The pinstriped gray wallpaper helps scale the master bedroom’s high, slanted ceilings down to comfortable proportions. Deep-pile carpeting and a brace of burlap-covered ottomans warm the space.
The midcentury design favored by the owner is manifest in the gracefully curved desk in the office.
Guests are welcome to lay their heads in an upstairs bedroom that modestly departs from the home’s restrained use of color; a ribbed Lucite rocker and ottoman even flirt modestly with whimsy.
Banquette seating maximizes the relatively narrow space utilized for the dining area, which is further defined by an oversize print of curling surf.
The new fireplace, window seats, and built-in shelves give the living room a strong focal point.
A glass-topped coffee table has a wooden base that suggests rolling waves.
Driftwood edging around a mirror provides subtle hints about the home’s nautical setting.
Textured surfaces breathe life into this downtown Newport home’s living room, with a linen sofa and leather armchairs signaling the designer’s delicate balance between comfort and masculinity.
EB Scrolled #3 (2015), encyclopedia paper on panel, 20″H × 16″W.
Wendy Wahl at work.
EB Seeds #2 (2014), dictionary paper on panel, 11″H × 14″W
Rebound 3 (2009), encyclopedia paper and stainless steel, small 32″H × 42″W × 17″D, medium 50″H × 78″W × 17″D, large 60″H × 95″W × 17″D 40″ x 16″ x 17″ 50″ x 78″ x 17″ 60″ x 95″ x 17″, 2009
Another Stand for Knowledge (2014), encyclopedias, redacted text, rubberwood, paint, top 78″H × 48″W, on 25″H × 22″W base
Alternative Landscape (2018), encyclopedia paper on panel, 40″H × 30″W × 3”D
Prayer Papers #77 (2002), paper, 29″H × 40″W × 15″D.
Photo by Susan Teare
Photo by Susan Teare
Photo by Susan Teare
Photo by Jim Westphalen
Photo by Jim Westphalen
Photo by Susan Teare
Photo by Susan Teare
Photo by Jim Westphalen
Trundle beds and bold blue make a kid-friendly bedroom.
Another bedroom wears sunny apricot-hued paint.
Softer colors give the master bedroom its serene feel.
Colorful bedrooms include this sunny one in the “treehouse.”
The open part of the front porch has a gap at the base of the wall so water can drain out.
The front porch offers this lovely view. The house to the right is now privately owned but was once the Albonegon Inn, where Charlie Chaplin twice stayed.
The sunny breakfast room sits in the partially glassed-in front porch.
The vibrant watery-blue accents of the living room take a more dominant role in the dining room.
The wife wanted to see the ocean while she worked, so the kitchen was filled with windows. To get extra storage without upper cabinets, shelves were run across the windows.
A window seat nestles between the living room fireplace and shelves filled with vintage local knickknacks.
The different tastes of husband and wife—his New England traditional, hers California modern—blend nicely in the living room.
Shiplap paneling and antique furniture give the foyer a classic Maine cottage feel.
A rear view of the house shows the glass connector that joins the primary house to the “treehouse,” the builder’s nickname for the section of the home on the left that tucks into the forested part of the property.
The master bath’s barnacle-like mirror frame and wave-patterned floor tiles reference the home’s coastal location.
The bunk room’s nautical touches include rope sconces, anchor-print bedding, and a line-and-cleat detail.
Patterns in a guest room mix and match, from florals on the wall to stripes and plaid in upholstery and pillows.
A space-age ball chair is a playful addition to the bunk room.
The pool connects the main house and guesthouse in a unified landscape.
An all-wood wing chair softens the master bedroom’s vibrant colors.
The master bedroom’s vintage and antique furniture is refreshed with plucky hues drawn from the wallpaper in the hallway.
A chandelier strung with tiny bits of turquoise is framed by the angled ceiling in the master bedroom.
The kitchen joins in on the colorful fun with wallpaper (protected by glass) behind the range and inside the glass-front cabinets. The white wall faces the property line, so the high windows let in the light while allowing for privacy.
Ambles through the village inspired architectural details like the cap over the front door and the curved upper corners of the columns.
A combination of benches and transparent chairs surround the concrete-slab dining table.
Bold stripes of blue, green, and turquoise in durable, stain-resistant outdoor fabrics make for a bright, easy-care sitting area.
A rope railing is the final seafaring touch for the stairway painted in two glorious shades from Benjamin Moore—Caribbean Blue Water on the wall and Adriatic Sea on the treads.
The bright blue of the cottage’s front door hints at the rainbow awaiting inside.
What looks like a well-appointed pool house is actually a gardening shed.
A custom Chippendale-inspired wood fence and fieldstone wall define the edges of the terrace—and keep the rabbits out.
The hardscape and fencing are as important to the landscape design as the plant materials, says landscape architect Kris Horiuchi.
The wife’s dressing room celebrates her love of romance and of blue and white.
The calm palette continues into the master bedroom.
The continuous Shaker-style railing in the polished hallway is an example of the kind of millwork that sets the house apart.
Traditional elements find a home in the bright, sunny kitchen.
The peacock-blue butler’s pantry is always visible, so del Toro decided it should be delightful and surprising.
Limestone floor inserts in the casual dining area lend a garden-room feel.
Pecky cypress in the recesses of the ceiling fosters the great room’s casual, beachy vibe.
Upholstered host chairs join the heirloom dining table and Chippendale side chairs.
Decorative artist Chuck Fischer painted the mural, incorporating area landmarks.
The graphic hooked rug, designed by del Toro, hints at modernity in the traditional dining room.
A shell-framed mirror adds a touch of whimsy to the foyer.
Plantings in front mirror the symmetry of the stately facade.
With its tufted sofa and English armchairs, the living room is a perfect setting for the owners’ antiques. A glass-top coffee table with a driftwood base counters the formality, says interior designer Brian del Toro.
The oak paneling, designed by architect Tom Catalano, was painstakingly bleached, wire brushed, stained, and glazed.
Clementine bids welcome at the front door of a home inspired by those built by ship captains of early Chatham. Traditional notes start at the entry, where leaded glass sidelights and transoms frame a mahogany door.
The back lawn rolls right down to the water from which the Dillons originally spotted the property while kayaking.
Because of its proximity to the water, the house had to be reinforced with hidden steel beams to withstand storms.
A covered porch provides views not just of the water, but also of the garden the homeowners have created on a portion of the lot on which they were not allowed to build.
The master bedroom’s balcony is the Dillons’ favorite spot in the house.
The master bath houses a bench designed by William Yeoward.
The bench at the foot of the English bed is an antique from France, reupholstered in simple linen.
In the stairwell, old-time touches, including shiplap and a barn door, are juxtaposed with the sleek modernity of the railing.
Beyond the kitchen, views of Duxbury Bay stretch out endlessly.
Gillian used a British fireback as a backsplash for her stove, and she loved the look so much that she now imports the hearth protectors for her store.
An eighteenth-century Breton table surrounded by reproduction English Windsor chairs makes the perfect setup for casual dining.
Simple upholstered seating serves as backdrop to an assortment of wooden pieces from the homeowners’ store, including a reclaimed elm coffee table from England. Rustic ceiling beams add vintage charm to the new house.
As befits this new-meets-old house, a chest in the entry hall was made of antique components.
With its wood shingles and bright white trim, Gillian and Dickie Dillon’s new beach house in Duxbury, Massachusetts, looks as if it has always been in this historic seaside town.
