exteriors

A new entryway of glass and steel, fabricated by Jared Baldyga of Greenwich Construction and Development, gives the old barn-turned-home a contemporary touch.

The primary residence (left) connects via a breezeway to a second barn, which the homeowners dubbed the “party barn” and use for entertaining.

The main entry’s updated, large-scale glass panels and angled handrail draw the eye through the interior to the water beyond.

A plaque on the house identifies it as the the Christopher H. Drowne House, built 1862–1863.

The home’s iconic colonial facade stayed the same, while virtually everything was refreshed on the inside.

Columns, cupolas, and gabled dormers give the front of the home a sense of formality belied by the casual elegance of the interior.

The porte cochère showcases the curves that are possible with shingles and typical of the classic Shingle-style.

A large brick chimney was on the clients’ must-have list. The paneled design leaves it up to viewers to decide what they see: the openings or the grid.

Twin gambrels flank an entry porch bracketed by beefy columns. The porte cochère connects the house to the garage. Architect John DaSilva put the garage doors at the back, so the building looks more like a charming guest house.

Exterior details like the eyebrow windows have a classic look while providing volume inside the house.

Japanese tree lilacs mark the path to the gabled front entry.

Classic beach house elements like clapboard get a contemporary update with such features as the tan-trimmed windows and steel cable railings.

Eschewing a traditional front door, the front of the house provides multiple opportunities to interact with the outdoors, including the master bedroom’s deck and a dining patio off the kitchen.

The driveway deposits visitors in a rear courtyard-like area where a path leads to the main entrance.

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.

Ambles through the village inspired architectural details like the cap over the front door and the curved upper corners of the columns.

The bright blue of the cottage’s front door hints at the rainbow awaiting inside.

The hardscape and fencing are as important to the landscape design as the plant materials, says landscape architect Kris Horiuchi.

Plantings in front mirror the symmetry of the stately facade.

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.

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.

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.

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by David Sundberg/Esto

Photo by Matthew Snyder

Photo by Matthew Snyder

Photo by Peter Vanderwarker

Photo by Matthew Snyder

The house is grand, indoors and out, with curved walls, tall windows, numerous gables, and architectural details inspired by the iconic Shingle style.

Architects Jennifer Smith and Scott Hutton sited the house to take advantage of water views and relied on traditional New England materials. They created spaces that are both outward focused and intimate—from porches and patios to tiered-level lawns. The window trim echoes the interior accent red, which was mixed to match the client’s favorite lipstick and nail polish color.

The front facade shows the original 1850s house, to the right, and 1970s single-floor extension to the left. The latter was given a dormered second-floor addition.

Like the first modernists on the Cape, who built houses to celebrate summer, indoor spaces are linked with the outdoors.

While most of the site uses native plantings, such as bayberry and sweet fern, to blend into the surroundings, color and geometrically designed perennial beds announce the entryway.

Architects Don DiRocco and Mark Hammer tucked three levels into the side of a steep hill. Landscape architect Jessalyn Jarest planted red pines and tupelo trees to screen the house from neighbors below.

Cutone’s straightforward design reflects Nantucket’s architectural roots while maximizing the compact lot with an open-plan house that flows from front to back.

Landscape architect Dan Gordon created a beautifully proportioned pool garden that’s within easy reach of the house. A parade of white hydrangeas adds to the gracious setting and gives enjoyment to those inside, too. The tall hydrangea paniculata is an old specimen that has been carefully preserved.

The classic Nantucket style of the 1735 Barnabas Gardner house appealed to the homeowners. Improvements, such as the new shingles, had to pass muster with the local historical authority.

A curved second-floor balcony is a crowning touch on the front entrance.

Designed in 1989 by architect Christopher Glass, the Shingle-style home is a playful take on the grand cottages of the turn-of-the-century rusticators of Maine’s Mount Desert Island. The extensive gardens were laid out by landscape designer Dennis Bracale and are now tended by Erika Lindquist, who works full-time on the grounds.

The random flagstone pool deck is a throwback to midcentury summers.

A finish of brick-red paint (Farrow & Ball’s Blazer) spotlights the front entry.

The renovation of the cottage included adding a partial second floor. Builder Rick Guidelli disassembled and rebuilt the brick chimney, covering it with stucco.

The gate’s X-motif is repeated throughout—even in the custom baby gates the owners ordered.

