When mealtime calls, the bright, spacious kitchen is a masterful mix of sleek, modern amenities with classic New England style. “The materials in the kitchen give it a very clean, serene, airy feel,” Roseff explains. “The marble is such a classic material, while the stainless steel appliances and polished nickel of the light fixtures add some reflective surfaces and another layer to the mix.” Wood Windsor chairs and upholstered classic wingbacks are playfully paired with metal counter stools and industrialstyle lighting from Urban Archaeology, hinting at both a history past and a history being made, a dichotomy the designer says he loves. A large marble island serves as a place to eat a quick bite or catch up after a long day at the beach and gives the owners ample prep space. “There is a lot of counter space, and the Carrara marble keeps the room from feeling heavy,” Roseff says. “We used a custom table and a mix of chairs to prevent a sterile feeling too. I think the kitchen has the clean, easy feel of summer.”
Room to Grow
In the private areas of the house the calm color scheme continues, with one bold departure in a punch of beach-ball orange found in the playroom’s custom mural and framed chalkboard wall, executed by Roseff himself. When the kids have tired themselves out and are ready for bed, there is a shared en suite girls’ bedroom featuring a pair of aqua ultrasuede upholstered daybeds designed by Roseff. Custom bedding and a painted antique dresser finish the look. “The kids are young, so we wanted the rooms to reflect that but also have an air of sophistication so they can grow into them,” Roseff says. “They have their reading loft upstairs with fantastic round chairs from Walters Wicker and their play space on the lower level. Their rooms were designed to be calm, tranquil spaces, yet still kid-friendly.”
In an opposite area of the house lies the master bedroom suite, swathed in rich and varying shades of sand. More of Lulu DK’s beachy prints were used to make up the custom bedding and upholster a loveseat and chair. Linen-wrapped side tables from The Furniture Guild, which display a pair of Crate & Barrel lamps and pieces of blue coral, hint at the fabrics of a relaxed summer wardrobe.
Underfoot, more references to summertime abound in a mix of textures. The home’s hardwood floors are layered with natural sea grass and wool sisal rugs, and in the master bath an inset “mat” of glass stones from Ann Sacks provides a spa-like point of interest. “The textures remind me of summer, being barefoot so much of the time and experiencing a plethora of feelings under your feet,” Roseff says. “Grainy sand, cool water, smooth pebbles.”
While this beach retreat maintains a tasteful and restrained appearance that would be considered stylish in any location, touches of oceanic ephemera abound—for example, a driftwood hall mirror, framed fan coral and a grouping of antique sealife prints in the beadboard-clad powder room (“This makes a big statement in a small room,” says Roseff), or the oversize shell sculptures tucked away on a bookshelf. The artworks all relate in one way or another to the ocean, whether a representational harbor scene or an abstract swath of blue across one of the canvases Roseff painted at the bottom of the stairs. “Every piece was chosen for comfort as well as easy care,” Roseff explains. “I really wanted the house to convey a sense of simplicity.” It’s that absence of a “hit you over the head with driftwood” approach that makes this a sophisticated yet sandy-foot-friendly place for this family to call home anytime of year.
