Cod cottage. For the design team and homeowners Linda and Marty, it was important to maintain the 600-square-foot home’s distinct charm all while hitting the proverbial refresh button for a lighter, more open feel.

“We wanted them to have that original Cape feel and not just bulldoze the house and give them a completely different feel,” says Lambton. “They bought this house for a reason—because there was something charming and exciting about it. It just needed to be reworked with the layout and freshened up.”

How this Cape home’s fresh start came to fruition is actually quite serendipitous. “The day we closed on the house,” Linda recalls, “it was the off-season, so it was pretty quiet on the Cape, and we had always wanted to try this restaurant on the other side of Dennis.” That restaurant was Gina’s by the Sea, and it just so happened that Waldo had plans to dine at Gina’s that same night. Linda and Marty crossed paths with Waldo that evening and they struck up a conversation, the couple commenting on the old pine paneling in the restaurant. “They said, ‘What do you think about that? Because we just bought this little cottage…’” recalls Waldo. “She came to the house the next day,” says Linda, “and she was so wonderful. We just loved her ideas. We’re very fortunate to have met her.”

The project posed a unique challenge for Waldo and Lambton, having never taken on a house this small before. But their vision for the home was clear from the very beginning—a vision of a contemporary Cape that leveraged its existing footprint and materials. “I think a lot of people would’ve walked into the house and been like, ‘Aah! It’s so much work!’” Waldo says. “Or think that they have to tear it down,” adds Lambton. Not a single wall here was taken down, and a good portion of the original wood paneling got a second life. 

“One of the things we felt really strongly about was using that old, dated pine paneling in a fresh new way,” says Waldo. “Sarah and I are both really drawn to a rustic-coastal vibe, so it’s mixing the old with the new,” explains Lambton. Contractor Jeff Keefe and his company Keefe Construction carefully extracted the paneling off the walls, sanding down the boards and painting them white, reincorporating the pine panels along the walls of the guest bedroom, in shiplap style, as well as in the hallway. Keefe then personally sourced additional knotty pine, choosing wood with less than 1 inch-thick knots—any thicker, he says, and it wouldn’t paint well. This pine was then whitewashed and incorporated throughout the rest of the home as feature walls, wainscoting and in ceilings. Linda admits she was a bit worried at first that it would all look too white. “We kept saying, ‘The subtle tones will come out,’” recalls Waldo. “I’m so happy we trusted them,” Linda says, as the home now feels bright and airy yet still cozy-cottagey.

What it doesn’t feel like, though, is a tiny house. “We wanted to make the rooms as spacious as possible without changing the footprint,” says Keefe. To open up the interior, Keefe vaulted the previously drop, cardboard-tile ceilings above the formal living room and kitchen, allowing the spaces to be open to one another. In the kitchen, comfy banquette seating, in place of a formal dining table, helps enable the flow between the two spaces, and a large picture window offers a resplendent view of the pond just beyond the backyard. Vaulting the ceilings also allowed for gable windows, for more natural light, and created space for a loft that sleeps two, perfect for accommodating Linda and Marty’s grown sons when they come to visit. The design team extended living space by transforming the screened porch—which had an existing block foundation—into a four-season TV room, complete with banks of divided lite windows on all three sides and exposed beams, kept their natural wood color to contrast the whitewashed paneling of the walls and ceiling. A cozy spot to lounge on a lazy Sunday, the four-season room also opens out to a large deck for summertime entertaining.

Above the master and guest bedrooms, Keefe installed 2 ½ by 4 ¼ inch hemlock beams, topped with ¾ inch southern yellow pine, which also serves as the floor of the sleeping loft above. “What that did is create a lofty, post-and-beam effect in the bedrooms and gave a little more headspace,” Keefe explains. “But to achieve that,” he continues, “I had to put a structural ridge in that basically spans from each gable end—so there’s one big post in the middle then the beam from either half supports the whole roof structure.”

Additional restructuring included the fireplace chimney. The original fireplace, Keefe says, was undersized and not optimally functional, so it was opened up and redesigned so a wood stove could be installed. To Keefe, not only is the wood stove a more efficient heating element here, it also adds traditional charm. “We also brought in some old brick that’s original to Cape Cod and refaced the fireplace with that,” Waldo notes.