The 9,200-square-foot home sits on nearly an acre landscaped by Gregory Lombardi with a collection of New England perennials and a garden gate that is original to the 1908 house.

The homeowner was smitten by the 1920s cottage. “It was the perfect space for me,” she says.

Visitors arriving via the front door can see clear through the house to the water. A cupola, which opens into a hallway, adds a nice architectural detail and lets in light, while an exaggerated stone chimney helps ground the house.

.” Copious windows enable the owners to take full advantage of the water views.

“Home-sized” windows, a bedroom balcony, and native trees help create a residential feel for a structure that intends to stand out from, not blend into, its environment.

The sleek, blocky basis of the home’s abstract design is mitigated by the addition of a floating canopy, brise-soleil, and extensive plantings around the entry.

The downhill side of the barn overlooks an auto court.

Nestled across the yard from the 7,000-square-foot main house, this Ridgefield retreat contains a gym, library, office, and gathering spaces—but no bedrooms, in deference to local building codes. Architect Mark P. Finlay designed it to look like an old outbuilding that had been added onto over the years.

The home has been stitched together like a patchwork quilt—with additions, ells, walkways, and wings—over its many years, but has stayed true to its vernacular narrative.

That constant of the home’s unchanged facade belies all of the changes that have taken place behind its period doors over time.

A boardwalk underscores the home’s coastal character, guiding visitors to a recessed entry that provides shelter from the elements without breaching the home’s tightly regulated footprint.

Daisies dapple the meadow bordering this new home on Nantucket’s southern shore. The owners like to grill, so the deck wraps around all four sides of the house, assuring refuge from the sometimes-brutal winds. The central saltbox is framed by one-story wings containing his-and-hers master bedrooms.

The back view of the home reveals how Rousselle tucked the ground floor into the sloping site to help conceal the mass of the house and to accommodate a large outdoor patio.

Some of the homes architectural details include hemlock brackets, flared columns, and an eyebrow arch.

Architect Paul Robert Rousselle and his client agreed the Shingle style would be the perfect blend of classic and contemporary for this Vermont home.

Rousselle varied the heights of the rooflines to reduce the home’s sense of volume, and added a host of elegant architectural details.

A wall of windows looks out on the rear patio sprinkled with an array of comfortable outdoor furniture.

A path paved with native stone guides visitors to the front door of a seaside Cape Cod home that blends effortlessly into the natural environment.

Outdoor diners can enjoy the views of the sea or straight through the “life space” to the front of the house.

A curvy drive meanders through a wooded lot, ending at the entrance to the classic Shingle-style home, never letting on that spectacular water views await within.

Local fieldstone visually links the house with the terrace areas.

Details often found in the classically inspired work of Royal Barry Wills Associates include the quoining along the corners of the main block of the house and the full-length shutters that flank the first-floor windows. Traditional plants such as tailored boxwood and blue hydrangeas complement the elegant architecture.

A long front porch with a metal roof links the home’s two imposing gambrel-shaped gables.

Below the second-floor master suite balcony, the pool, hot tub, and sitting and dining spaces converge for a multifunctional entertaining area.

A barn holds two parking bays, a recreation room, and a fitness center, while at the same time creating an elegant entrance experience to the property. Its charming gatehouse look reinforces the French estate feel the homeowner requested.

A modest shingled exterior belies the home’s light-filled interior spaces. High-peaked rooflines hint at the multiple vaulted ceilings inside.

The house presents a classic, simple Georgian facade in keeping with its New Canaan location.

The exterior of the Greenwich townhouse.

The short walls of granite extending from the house are an aesthetic move, says Glen Valentine of Stephen Stimson Associates. “They extend the geometry of the building into the site,” he says.

The front of the house presents a formal yet modern symmetry that relaxes as the house unfolds toward the back. A grid of zinc-coated copper defines the entry. The same metal is used on the exterior trim and the decorative visors above the windows. An entry court flanked by groups of hawthorn trees reflects the landscape’s classical nine-square grid.

New and old blend in this backyard view of the home: the original 1826 section of the house is in the middle, flanked by the 1916 addition to the right and the new family room to the left, where a carriage house once stood.

A new tin-roofed wraparound veranda, eyebrow windows, and authentic gaslights from Bevolo of New Orleans add character to the historic home on a hilltop in Wilton.

