(Left) Like the two-level “bunk room,” other rooms utilize the wave design, including this bunk bed. (Right) Ceilings feature decorative
mahogany beams that look like ribs on the hull of a boat.
lighthearted maritime elements. With sleeping accommodations
for nine, bathrooms on both floors and double ladders framing a
spectacular tugboat and waves wall made of clear mahogany and
painted wood. This space is an enchanting retreat for an entire
family of guests.
“This nautical ‘mural’ is made up of flat planes, so none of
it is sculpture, it is all still architectural work,” says John. “It is
not every project that allows for this kind of detail. It was a real
pleasure to design something like this,” Sharon adds. “We were
able to really let our ideas flow. We had so much fun.”
The master suite is another area where architectural history
meshes with contemporary design. Beneath a cupola that provides
natural light is a structured wood ‘canopy’ which features
abstracted acorn end points.
“Seventeenth century New England colonial homes used
acorn details in the ends of their cantilevered second floors
and those elements would have come from more elaborate
architecture in Europe going back to Elizabethan times,” says
John. “We treated the perfectly symmetrical grooves as if they
were paneling or wallpaper. They run right off the ends, with no
trim or closure. The effect is that it feels like it is ‘of today’ but
still has the character and pleasures of traditional architecture.”
A more Gothic Revival feel is evidenced in the curved hallway
that spans from the master suite to the top level of the bunkroom.
“There were a lot of challenges here as well,” says John, “such as
getting enough roof pitch to allow head room, but not creating so
much height as to make this connector piece feel too large on the
exterior.” The DaSilvas solved the puzzle by incorporating Gothic
arches over the doorways which harken back to certain kinds of
homes typical on Cape Cod.
“When you drive along 6A you can see Greek temple shaped
houses with Gothic Revival windows or louvers up in the gable end.
It is wonderful to see those eras occurring in the same structure and
also to be able to use all these influences in our designs.”
Two additional water-facing bedrooms that are used by the
homeowners’ children complete the second floor, and include
built-in dressers and cabinets similar to others that are employed
throughout the home. A hidden closet under the stair, televisions
tucked behind cupboards—all of these elements were carefully
thought out to utilize every nook and cranny in the home.
AT HOME ON CAPE COD 30 • SPRING/SUMMER 2020