Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1261763
51 INTERIOR DESIGNER ANDRA BIRKERTS IS DRAWN TO THE UNEXPECTED. SHE USES THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE to energize spaces, generate conversations, and nudge entrenched sensibilities. When a client approached her about building a summer home in Rockport, Birkerts welcomed the opportunity to immerse herself in the vernacular of the town's rustic coast. She had worked with the couple once already on their home in Chestnut Hill and was familiar with their style inclinations. She knew that the well-traveled, career-oriented pair—with a love of art, interior design, and architecture—didn't want a standard New England beach retreat. "For them, it needed to be a very cool place, something fun and inspiring and befitting the stunning environment," explains Birkerts, who founded her full-service interior design firm, Andra Birkerts Design, in 1992. "They understand modern lifestyle and how certain combinations of color, materials, and furniture can really activate a space," she explains. Having summered in Rockport for years, the couple decided on an oceanfront lot that was part of an accumulated family compound. With two children in their teen years, they wanted to transform the existing, traditionally styled home into a generational destination. To rework the structure into their contemporary vision, they tasked Cambridge-based Epstein Joslin Architects (on Birkerts' suggestion) with the transformation. Known for award-winning cultural destinations (check out the stunning Music Center The dining table is by Dutch artist Piet Hein Eek.