Design snapshot: Boat-like boat

Click on this photo to see it in the note cards/prints gallery. Having grown up in and out of boats on the New England coast, I consider them as much a part of my visual lexicon as the Capes, farmhouses, cottages, fishing shacks, and barns that I often write about here. There’s much to be learned from the craftsmanship, order, materials, color, finish, scale, and elegance of this floating beauty. Many of my favorite spaces are boat-like; none more than this one.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Cape crusade

I saw this little house along the coast of Cape Cod and was instantly smitten. It’s a true Cape -- no dormers, no additions, just a simple charmer. Its prominent cedar roof and asymmetrically-placed, modest, double-hung windows lend it a hardy, no-nonsense character. A three-row band of staggered shingle coursing within a field of standard shingle coursing subtly declares this Cape’s individuality. The colorful, informal, front garden and casual, shell-lined, entry path are suitably uncomplicated. This is the essence of authentic New England at its best. This, to me, is the good life.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Gardening outside the box

I’m a bit of a fraud; for all my garden talk, I don’t actually garden. Mainly I admire other people’s gardens. I claim that my lack of any real garden space is my excuse, but when I see window boxes like these, I realize the jig is up. Apparently, you don’t need a yard, deck, or rooftop to create a stunning garden.

These window gardens in Salem, Mass. sit on deep, wide, stone sills against an old, brick building along an aging, brick and granite sidewalk. The boxes themselves are wooden, painted dark, dark green and barely visible behind the spilling bakopa and potato vine. Coleus add bursts of contrasting color to the abundant green foliage as do little, pink, double impatiens. The whole lush ensemble beautifully complements the adjacent brick surfaces. Planting these gems in series only adds to their appeal.

It’s almost enough inspiration to get this non-gardener to pick up a trowel. Almost.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Cable guardrails

In the past decade or so, cable guardrail systems have grown in popularity. This is a good example why. With a flush-framed, cedar, top rail and posts, it’s a clean, fresh look. Many opt for cable when they seek an unobstructed view. Aesthetically, it’s a nod toward marine hardware and industrial minimalism. Together with a spare, painted, wood bracket and simple, painted fascia, this deck and rail carve an elegant silhouette. The arrangement of the white corner board flanked by courses of side-wall, cedar shingles, and a lower-level, cedar-slatted partition complements the assemblage of horizontals intersecting periodic verticals in the guardrail design. If you’re interested in creating a cable system for your deck, check out Cable Rail for components.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Design snapshot: Provincetown dune shack redux

Click on the photo to see it in the note cards/prints gallery.This hardy little shack amidst rolling dunes, beach plums, and a cool mist transfixes me. It’s the star of Cynthia Huntington’s memoir The Salt House which I reviewed here. The weathered shingles, low-slope shed roof, and humble window pair speak of modest efficiency, purposeful living, and an independent spirit in conversation with an awesome landscape. I had planned to hike to this spot, but was warned by Provincetown locals that such a trip might prove more arduous than expected. So my group of fellow sight-seers found comfortable transport with Art’s Dune Tours. Standing on a dune not far from the shack, I can only imagine the mystery of a life embedded in the rhythms of the National Seashore. Someday I hope to do more than merely imagine it.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast