Modern Black and White – Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Pt. 1

One of my favorite design tours was this weekend – the Newburyport Kitchen Tour, put on in support of the Newburyport PTO. I’ve attended several times before and I’m always happy to see what’s new in my favorite area of Massachusetts. It was a beautiful day on Saturday – sunny but not too hot or humid. Of the eleven houses on the tour, I made it to six, which is about usual for me. Since I’m taking photos (and try to avoid as many people in the images as possible) it takes a bit of time at each house. I took nearly 300 photos in total on Saturday – but don’t worry, I edited them down to the best!

I’m going to break up my coverage into three posts. This post will feature two homes – one a new construction and the other newly renovated. Both homes featured a modern black and white color palette. The next post will feature three smaller homes which have all been either newly remodeled or built. The final post will be a property which featured gorgeous grounds with spectacular views of the Merrimack River and includes a fully tricked out outdoor kitchen.

Wilshire

Architect: Scott Brown  |  Builder: Mark DePiero LLC

Kitchen Design: Timberline Enterprises  | Interior Design: Cebula Design

Wilshire Rd Exterior Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 LMM

So, to start, we have this new construction home in a small new development abutting conservation land. This is a 5,000 sq. ft. home with double height entry and dramatic staircase. This house was finished in 2019 and features dramatic millwork throughout, all painted white, punctuated with black.

Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Stairs LMM

A small office sits right inside the front door with hanging lanterns, lots of windows and modern furniture.

Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Office LMM

The dining room built-ins, designed by Timberline include marble counter and backsplash.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Dining built-in 2 LMM

The dining room, with seating for ten, opens up into the living area and pool and pavilion beyond.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Dining room LMM

A cozy sitting area includes ebonized ceiling beams, ship lap wall detail and window seats. Plus, lots of windows.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White sitting area LMM

The window wall is Marvin Window’s Ultimate Bi-Fold glass doors which opens to a spectacular pool and dining pavilion beyond. It feels so California – something we don’t often see here in wintry New England where the warm season is relatively short.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Sitting area pool pavilion LMM

The kitchen features Carrera marble counters, professional grade appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero, Shaker style cabinets from Omega Dynasty and lighting from Newburyport Lighting.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Kitchen stove LMM

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Kitchen to sitting area LMM

One thing that I love about this tour – which I’ve dubbed “Kitchens and More!” is that there is more than just kitchens on display. The master suite in this house is on the first floor and was available for viewing.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Master Bedroom bed LMM

The bedroom is starkly simple, featuring a black leather tufted headboard, gray bedding and rug, which looks like a Stark Sapphire Collection carpet. The fireplace is double sided with the other side gracing the master bath.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Master bedroom fireplace LMM

The master bathroom features separate marble top vanities flanking the fireplace, which is also marble clad, with a glass encased marble shower and freestanding bathtub. Beautiful moldings really finish off and elevate this space.

8 Wilshire Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Master bathroom LMM

 

High Road

Builder: Coffey Design + Build. Co.  |  Interior Design: Ivory & Bone Interiors  | Architect: Laine Jones

163 High Road Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White exterior shingle style LMM

The High Road house is a classic shingle style house with views for miles. The house was fully renovated since the owners bought it in 2018.   They gutted the interiors, removed walls and simplified the existing ornamental details to create a “coastal modern farmhouse”.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Entrance stairs LMM

The open floor plan first floor features a sitting area, huge kitchen and dining room. The entry opens up to a double height seating area overlooking the back yard, which is miles long.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Entry LMM

The furnishings are generally simple and spare with a touch of whimsy – swings! The floor is white oak.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Sitting room with swings LMM

The enormous island, topped in White Rhino marble, provides plenty of storage which allows for no upper cabinets. As with the Wilshire house, this kitchen has Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances with lighting from Newburyport Lighting.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White kitchen island wolf range LMM

Off to the right of the kitchen is the breakfast area with custom banquette and table.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Kitchen LMM

Nothing, but nothing, gets in the way of the views! The glass door refrigerator is in this space, though I didn’t get a photo of it, but it was a triumph of organization. The homeowner assured me this is not the norm.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Kitchen breakfast nook LMM

The kitchen also has a handy pantry closet which has the built-in coffee station and microwave. This space was styled by Neat Method, a luxury home organizing company.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Pantry closet LMM

The dining room, which is off the front hall, features a huge reclaimed wood floor mirror, rustic wood table, black head chairs and black woven pendants.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Dining Room 1 LMM

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Dining Room 2 LMM

The downstairs powder room, which continues the modern black and white theme, is, in contrast to the rest of the house, all about pattern.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White Bathroom mini toilet LMM

Classic Kohler Memoires collection fixtures, white penny round tile (with surprise message) are classics. And how cute is the little training potty?

