Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
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80 the waterside lawn into a natural rock garden. "You can tell the difference between Mother Nature and our rock garden, but a lot of people walk through our yard thinking it's a beach," Ruhl says. Within the two-floor home, the main living space— a wide-open combination living room, dining room, and kitchen—faces east, with white oak floors, white- painted poplar walls, and a long wall of glass swapped in for the old home's original trio of small windows. While the view is a natural orientation point, Ruhl says, "My wife's only request was 'lots of other little rooms.'" In addition to three bedrooms, there are three over- flow rooms—one with a big barn door—that serve as sitting areas and, in a pinch, sleeping space for visiting friends and family. The master bath features a curb-less shower room, with an adjacent 20-square-foot court- yard accessible via a bi-folding door. "Open that up and it becomes a quasi-outdoor shower," Ruhl says. "It's a little hole in the middle of the house that brings in light and, in good weather, brings fresh air to the shower." To hear Ruhl tell it, the Gap Cove house affords a pe- culiar kind of solitude: decidedly open from the outside but deserted-island private after stepping through the front door. That makes it an ideal getaway for Ruhl and his wife, plus their two adult children, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren; a perfect day, Ruhl says, in- volves rising with his 16-month-old granddaughter and enjoying a cup of coffee while playing, reading, and scooting. ("It's a very scoot-friendly house," he says.) An avid kayaker, Ruhl can launch just off his porch and paddle out to Straitsmouth Island, up and around to Rockport's harbor, or—for a longer and choppier trip— southeast to Thacher Island. In clear weather, he's seen seals and whales from his living room. "It's a perfect setting," he says. "I won't deny it: I'm a lucky person." For contact information, see Resources on page 130. In addition to three bedrooms, there are three overflow rooms that serve as sitting areas and sleeping space for visitors. Bottom, The master bath features a curb-less shower room, next to a 20-square-foot courtyard accessible via a bi-folding door.