A traditional flight of stone steps leads to the front door of the classic 1880s Boston brownstone.

The house is a study in simplicity—and problem solving. It was a tough site, says architect Jim Estes: “Not much room and close neighbors.” To make the most of the lot, he took the house up to the setback lines, which created a courtyard on the street side.

The natural landscape design incorporates an abundance of native plants; the long, bottom leg of the “U” (the back of the house) is oriented to take full advantage of the water views.

The house nestles into the dramatic slope of the lot.

To help the house blend into its natural surroundings, the design team kept the existing woodlands wherever possible, supplemented with native trees and plants. Red cedar shingles and stone enhance the home’s connection to the land.

The architecture of the poolhouse.

Wood decking links the nearby parking area with the dairy barn. The barn door is just one of many thoughtful details reinforcing the home’s farm narrative.

Guest bedrooms and the family room occupy one wing of the home. The oversize windows light the staircase to the owners’ second-floor sanctuary.

Architect Lyman Goff worked closely with the clients to design a moderately proportioned Shingle-style home.

The original house, which holds guest quarters, is connected to the barn-style addition by the Royal Barry Wills-inspired entrance hallway.

Wide porches, two balconies, and a roof walk allow open-air views of Nantucket Harbor to the north.

The red-cedar roof and white cedar shingle siding, traditional for the area, are allowed to weather naturally.

Resting atop a base of bluestone and New England fieldstone, this Cape Cod residence draws from nineteenth-century traditions, but includes amenities such as a ground-floor gym that opens out onto a swimming pool. The balcony belongs to the owner’s bedroom—one of three master suites incorporated to accommodate the owner’s children and their future families.

In compliance with the owner’s wishes, the rejuvenated house looks like it has always been there. “We wanted to maintain the home’s modest scale but also make it function the way people like to live today,” explains architect Patrick Ahearn.

Gold flame honeysuckle climbs the pergola, overlooking the perennial garden’s mix of lavender, salvia, Rozanne geraniums, Bluebonnet, and Asiatic lilies.

The nautical motif was extended to the back deck, where a white, powder-coated aluminum dining set overlooks the Centerville River. The rebuilt deck’s surface was chosen as a close match to the interior floors for a seamless transition between spaces.

The home’s classic shingled exterior looks much the same, post renovation, with the addition of a multitude of new window boxes filled with pink geraniums.

Kevin Baker Stonework is responsible for the hardscaping, including the stone terrace on the water side of the house, where the homeowners’ pup, Chewie, enjoys the view.

Original exterior details, such as the cornerstones, were replicated in the new parts of the house.

An assortment of plant-filled pots dress up the front door.

A crushed-clamshell drive lined with boxwood leads to the new porte-cochère. The home’s top-to-bottom update blends modern features and character-infusing details, such as high-efficiency windows made with hand-blown glass. “A typical summer house has become a four-season home,” says interior designer Helen Higgins.

Rick Wagner peers out of his professional-grade observatory.

To maximize the home’s hilltop site, the designers added several exterior patios and seating areas while opening up the view side of the home with massive windows.

Diverse rooflines to break up the mass of this hillside residence are among the renovations that turned a rather ordinary house into a spectacular home. Other changes include larger windows to take full advantage of magnificent mountain views and a custom-made observatory for even more distant views.

Designer Nancy Serafini and her husband, Joe, turned their one-story, three-bedroom cottage on a quiet Nantucket street into a spacious—but still charming—house with plenty of room for their grown children and a passel of grandchildren.

Garden designer and horticulturist -Deborah Munson created the lattice-like Belgian fence of espaliered pears scaling the brick wall that sets off the pool.

Rather than the usual terrace off the family room, Rylee and Fisher devised a floating terrace using massive salvaged stone slabs.

The handsome new house that replaced a nondescript ranch has a time-honored, neoclassical appearance. Homeowner/interior designer Leslie Rylee and builder Dennis Fisher bought many antique elements, such as the front door and its surround, to further an old feel. Details that had to be added were crafted carefully. “Every new window and door we added was custom made,” Fisher says.

Goff pushed the rear of the house out to add the glass-walled family room and the covered porch.

Irregular, rounded stone forms a walkway from the drive to the front door.

