Perspective Magazine
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PERSPECTIVE Local Color color, sunshine and ease on an island The MODERN OFFICE Three styles - one concept NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED A trendy bar and restaurant retro renovation Summer 2010 PLAYROOMS WITH A PURPOSE Extreme playrooms that stretch the imagination LINKED TO HEAVEN A tranquil getaway in the Bahamas
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Abaco House feature in Perspective Magazine
Transcript of Perspective Magazine
P E R S P E C T I V ELocal Colorcolor, sunshine and ease on an island
The MODERN OFFICE
Three styles - one concept
NO STONE LEFT UNTURNED
A trendy bar and restaurant retro renovation
Summer 2010
PLAYROOMS WITH A PURPOSEExtreme playrooms that stretch the imagination
LINKED TO HEAVEN
A tranquil getaway in the Bahamas
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HEAVENlinked to
Summer 2010 | www.perspectivenewengland.comW R I T T E N B Y R E G I N A C O L E | P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y P A M E L A J O N E S
When a high-profile couple – marital as well as entrepreneurial – heard that the B Club on Winding Bay was building a Scottish links-style golf course, they wanted to know more. Avid golfers but busy professionals, they sent Keith Gross, architect at HDS Architects of Cambridge, to explore the island.
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Gross had done commercial work for these clients: they knew each other well. Thus, when their architect returned from an initial scouting trip not only suggesting that they buy something in the new development, but telling them which lot to purchase, they did just that. Then they also bought the neighboring piece of land.
“I recommended this lot because it is on a promontory,” Gross says. “It’s close to the water and the view won’t be obstructed by future buildings.
“They were among the first people to buy property there,” he explains. “They purchased the second lot for privacy and as an investment.”
Now the idyllic beach front piece of real estate is home to a 6,500 square foot house, a 2-bedroom guest cottage, and a growing cache of happy memories.
happy memories
lighthouse showing the way to a safe harbortHE lIGHtS IN tHE cuPolA GlIMMER AcRoSS tHE wAtER lIkE A
A GRowING cAcHE of
Summer 2010 | www.perspectivenewengland.com
Golf brought them to this Bahamian Out Island, but the couple returns as often as possible for the beautiful scenery, the spectacular sunsets, and for the joy of experiencing them from the effortless elegance of their vacation home.
Of course, they do play golf. The course
designed by Donald Steel and Tom McKenzie draws a growing number of cognoscenti to its narrow fairways, spectacular greens, and stunning views. Ten holes are directly on the ocean; constant winds make for varied, challenging play.
When they’re not hitting the links, they ride
lighthouse showing the way to a safe harbortHE lIGHtS IN tHE cuPolA GlIMMER AcRoSS tHE wAtER lIkE A
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ItAlIANlimestone
Summer 2010 | www.perspectivenewengland.com
horses on the beach, snorkel along the world’s third-largest barrier reef, sail, kayak, fish, play cards and board games with their grown children. Often they do nothing more strenuous than lie on striped canvas deck chairs and gaze at the U-shaped bay. Whatever the activity, the house was designed to make it easy.
“They didn’t want a really big house,” says Gross. “They wanted it to be understated, and to blend in. And,” he continues, “They kept saying ‘Open it up as much as possible; make it about the view.’”
He did with a cupola-crowned 2-story block flanked by single story wings, children’s bedrooms to the east, kitchen and breakfast nook in the west wing. The central part houses the living room, dining room, bar, and a game room. The second story is given over to luxurious master suite, which includes a study, a sybaritic bath, and a deck that wraps around the front facade.
In keeping with his clients’ request, Gross kept walls to a minimum.
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Summer 2010 | www.perspectivenewengland.com
“The interior is subtle, not flashy,” he says. “The flooring is Italian limestone; some of the walls are plastered, some are vertical boards, wire brushed to raise the grain.”
The clean sensibility of the rooms belies the arduous construction process.
“We had to drive 186 concrete pilings down 30 feet to bedrock,” Gross recalls, “Before we could begin. Building offshore is always a challenge. It took twice as long as it would have otherwise.”
MAkE It About tHEview
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shines above the sand dunestHE MAIN PARt of tHE HouSE
Summer 2010 | www.perspectivenewengland.com
Master Builders | Consultants | Construction Forensic Services
www.vonsalmi.com | 617.823.9407
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©B
arry M. M
iller/Beshert Photo.com
©B
arry M. M
iller/Beshert Photo.com
Because New England loyalists settled the Abacos after the American Revolution, local building traditions call for clapboard, cedar shakes, and center-entry Cape-like houses. Keith Gross reached back to an earlier context for his design.
“The historic inspiration for this house is the 2-story Colonial stone structure,” he says. “The wings were designed to look like later additions.”
Clad in hand-hewn local white limestone, the main part of the house shines above the sand dunes and the sparkling water. Atlantic white cedar forms the roof, designed with deep overhangs for shade.
Serene inside and out, the house sets the standard for vacation relaxation. After dark, the lights in the cupola glimmer across the water like a lighthouse showing the way to a safe harbor.
