(Above) “The additional structural design and work needed to
accommodate a true stone wall in the middle of the home in the dining
room pictured above was no small feat,” says builder Rob McPhee.
(Right) Stairs leading up to the second floor create many spots to look
around the house.
John, who works for a mutual fund company, adores his permanent
residence on Beacon Street in the Back Bay. While some people design
and build a getaway to be markedly different from their city residence,
John chose to mirror the creature comforts he had established there. For
instance, the height of his nine-foot ceilings on the first floor and the
intricate interior crown molding and chair rails throughout all hearken
back to his apartment’s style. “John Dvorsak’s first design called for eightfoot,
nine-inch high ceilings and I said, ‘John, I want nine,’” he says. “We
worked with John to pull together every detail he wanted to incorporate
in his new home. While we made suggestions for John, frequently the
decisions reverted back to what he recently did in his Beacon Street home.
The finished look is very clean with a bit of a city flair while respecting the
casualness of the Cape,” says McPhee.
The furniture and décor isn’t overwhelmingly “beachy;” it is a lot more
urban with a little more of a casual feel. When it came to the tiling in the
bathroom, he asked for the same exact style in this house.
Another piece of décor he insisted on, which is not too prominent in
Cape Cod retreats, was a stone wall on a first-floor interior wall. McPhee
said he could do a veneer and make it look real, but John wanted an
AT HOME ON CAPE COD 68 • SPRING/SUMMER 2020