Gale Goff, the architect who designed this Jamestown, Rhode Island, house, returned to forge an addition to expand the kitchen and create a family room. The addition, which segues from the enlarged kitchen to the spacious covered porch, was accomplished seamlessly.

Landscape architect William Pressley says he was absolutely in sync with the architect, and understood the importance of a hardscape and plantings that would do justice to the extraordinary home.

With its proud arches, prominent stone facade, fanciful roofline, and abundant details, the home is an unabashed homage to the American architect H.H. Richardson and his signature Romanesque Revival style. Slate and copper roofing adds to the sense of age and permanence Meyer and his clients wanted.

The house design includes bedrooms with covered porches away from the public spaces.

At this Martha’s Vineyard house, the deeply overhanging roofs, stone walls, wood colonnade, and ample windows were inspired by the iconic work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The center section of the newly built Greek Revival is a copy of the nineteenth-century house that once stood on the property.

The reclaimed barn.

The breezeway connects the barn and main house.

The property offered the whole country package, including the farmhouse with its classic colonial facade.

The homeowners were living in Brooklyn, New York, and had never heard of Westport until they started looking for a home for their growing family. They were sold after one look at this iconic farmhouse on lovingly tended, parklike grounds.

“This project was an unbelievable collaboration,” says builder Stephen Sullivan. “Everybody involved took pride in their work and the owner’s appreciation made it all worthwhile.”

The wife’s choice of the cadet-blue trim color is just one of the unique touches in this house. The lofty garage holds a second-level guest suite complete with kitchenette. Landscape designer Susan Saunders’s rich tapestry of trees and plantings, including spirea, viburnum, and fragrant clethra, enhances the front entrance.

Granite slabs set into the grassy slope act as modern stepping stones.

A brise-soleil on the south-facing side of the house offers shade in the summer but lets warmth in during winter.

The entry stairs pay homage to the stone walls that are a big part of the Vineyard’s history and character.

Grand as it looks, the pavilion is perfectly scaled to fit its surroundings.

Night and day, visitors are drawn by the rhythms of this garden pavilion’s lattice-like layering of architectural elements.

Architect Guy Grassi’s brick-and-glass design pays tribute to the adjacent row of historic homes, yet pushes the envelope of sleek, modern architecture.

Landscape designer Mary LeBlanc created multiple outdoor seating areas, including this charming nook with a fire pit.

A woodland landscape, anchored by beautiful oaks, provides a lush backdrop for this Shingle style Falmouth house designed by architect John Dvorsack.

Wraparound porches are perfect for savoring the scenery.

The landscape plan, by Nantucket Heritage Landscapes, includes a variety of grasses and shrubs.

The handsome house, designed by architect Mark Cutone, mimics the exterior of the original structure and befits the island vernacular. Lush plantings and tiered stone walls play up the property’s change of grade and add color and texture to the postcard setting.

Surgical precision was required to site the house among the mature trees. Donaroma’s Nursery and Landscape Services created an inner courtyard rimmed with plantings.

Symmetry defines the front of the Shingle-style house.

n back, symmetry gives way to interesting roof lines, a turret, porches and a fieldstone chimney that serves four fireplaces.

Over the years, the 1840s Federal-style house had been given a mansard roof and Victorian flourishes.

Grassi designed the house’s curved doorway.

The exterior brackets on the tower addition match those flanking the back door.

Round and oval ornamental windows add interest to the house’s front facade.

The back porch sprawls across the living room, family room and kitchen with their spectacular views of the harbor beyond.

The home’€™s exterior and its surroundings blend references to the stately houses of Europe and New England’s iconic stone walls.

Located in Southport’s Historic District, the Shingle-style house hadn’t been altered much since it was built in 1894, retaining its original detail and character.

The welcoming 4,000-square-foot, shingled house incorporates timeless features like a port cochere.

Gambrel roofs and low eaves give the house its horizontal, ground-hugging quality.

An addition to an existing post-and-beam house on Nantucket gave its new owners a wide porch and more formal entry area.

In keeping with the location’s vernacular, Matthew R. MacEachern, principal of the Nantucket firm Emeritus, artfully incorporated all the traditional elements of what he labels the home’s “high Shingle style” but in a scaled down, contemporary manner better attuned to today. Spare and elegant, the new house is a perfect fit for a shell drive and hydrangeas—both longtime Nantucket favorites.

