Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1176984
76 completely along the way, Art and Betsy Dioli were ready for a new chapter. "Our house was in good shape and the kids had moved out, so we agreed it was time to sell and downsize. I didn't really want to move," admits Art, "but if we did, I wanted to pick a place that felt like a vacation when we got home from work." The couple started looking and discovered—or rediscovered, in their case—Little Neck, a summer beach community in their own hometown. "We knew about it and have friends who vacation there. It's weird that it took us 30 years to realize what a great place it is," says Art. Their realtor showed them one house with a prime location near the water, but the structure was rough: It suffered from water damage and a variety of malaise. "I didn't even want to go inside," recalls Betsy. "But the realtor convinced us, and right afterwards Art took out a piece of paper and did a quick sketch. I said, 'Well, if you can do that, then let's buy it.' And we ended up doing something pretty close to that original drawing," she recalls. Art's ability to fully reimagine the property is no surprise. The veteran architect is a principal at OLSON LEWIS + Architects, an architecture, planning, and interiors firm based in Manchester-by-the-Sea. There was perhaps no better couple to buy this particular teardown: Replacing it involved navigating various regulations and site challenges. "Little Neck is a private- ly owned condo association, and we could only make changes within the original envelope," explains Art. "Also, Chris Ragusa and his team could only work in the off-season; the association doesn't allow construction in-season. "But unlike other houses we looked at—small cot- tages, low ceilings—this one had a second floor and a really great sense of space and volume. We knew we could make it work," continues Art. With 180-degree views of the Ipswich River and the back of Crane's Beach to capture, Art developed a window-laden, open-concept plan for the first floor. Within a rectangular shell, he placed the kitchen, din- ing area, and living room on the beach-facing half and a full bath, mud area, and den to the rear. On the second floor, he combined two smaller bedrooms to create an en suite master. Two additional bedrooms round out the upstairs. "The house is only six inches from the road," ex- plains Art. "We couldn't push backwards, but we did elevate seven feet off grade. We were a little nervous about privacy with all the windows, but we're high enough that we don't even notice the road. We only see that incredible view." An avid cook, Betsy wanted a gourmet kitchen, and Art delivered by taking advantage of every available After 30 years in an Ipswich antique, and renovating it Below, the mudroom is decorated with a beautiful tile floor. Right, The master bedroom floods with natural sunlight.