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Modern Black and White bathroom palms 1 LMM

Hakuna Matata y’all.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Bathroom Hakuna Matata tile LMM

The “back yard” features a swimming pool with loungers, a small outbuilding, and views.

163 High Rd Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 back yard pool LMM

And by views, I mean VIEWS! I found this image on the original real estate listing. Oh my heart. This is part of the reason I love the Newburyport area – the wide open spaces that literally take your breath away.

Aerial view to Plum Island

If you’re interested in more sneak peeks about this house, the homeowner, Mary Jo, has an active Instagram feed called Port2Palm. They also own an adorable South Carolina house which is available for rental. There is a link on her IG profile.

So, what do you think of these large modern black and white homes? Would you want more color or do you find these palettes restful?

Stay tuned for the smaller by mighty homes as well as the riverfront outdoor living gem.

(All photos, unless otherwise noted, ©Linda Merrill, 2019)

xoxo Linda

11 thoughts on “Modern Black and White – Newburyport Kitchen Tour 2019 Pt. 1”

  1. Hi Linda

    Great post – seeing “how the other half lives “ is fascinating!

    I often find monochrome palettes quite warm if there is greater use of the dark side. However, that’s (a) an English perspective and (b) reflective of our different, paler, greyer daylight. The extent of white in these houses would be pretty stark over here.

    I confess though that I found the homes pretty bland – designed to within an inch of their lives. One of the things I love about your work is the blend of your design expertise with the clients’ personalities, so there is a warm, personal home at the end of your collaboration. Either these owners have the blandest (rich) taste on the planet or they didn’t have the confidence to personalise the design proposals. And the second house: one sofa and two swings to sit on?? Love the swings but not very sociable to only have a chaise sofa. Do they have a separate sitting room?

    Also, and I may well sound like Eeyore here, but I’m pretty tired of the signalling of ostentatious consumption with the Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances.

    Finally, my own design comment which others might find worth looking at: in the house with the dark cupboards in the dining room, I noticed that the wall cupboards have their knobs right at the bottom of the doors. I always think that this looks a bit “meh” with Shaker style doors . Here’s a link to an English cupboard’s positioning of the handles which might be of interest to your subscribers -scroll down to see what they do.

    https://www.martinmoore.com/portfolio/grade-ii-listed-cloth-hall/

    Looking forward to seeing your next posts!

    Denise

    Reply
    • Hi Denise – thanks for sharing the link to the Martin Moore site. The cabinets are beautiful – though I guess I don’t actually love the hardware – lol. It’s beautiful, but I generally tend to prefer smaller and simple pulls. Everyone has their preferences! Interesting your take on white spaces in England. The landscape can make such a difference – though I’m not sure how different “New” England is from “old”. Probably not as wet, probably colder in the winter. The second house with the swing – the living space we saw is definitely not an entertaining space – as you note with only the one sofa – but more of a family space. They have small children so probably all pile on the sofa together. My guess is when the kids get older the swings will be swapped for different seating. There is a full walk-out lower level which may be more entertaining space. I do know that the homeowner, Mary Jo, works very collaboratively with her designer so I got the feeling the space is as she wants it for the moment. Thank you so much for your compliment on my own work – I appreciate it! L

      Reply
  2. Very pretty homes, Linda! I prefer the interior finishes in the first one, and the exterior and grounds in the second. But both kitchens are lovely and that Hakuna Matata powder room is adorable 🙂 I love black and white, but I think I would want to live with a bit more color in these spaces. I wish I had made the time to go to the tour, but your posts are the next best thing! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Hi Janet – I can’t recommend these Newburyport tours enough! Always filled with great eye-candy! And the Hakuna Matata powder room is such a great example of how to go bold in a small space.

      Reply

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