In selecting interior furnishings, Waldo and Lambton found an understated approach to be most impactful. “We didn’t need to go overboard with the nautical nods. You can do it in a very subtle way and still get that vibe,” says Waldo. “One of the things we really pride ourselves on is making our projects feel authentically Cape Cod, that you get that feeling the minute you walk in the door without it being advertised.” Soft-toned linens from Design Works in Yarmouth and armless living room chairs from Elburne in Dennis help create that easy-breezy feel desired. “That’s another nod to the Cape, using furnishings and pieces that are from local stores. It just makes it that much more personal to the Cape,” says Lambton. “We love working with local shops and store owners to source furnishings,” Waldo adds. Beachscape paintings by local artists were sourced from Harvest Wine Gallery as well as Design Works, and for an added pop of color, Waldo and Lambton chose a blue and white, circular-patterned tile backsplash for the kitchen. Knickknacks were kept to a minimum, says Waldo, and stain-resistant, slipcover Sunbrella fabrics were used for the couches. “With a Cape house,” Waldo says, “you don’t want to be spending your time dusting and cleaning.”

Though it’s impossible for Linda to choose her favorite feature of the home, she says she loves the original cast-iron sink and tub in the retiled bathroom, as well as the lighting elements the design team chose. “I love the lighting,” she enthuses, especially the vintage chandelier in the living room and the ship’s bell design of the sconces in the loft.

“Sarah and Peyton were so nice to work with—we especially loved their plan to keep the cottage charm,” Linda says. “We completely trusted them. It was amazing to watch their vision come to life, and the end result was even better than we imagined.”

“It ended up being a really fun project and one that the homeowners really gave us and the builder carte blanche,” says Waldo. “When we were installing everything, we were sitting at the kitchen table and we were both like, ‘We could live here! This feels good!’” And that feel-good kind of vibe is just what Waldo and Lambton had envisioned for this Cape Cod getaway. “It’s summer on the Cape—we wanted them to be able to come down on the weekend, throw open all the doors and windows, and just enjoy and relax,” Lambton says. To Waldo, “We wanted it to be a house where they could walk in and it would feel like a breath of fresh air.”

Well, mission accomplished. “Oh my gosh,” Linda says with amazement, “every time I walk through the doors I feel a sense of peace and calm.”

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The Season is Upon Us!

Spring is a wonderful time to treat ourselves to places and spaces that speak to us about this area we love so much.

Let’s start at the Cape Cod Canal, where the bridges provide a lifeline for so many to connect with Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. If we time it right, we can visit the canal for the lowering and the raising of the Railroad Bridge—it’s memorable! I never tire of observing the barge, tug and freighter traffic below the bridge.

Along those same lines, I find the Steamship Authority ferries great fun to watch. Leaving the docks in Woods Hole and Hyannis, they sound their horn and very carefully cross the harbor. Plus, the harbors alone are busy with marine traffic, from pleasure craft to large fishing vessels. I enjoy seeing a boat well handled, large or small.

Who doesn’t have their favorite harbor to visit, from Falmouth to Chatham to Provincetown? All the bays and inlets in between connect us to Buzzards Bay, Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds, and the open Atlantic. And we find our favorite beaches there. The south side beaches from Woods Hole to Chatham offer the warmest water for swimmers. Have I ever mentioned Craigville Beach? But there is no beach walk in the world more beautiful than that below the sand dune cliffs of our Nauset coast. From Provincetown to Sandwich the beaches on Cape Cod Bay invite the nature lover within us. The low tide flats of Brewster, Orleans and Eastham are famous worldwide. Gazing west across the bay from the Outer Cape, we see the entire shape of the Cape in the distant shorelines disappearing beneath the golden setting sun.

Lighthouses open for public viewing, historical societies and museums help us find the old world and our proud heritage. Our charming villages and main streets provide endless opportunities for shopping and dining pleasures.

If you yearn for greater exploration, a short ferry ride across the sound carries us to the enchanting worlds of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Here we find the same array of natural beauty and manmade fun and fascination. From Menemsha to Edgartown on the Vineyard, and from Madaket to Siasconset on Nantucket, there are always treasures to discover.

Enjoy the season.

My best,

Brian Shortsleeve

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