The four-story, nineteenth-century Back Bay townhouse, converted to apartments in the 1960s, has been restored as a single-family home.

White clapboard and brick give the house a quintessential New England feel in keeping with the charming town of Amherst, New Hampshire. The Wakehams left the original layout intact while completely overhauling the interior design. The goal was a house that was "comfortable, beautiful, and functional," says Desi Wakeham.

So classic are the lines and materials of this Shingle-style waterfront home in Greenwich, it’s almost hard to believe it was only recently built.

Plantings and stone terracing enhance house and property.

The owners fell in love with the house in part because of its views, which include iconic Maine landmarks such as the Isle of Shoals and Boone Island Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in New England.

After a century beside the ocean, virtually the entire exterior of the house needed replacing, from new cedar shakes to the rot-proof trim. Its original appearance, however, remains.

A breezeway connects the house with the garage.

The new home's shape says "barn"; while fenestration and amenities speak of the comforts of modern life.

A view of the hydrangea garden.

Lush hydrangea bushes surround the house.

A new deck off the kitchen makes a ­picture-perfect place for casual dining.

Boaters have easy access via the dock.

Those staying behind on the covered porch can monitor comings and goings.

The owner’s yacht ties up in view of the house.

Adriana'€™s love of symmetry and angular design are evident in both the house'€™s exterior and the landscaping.

The genteel clapboard house sits on two well-tended acres overlooking Washington’s historic green.

Every exterior feature, especially the outdoor entertaining spaces, was given the same attention to detail as the interiors.

The home’s facade is grand, inviting and traditional.

The porch is one of Ruderman’s favorite spots because, she says, it reflects who she is as a designer.

The porch is casually furnished with wicker and wrought iron.

The children’s bedrooms sit on the ground level, while main living spaces are situated on the second floor.

The outdoor living room is a favorite relaxation destination.

The house’s exterior of wood and local stone suits the dramatic, natural setting.

The house is a celebration of natural materials.

The clever design presents a different facade from every vantage point, a visual trick that keeps the large house from overwhelming its site.

The circular moongate entry to the backyard moss garden adds visual interest and acts as foil to the home’s otherwise straight lines. The slanting roofline takes its cue from the surrounding topography.

The exterior retains its Federal-style charm.

The aesthetically pleasing covered walkway between the house and the garage provides protection from the elements.

Lombardi created an outdoor oasis behind the house that recalls the owners’ previous home in California.

In a nod to going green, the roof of the pool house is topped with sedum and moss.

Stone walls, raised beds, low foundation plantings and lush shrubs create a sense of enclosure at the entry of the house.

Light floods the home through generously scaled windows, while the barn-like doors, painted in bold shades of yellow and chartreuse, stand ready to slide closed, buttoning up the house for privacy.

The new addition brought a parade of French doors that open from the family room to a covered porch with the master suite above.

A narrow path meanders to the cove.

Wildflowers are part of the overall natural landscape design.

Landscape designer Larry Maxim and the homeowners agreed on a low-maintenance plan that includes native shrubs, trees and flowering plants that provide color and textural interest in every season.

Deep overhanging eaves temper the hot summer sun and help protect the Ipe siding from weather.

Creeping and wooly thyme between the cobblestones add softness to the courtyard.

The home’€™s classic shingled exterior gives it a timeless look.

A weathervane inspired by the Fool in the Tarot deck stands atop the cupola.

A bluestone terrace surrounded by lush plantings makes a peaceful outdoor dining area.

The old standalone garage is now a fitness room and studio.

Landscape architect David Hawk planted lush perennial beds along a meandering bluestone path.

The original Cape-style house still forms the core of the expanded home.

The classic Shingle-style house was built in 1996.

The pontoon-shaped deck is an outdoor living and dining room that is as large as its indoor counterparts. The deck stands at a distance from the house, accessed by walkways from the living room, kitchen and master bedroom.

Elevating the house on steel pilings minimizes the structure’s footprint on the Cape Cod scrub oak forest and gives the house spectacular views all around. The space underneath the house has a sitting area for ground-level relaxing.

The welcoming parking court, situated between the main house and the pool house, is hidden from the road. Dual chimneys framing the widow’s walk and colorful window boxes at the dormers further the home’s charm.

The rugged beauty of the ledge outcropping, now freed from year of vegetation, adds further drama to the waterside site.