Playful and Cozy in Cape Cod

What to do with lake perspectives that are awe-inspiring? Make the most of them, needless to say, by filling just about every single room with enormous windows and French doors. That’s what architect John DaSilva did to a stunning Cape Cod, Massachusetts, vacation home for a family of six. But he didn’t stop there. Mixing elements out of a 1920s bungalow, a Gothic Victorian and a timeless Northeast lake house, the architect managed to nail the homeowners’ wishes for a casual, comfy and whimsical area.

What is more, the renovated house manages to fit comfortably into its surroundings by paying tribute to several different eras of classic Cape Cod architecture. “I’m an architect that prefers evolution rather than revolution,” DaSilva says. “It was my hope to elicit historical architectural character, but in a brand new way.”

at a Glance
Location: Lake Wequaquet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Who resides: This can be a vacation home for an active Massachusetts family.
Size: 3,412 square feet; 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

This Cape Cod home is not near the sea; it has its beautiful waterfront views from one of the cape’s biggest freshwater lakes, Lake Wequaquet. The rear of the house faces south across the lake, and the rooms, including this ground floor master bedroom, are filled up with sun and stunning views.

French doors in the bedroom open to a private terrace that leads down to a beach.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

The children’s rooms take up the whole second floor. There’s a broad ranging among the four kids, and they desired their own rooms with extra space for summer sleepovers with friends.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Like the master suite, the children’s rooms available to the lake. Windows cover the top and bottom floors on the rear of the house — even wrapping around corners — to take full advantage of this view.

One upstairs bath was split into two distinct spaces so two kids may use the restroom simultaneously.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

All the living spaces available to a principal terrace overlooking the lake. And also a screened-in porch outside the dining room and kitchen permit the family to enjoy the outdoors year round.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

DaSilva used the home’s unique architecture to create an “atmosphere of enchantment,” he says. A bridge that drains down in the master terrace to the private beach brings this approach to existence with a practical design.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

DaSilva created the terraces to capitalize on outdoor pleasure in response to the website’s sloping topography, which, although it contributes serenely to the beach, kills the majority of the usable garden area.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

DaSilva built four outdoor showers with an initial for every one of children’s names. Neighborhood access to the mudroom and basement makes it easy to get back into the house without creating a mess.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

History of this region and the wooded site inspired regions of the property’s exterior. Victorian architectural elements, like the Gothic arches around the front entrance, evoke a fairy-tale vibe in the forest-like setting.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

However, the property’s substance palette, including the green shingles to the roof and unpainted weathered white cedar to another shingles, blends into the surroundings and feels similar to that of a timeless Northeast lake house.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

The interior, meanwhile, has a distinctly different feel from the outside. Bright and airy, the open floor plan gains definition throughout ceiling changes, floor patterns and columns.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

The architect designed the overscale and flattened forms of this staircase to bring another lively facet. The family chose a ceramic tile instead of hardwood as a durable and laminate flooring alternative.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Because this is mostly a vacation home that frequently hosts guests, the homeowners wanted a kitchen that could survive big parties. An efficient layout, a big Viking stovetop and plenty of granite counter area make interesting a cinch.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Multiple nooks, like this one in the living room, create cozy respites in the otherwise open layout.

Polhemus Savery DaSilva

Within this exceptional nook, a custom made rainbow quartzite fireplace surround causes for a contemporary contrast against the Cape Cod–style beadboard wall.

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