Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Cape Cod Style

 People may fall in love with old Cape Cod because of sand dunes and salty air, among its other pleasures. But once smitten, they stay in love with this historic sandy hook of coastal Massachusetts, often because of the gravitational pull of savored multigenerational family gatherings — and the summers that create such memories. That's certainly true of Connecticut-based designer Meredith Hutchison. It's also part of the story behind this Cape Cod Bay-side cottage that Hutchison designed from stem to stern — architect-husband Jeff produced the drawings — and that she owns in partnership with her four brothers and her aunt.
When Hutchison and her relatives assumed ownership of the original house, which had been in the family since the 1950s, the pine-paneled, one-story roost on an acre and a half had only two bedrooms. The relatives agreed to expand the house enough to accommodate more than one family at a time, schedules permitting. "We overlap now that everyone has kids," says Hutchison, whose daughters, Alison, Ashley and Cecily, like spending time with their eight cousins. As cousin Stephanie says, "To me, the house represents family unity and the value of tradition as we remove ourselves from our everyday routines and just be together. It is an experience I hope to share with my family for a long time."