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
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.
A small office sits right inside the front door with hanging lanterns, lots of windows and modern furniture.
The dining room built-ins, designed by Timberline include marble counter and backsplash.
The dining room, with seating for ten, opens up into the living area and pool and pavilion beyond.
A cozy sitting area includes ebonized ceiling beams, ship lap wall detail and window seats. Plus, lots of windows.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
High Road
Builder: Coffey Design + Build. Co. | Interior Design: Ivory & Bone Interiors | Architect: Laine Jones
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”.
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.
The furnishings are generally simple and spare with a touch of whimsy – swings! The floor is white oak.
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.
Off to the right of the kitchen is the breakfast area with custom banquette and table.
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.
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.
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.
The downstairs powder room, which continues the modern black and white theme, is, in contrast to the rest of the house, all about pattern.
Classic Kohler Memoires collection fixtures, white penny round tile (with surprise message) are classics. And how cute is the little training potty?
Hakuna Matata y’all.
The “back yard” features a swimming pool with loungers, a small outbuilding, and views.
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.
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)
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
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
Hi Linda
Like you, I prefer simpler knobs and door handles than you, so the Martin Moore example wasn’t the best illustration of the “place your knobs higher up on Shaker doors” suggestion! Sorry for that.
Here’s another example:
https://www.devolkitchens.co.uk/kitchens/shaker-kitchens/lidham-hill-farm
The under-sink cupboard is the clearest example – hardware set well below the top of the inset panel.
Denise
Hi Denise – I think we used to install hardware farther down on the doors here.. and drawers. Will have to look into that!
Having re-read my post above. -set the hardware higher up for wall cupboards, lower down for under-counter cupboards!
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!
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.
This is exactly what I like to do in my house. Very simple, clean, minimal. Perfect!
Thanks for commenting Lahni!
Can I get info on the wallpaper in the powder room?
It is Palmetto in Jet from McLaurin and Piercy which only sells to the trade. I’d be happy to facilitate a purchase if you’re interested.