1890s shingle style beach house renovation in Massachusetts

8 years ago

One of my favorite house/design bloggers, Willow Decor, who had been away from blogging for a while, just posted about her new house, which had been in the previous owners' family for 85 years and remained more or less untouched. She writes, "Work has been underway since early Spring with landscape architects, builders and craftsmen who share our vision and who are committed to return this beautiful home to its original grandeur." And, "There is so much left to do - kitchen, baths, porches, landscaping."

I thought others who might not know about this project would be interested in following along, here on the blog and her Instagram too.

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Willow Decor

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Beckysharp - so sweet to post this! Its been so long since I've blogged and I love the fellowship with other design lovers! My hope with my new "old" house was to historically restore it, but alas it was too far gone. Time, weather and new building standards and codes made it too cost prohibitive for us to tackle in the most museum like- historic sense. We are trying very hard re-create many of the original features of the house and keep all its inherent charm. Like all old homes, over the the years there were updates and renovations. The kitchen was re-done in the late 60's early 70's, walls were removed, a library ripped apart to make room for a family room, and the cook and maids rooms were rehabbed. A bathroom was added to the first floor in a very odd location. The original house was set up for fine living and as such household rooms (i.e. kitchen, Laundry, pantry) , which in the 1900's were delegated to the staff, were small, cramped and not very attractive for a modern family. In fact, prior to the 1960-70 renovation, the only way to enter the kitchen was thru a small butlers pantry. Original owners spent their days in the living room, dining room, library and beautiful porches. The original home did not even include a bath on the first floor. We did not change the floor plan from the previous renovation except to move the bath, the rest remains the same. This project is a labour of love for us. We have done exhaustive research to try to be accurate as possible, especially with the exterior, as we love the old New England shingle-style homes and want to preserve the aesthetic and the feeling of our beautiful area. But it's important for others to remember that it will be our year round home, not a summer cottage, so liberties were taken inside to make the house usable for our family now and in the future (empty nesters, children and grandchildren!). Over the next few months we will be putting everything back together - so keep checking in and remember things are just starting to taking shape - sometimes the smallest detail can be the one element that makes all the difference. We are very excited to finish! Thanks for sharing! xox

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Comments (11)

theclose
8 years ago
Oh, thanks! Just started following on IG.
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dedtired
8 years ago
All I can say is wow.
beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally thanked dedtired
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Anglophilia
8 years ago
Looks like they're destroying the original house and making into what they want. What a shame. I've seen it happen SO many times on the Vineyard... They usually do leave the exterior intact, but when one opens the front door, the inside looks like every single stock "open concept" floor plan on the internet. Makes me cry...
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deegw
8 years ago
If you look to at the pictures, some rooms have been already been re-muddled and other parts were neglected. So, IMO they aren't destroying some pristine time capsule.

It's lovely property and the pictures are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
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User
8 years ago
Anglophilia - have you ever lived in one of those 1890s houses that has not had any interior changes?
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beckysharp Reinstate SW Unconditionally
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
The kitchen was definitely touched at some point, and not for the better. The Instagram photo shows the before (left), when they bought the place, and (right) after removing some of the upper cabinets.

Of course, people tend to be willing to put up with a lot more at a summer cottage (what the house was for its previous 117 years) than in a full-time residence (what it will be going forward).
Bonnie
8 years ago
Beckysharp thank you for bringing this to our attention. Willow, what a fabulous home you will have. I am very familiar with the beaches in Gloucester and used to enjoy Wingaersheek and Good Harbor when the children were younger. Annisquam is a lovely area!
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Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for more of the background on the project Willow/Gina. It will be great fun to watch as it all comes together.

I was so excited to see your blog post and thought I'd come here to share!
torreykm
8 years ago
Wow - it's incredible. Thanks for sharing beckysharp. Can't wait to see this project unfold.
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Anglophilia
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Yes, I HAVE actually lived in such a house. It was my inlaw's house on Chappaquiddick. It was wonderful!

If we had inherited, I would have made a couple of changes. I would have moved the entrance from directly into the DR into a small side room that my late FIL used as a small office. And I would would have redone the kitchen and bathrooms. The kitchen was done sometime in the 1960's and it was done as cheaply as possible as there was a live-in cook in the kitchen! The bathrooms were old and awful and needed redoing. Other than that, I would have left it as it was.

When it was sold, the new owners added a deck (didn't go with the house at all!), and turned the entire first floor into as much "open concept" as possible. It was already pretty open - a nice sitting area and dining area area in a large room with sliders on two walls - fabulous views of Edgartown harbor and down Katama. There was a separate room with a fireplace which was used after dinner - sometimes with a fire on chilly nights. Since it was a nighttime room, it was cozier - big stone fireplace, huge sofa, comfortable chairs. There was also a full bath and a maid's bedroom off the kitchen. Her bath had to be shared with guests when they were entertaining, but she was not using it then. Not a good plan anyway.

As for having to walk through a butler's pantry to get the the kitchen; what is the problem with that? I stayed many times in such a house and it really wasn't a problem. There was also a back staircase to the servant's wing on the 2nd floor. No more servants - it had been turned into a huge area for their two boys. That was their normal way getting to the kitchen and it was never a problem.

Yes, I DO like a more "formal" layout for a house! Servants or not (don"t I just wish!), they work very well. I will go to my grave not understanding why on earth someone would want cooking odors etc right in the living room. No thanks!