Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1226262
63 catalyzed a meeting with architect Kyle Sheffield, principal at LDa Architecture & Interiors. "Houses like this were never meant to be lived in year-round," explains Sheffield. "Architect and historian Vincent Scully aptly called the Shingle style the 'architecture of the American summer.' These retreats had large rooms that were informally composed and sweeping porches. There was no formal entertaining; you were supposed to let your hair down as soon as you arrived," he details. "This Eastern Point house had an upstairs- downstairs arrangement, with servants' quarters on the third floor. Originally our clients wanted to rework that top floor's warren of small rooms and address a driveway entry that iced over badly in the winter," Sheffield relates. However, as a result of continued conversations, the couple ended up reinterpreting the whole house for their lifestyle (they have two grown sons and a daughter), with Sheffield and LDa interior designer and Associate Dean Sawyer at the helm. Both owners hail from the UK and lived previously in California. "We are definitely more European-leaning in our style," explains the wife. "We wanted the house to be open and light, with light woods and pops of color." "They appreciate clean lines and modern aesthetics but with warm finishes," agrees Sawyer. "The wife especially wanted to capture more of a SoCal vibe than typical New England beach house," he adds. "And we didn't want to trivialize the vibrant spaces outdoors, so we maintained a calm, neutral palette indoors, with light oak flooring and restrained moldings." The design team's master plan reprogrammed a total of three stories plus the garden-level basement, accessed via that problematic driveway entrance. Now, radiant heat keeps the entry's granite stone steps free of snow and ice. Inside, a new tiled mudroom features built-in cubbies. A custom-built dog gate at the base of the stairs leading up to the kitchen contains the family's two goldendoodles when they are wet and muddy. Above, the redone kitchen is anchored by Leicht cabinets. "The owners loved their functionality and clean aesthetic—this choice was surprisingly contemporary and an inspiring jumping off point for the interiors," notes Sawyer. A white quartz backsplash runs countertop to ceiling. "Here, we took the casings off the windows; we wanted to celebrate the stone right up to the jams," says Sheffield. Tall brown cabinets, also by Leicht, flank a second island and hide a dedicated breakfast/coffee station on one side and a walk-in pantry on the other. The first floor's most casual hangout space is the family room off the kitchen. It's where everyone goes to get their fix of natural light, which streams in through garden-facing glazing and a roof lantern above. The Kyle Sheffield of LDa Architects and Interiors developed a program to modernize the 1893 summer "cottage on Eastern Point. Interior designer Dean Sawyer brought the couple's vision of a more contemporary Southern California look and feel to the space with modern furnishings and clean lines.