MFDS was tasked with renovating an existing mid-century modern home in dire need of a refresh, as well as adding more living space for a family of four and their extended family and friends during summer vacations.
Morris Island Residence
Type
Single Family
Location
Morris Island, Chatham, MA
Status
Completed 2019
Details
- • 5,200 sq. ft
- • 3 stories
- • 5 bed / 5 bath
Photography by Jane Messinger, Alex Yoon
A beautiful site with an outdated midcentury modern
The clients had purchased the property having been drawn by its prime location at the high point of Morris Island – situated next to a national wildlife, offering densely wooded natural surroundings, and proximity to beaches. With mature scrub oaks and dense vegetation, the property offered a quiet retreat while still being a short drive to Chatham town center.
The existing house was built in the seventies, a midcentury design in spirit, but built by Cape builders with vernacular Cape detailing. The design of the house has strong lines and good bones, but its spaces and features were showing its age. The master bedroom suite was small and cramped, the kitchen was designed as a smaller unit typical of its era, and the living areas were bifurcated and disjointed, with one large main living area and several smaller but practically unusable or unpleasant spaces.
Transitioning to contemporary living
The house, while having good bones, was lacking several aspects that were particular to the clients' needs and habits.The family of four often hosts friends and extended family, and the house was not able to comfortably sleep and host larger groups of people. Homes in the region are predominantly summer vacation homes, and the program for a house of this use called for multiple suites of living areas and sleeping areas to accommodate large and extended groups of families for short but very lively and active periods.
Interior renovations
The primary goal of the new design was to utilize the length of both the site and house to create a linear arrangement of spaces, connecting new and old with extended view corridors along a main circulation spine. Emphasis was placed on renovating kitchen and main living area to serve as the central node, the kitchen was expanded to encompass the entirety of the old kitchen and breakfast area, with a large island serving as the main gathering space. Lighting was re-imagined to to accentuate the strong volumetric spaces of the kitchen and living room. Redesigned smaller ancillary living spaces branch out above, below, and out from the kitchen to offer more private and smaller spaces to gather.
New additions
The sleeping spaces in the new design are pushed to the periphery, offering privacy from the common areas and uninterrupted views of the landscape. A new semi-detached addition to the south allowed for two new master bedroom suites, able to house a larger number of people, while preserving the strong geometric lines and shapes of the existing house. The existing master bedroom was converted into an anteroom library of sorts; offering a quiet but engaging space between the private and public areas of the house. A glass bridge connects the two structures, offering views through the old and new - providing stunning landscape views and allowing the two strong shapes of the box addition and pitched roof of the existing house to breathe.
The existing detached garage held a small 7x12ft space above, which served as a small sleeping space, but it lacked plumbing and was too small for anything but a twin bed and chair. The space was more than doubled by adding a shed dormer, used primarily as a remote office but able to serve as a full in-law suite for guests.
Existing vs Renovated
In addition to the interior renovations, the entirety of the existing exterior was updated to tie in with the new addition; with metal standing seam roofs, new windows, and Kebony - a sustainable, naturally treated pine cladding that is just as durable as hardwoods and weathers to the same beautiful grey tones. The exterior renovations, with its restrained material palette & simplification of details, pay homage to the spirit of the existing midcentury house while bringing the completed home into the contemporary zeitgeist.
Interior/Exterior
The Cape during summer season can at times be a very lively but crowded scene, fortunately this particular property offers a lush and densely wooded respite from the bustle of Chatham town center. With ample room to lounge, run, and play; the family spends more time outside than in – and thus reinforcing the connection to the exterior was an emphasis of the project. A landscape master plan was developed by Michael D'Angelo Landscape Architecture, of which the feature element is a dry bed that runs between the existing house and addition and continues onto the length of the property. The site offers a variety of spaces, a fire pit to lounge around, grass area for lawn games, a dry bed and surrounding vegetation for children to explore. The clients personally oversaw the landscape renovation, choosing final plantings and overseeing installation.
A hidden ship's ladder & roof deck
There was an opportunity to utilize the flat roof the two-story addition as a roof deck, which would afford views of the tree canopy and ocean beyond, but the layout of the master suite did not have any room for a stair or any other permanent roof access. MFDS used one side of the double loaded closet corridor to host a retractable ship's ladder - a piece marvelously detailed and executed by Tradern Fine Woodworking to seamlessly blend in with the millwork. Three fixed glass treads finish the ascent to the roof deck, with a minimally detailed automated skylight by Tilt Industrial Design capping the opening.