Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1101832
66 The iconic Peabody & Stearn Shingle-style mansion, built in 1835 on a 70-foot cliff in Manchester-by-the-Sea, was the summer home of a real estate heir and his wife, who spent the off season on the Flat of the Hill. In 1929, it was demolished, its pieces pawned as a consequence of the Great Depression. The current home on the site is the fourth that has sat on its foundations. Architect Adolfo Perez designed this nearly 7,000-square-foot contemporary incarnation for a local family. Project manager David Demeter oversaw the two- plus-year long construction of this spare four-bedroom home, constructed made from monochromatic Chester Blue granite and plenty of glass, is and set amid rock out- croppings overlooking Lobster Bay. Patios wrap around the L-shaped plan, incorporating terrace walls from the estate's original landscape, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. "Stone is an obvious choice to withstand the elements that come from the exposed nature of the site," Perez says. "I wanted the house to appear to grow out of the major granite outcropping it sits on." Arrival is through a minimalist portal, or porte cochere, a 21st-century-style nod to the original man- sion's mid-19th-century design. Perez's sculptural glass and oak stair, illuminated by a skylight, is the first thing one sees upon stepping into the foyer, before glimps- ing the ocean. "It's an intentional and dramatic entry sequence," he says. Meichi Peng, who designed the interior millwork, finishes, and furnishings, used restraint so as not to over- power the view. The house is light and airy, with warm white walls that seem to float. Sand-toned 18- by 36-inch slabs of Italian travertine, with veining that aligns from one tile to the next, gently grounds the space. "We pur- chased a block from a quarry in Italy, which sliced, dry laid, and numbered each piece before shipping it here," Peng says. A seafoam-colored glass tile backsplash that refer- ences the ocean anchors the kitchen, which is located just past the stairs. Two identical parallel islands—one for cooking and one for cleaning and seating—have White Princess quartzite waterfall countertops and encase plain-fronted white lacquer cabinetry. When it came to furnishings, the couple requested a slightly relaxed feel, both for comfort and to accom- modate some existing antique furniture pieces and a col- lection of nautical seascapes. They also have three dogs, so durability was important. "The architecture is very contemporary, but the furniture is a bit softer," Peng says. Extra-wide upholstered chairs surround a rift-sawn white oak table atop a textured rug. A brushed alu- minum light fixture resembling a school of fish hangs above. A pair of custom lounge chairs upholstered in heavy-duty velvet face a leather ottoman set in front Guests arrive through a contemporary interpretation of a port cochiere. Above, The orange-toned stone structure on the left, which is part of the site's existing retaining wall, leads to an upper deck with a fire pit.