Northshore Magazine

October 2014

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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Neille, the family got more excited about the opportunities, and eventually the project morphed into a total makeover. As MacNeille says, "We did the entire gamut." Today, the cottage retains its simple 1960s roots, but in a notched-up style that reimagines the era, so often indicative of boxy, ho-hum architecture. Neutral colors, new plaster, and bamboo flooring play up the light, bright beach environment. The openness of the interior is empha- sized with thoughtful lighting, including recessed lights and striking pendants over the peninsula in the kitchen. The kitchen, which fl ws into the living and dining areas, was a particular challenge, MacNeille says. The poorly lit space—it had no exterior window or door—begged for a special effec . In addi- tion to the lighting, MacNeille and his team installed a lovely glass tile backsplash that reinforces the sparkling ambience. The light, bright scheme became a conscious goal, one that MacNeille and his colleagues achieved with flair: For a beach bungalow that measures just 1,580 square feet, the effect is expansive and light-filled Carpenter & MacNeille, a full-service team, undertook the entire project, including cabinetry and interior design. While there was no expansion of space, which the owners didn't want or need, MacNeille created the illusion with one significant alteration in the living room: The original flat ceiling has been trans- formed with cathedral lines, leaving some of the ceiling joists in place. "We left some of them for structural purposes, so they kind of float in the cathedral ceiling," MacNeille says. No window treatments in the living room and minimal window décor in the dining area allow ocean views and light to pour in. Tucked to the side of the one-story cottage are the original three bedrooms, two with a shared bath and a master bedroom and bath located on the south-facing side. A major exterior project transformed the dwelling and its use: a connection of the existing front and back decks, com- 198 bining them into one structure around the south side of the cottage. The new portion has the most stellar ocean views and also serves to connect to the kitchen and dining area, which spill onto the deck. The new expanded deck is comple- mented with a mahogany cable railing, with horizontal cedar slats to increase the visual effect and conceal the empty space under the deck. "It's a nice skirt effect, notes MacNeille. The exterior got another major style boost by replacing the original New Dimensions Carpenter & MacNeille created the illusion of more space with raised ceilings. siding—nondescript vertical panelized plywood—with red cedar clapboards. The renovation has led to a new rela- tionship for the family and cottage. "It's become something that's close to their heart," MacNeille says. The interior concept, so key to a bal- anced look, was led by Elizabeth Houri- han, an interior designer with Carpenter & MacNeille at the time and now owner of Elizabeth Brosnan Hourihan Interiors in Weston, Connecticut.

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