Second homes offer not only the opportunity to live in a different geographical location but also the chance to do so in a totally different style, which, if carefully curated, provides the best of both worlds.
Such is the case of a couple with grown children and grandchildren who split their time between Florida and the coastal town of Swampscott, an area where they, themselves, had grown up.
Their Sunshine State residence is a collage of color, and their former home in Swampscott was a 1900s traditional structure.
When they bought a plot of land overlooking Fred Bliss Rocks, they commissioned architect Jeff Tucker to design a modern waterfront residence that exemplifies a lifestyle of luxurious leisure and asked Regan Couto, owner and principal designer at AG&Co Interior Design, to create soothing spaces that put the view, which includes Boston, center stage. Brandon Scimone of S&S Construction helped to make these designs a reality.
The land had been subdivided, and the only structure on their part of the property was a pool and pool house set like a diamond in the rocks.
Tucker designed a 7,000-square-foot shingle-style house whose slightly traditional front façade transforms in the back into a conservatory-style glass house with glass-railed terraces, walls of windows, and sliding glass doors that open to create seamless indoor/outdoor spaces.
Because the house is used for entertaining and family gatherings, the interior layout had to be fluid. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are in an open plan that’s defined by a 27-foot-high fireplace that’s faced in Radium by Dekton and that has a 5-foot see-through fireplace that Couto calls the “showstopper centerpiece” of the three spaces.
“The division of these three areas was important,” she says, “and it was a big change from the couple’s previous North Shore home, which had large walled-off rooms. So we made small adjustments that define each space in an impactful way. Each room maintains its individuality as they seamlessly flow together.”
The monorail cable lighting system running along the ceiling demarcates the kitchen; the dining room is centered around the see-through fireplace, whose wall also has a flat-screen TV; and the living room, on the other side of the fireplace wall, is appointed with two swivel chairs and a set of sofas for TV-watching (the couple likes to lie down and face the set).
The bold fireplace wall is illuminated by a trio of recessed ceiling lights. They are augmented by the glow from the crackled-glass balls of a pendant suspended high over the dining room table, whose top is glass so as not to impede the view of the glassed-in fireplace or the water.
The other defining feature of the house is the floating staircase Couto designed as a common thread to link the floors.
“The owners really leaned into neutrals—whites, creams, greys and black,” says Couto. “The wife really loves color, and we had many discussions about what the accent color should be, but we couldn’t find that one color and decided to let their own personal artwork introduce the splash into each room.”
Couto used wood, specifically white oak, to bring not only warmth but also color to the spaces. The living room, for example, features a Couto-designed coffee table that has a trapezoidal-pyramidal shape, and the dining table, which has a glass top and a steel base with white oak sleeves.
The library, which is entered through a door concealed in the white paneling of the living room, is the home’s only colorful room and is the repository of not only the couple’s books but also family photos.
“You can see it from the staircase,” she says. “It’s behind a glass wall—it’s a fun twist to the space because it feels like it’s not attached to anything.”
The couple had very specific ideas about the primary suite, which they requested be placed on the first floor so they can age in place.
“They wanted everything to be spectacular and for every element to have its own moment,” Couto says.
They requested a soaking tub big enough for two with a view.
“Because they are different heights—he is just under 6 feet, and she’s only 4-foot-11—I took them to a showroom to try it out,” Couto says. “They fell in love with the Juliet tub by MTI when they climbed in together and couldn’t stop giggling.”
And they wanted a floating vanity made entirely of glass, a feature that was inspired by their Florida home.
Designed by Couto, its doors and drawers are black-matte glass. Its quartz top matches the spa-style shower, an ode to ebony and ivory: The floor is black pebble-tile with white veins, and the walls are white quartz with black veins.
The sleeping area, where the nightstands are illuminated by pendants that are reminiscent of the one in the dining room, completes the crisp, contemporary picture.
These features turn the primary suite into what Couto calls “a fully encapsulated space.”
Couto says it was gratifying to create a comfortable home for the couple. “The first time I walked onto the site, I took a photo of the place where the front door was going to go. When it was finished, I walked through the front door and saw everything come to life.”
KEY SUPPLIERS
Architect: Jeff Tucker, Tucker Architecture
Interior Designer: Regan Couto, AG&Co Interior Design
Builder: S&S Construction
Stone Fabricator: Italmarble
Plumbing Fixtures: Designer Bath
Tile: Tile by Design
Area Rugs: Dover Rug
Home Cabinetry: White Horse Kitchens