A Cliffside Beaut
At first glance, what caught our attention for this week’s feature property was of course the location. Newport’s famous Cliffwalk to its east, Doris Duke’s Rough Point mansion as its neighbor and gorgeous greens with charming character all around. It painted the picture of a perfect setting for relaxation and seaside living. Though in comparison to the grandiose landscape of Rough Point, this home sits on merely 1 acre of land but don’t let that fool you…this home holds its value and definitely doesn’t go unnoticed. When you’re soaking in that view and think to yourself what can possibly be better than this? Well, this house can!
Smooth Exterior
Let’s start with the absolutely charming exterior. Entering the iron gates, you approach the home at an angle, along a winding gravel path, that gives you this nice soft welcome into the property. The shingled exterior is a coastal home classic so it already fits the part on that factor; but one thing that is so unique and inviting about this particular New England style home is the way the architect incorporated rounded edges on parts of the facade. It steers away from the usual hard lined shape of a house and creates this smooth finish featured in the entry, making it a nice focal point, while continuing it on the balcony, framing the backside of the house.
Open concept
As you step through that front door and walk up a few steps, you are instantly welcomed into this bright and open space. There is something so peaceful and reassuring about the interiority of this home that is very indicative of the coastal ambience that one feels when relaxing by the water. Its open concept paired with the light and airy color palette are a true reflection of its seaside environment. Those elements combined with the double-height living room also allow for the sun rays to shine through and completely fill the space. The openness here really accomplishes what the inspiration was pulled from, mimicking that feeling of endlessness when sitting along the ocean and looking out.
Double-sided fireplace
Though open concept, the living room/entertaining area is not completely unobstructed…but in this case it really works and adds such a nice feature! The exposed brick, double-sided fireplace serves as a room divider where it not only divides two different spaces but is also dividing two different design styles. The exposed brick painted white ties back to the coastal aesthetic and allows for the two spaces to flow naturally into one another, without having the ‘room divider’ to be an eye sore. On one side you have the large entertaining area (mentioned in ‘open concept’ topic above) with its contemporary coastal look and then on the other side you have this more intimate living space with a mid-century modern style. The minimal use of color palette across both spaces are a great example on how to blend two styles so nicely together.
Minimalism
Adjacent to the intimate living space, you have this beautifully crafted wet bar area where the sea life inspiration continues to flow into. There is this pure simplistic factor when being out in nature that ties to the feelings of relaxation and comfort and this space exemplifies that in every way. The design here is definitely minimal but still very impactful. The use of natural materials and two-tone color palette work perfectly with the white walls and natural lighting shining in. The style of the space continues with the mid-century look, with its fussy-free and functional environment, but also connects to the coastal vibe as well with the specification in bar stool pieces. Pour me a glass of that wine cause this makes me ready to just win[e]d down [pun intended] and relax!
Views
Okay as we said before, the location of this home is absolutely stunning so of course its going to have some pretty great views! When you have such a breathtaking view like this, you really don’t need all that much to be happening on the inside and whoever designed this home knew that. The minimalistic quality continues in the bedrooms and den area allowing for one to soak up that sun and just zen out with the view. Another feature in the bedroom that also stood out was the exposed, floating-like beams running across the gabled ceiling. Once again, the beams painted white make these ‘obstructions’ blend in seamlessly and give the space a sense of large-scale openness.
More views
When the weather is feeling nice, step outside and take in the natural beauty. The large balcony space wraps around the back half of the house providing an array of views and experiences. Step right outside your bedroom with coffee in hand to catch the beautiful sunrise along the coast on the east or relax on the south end of the balcony at sunset. A portion of the deck is covered, providing the opportunity to get that fresh air without having to suffer from a major sunburn! Lastly, there’s a pool…and I don’t really need to say much about this because anyone who lives in New England knows how rare it is to have your own private pool to enjoy in those hot summer months.
If you'd like to learn more about this home, please contact Cynthia Moretti with Lila Delman Real Estate.
For any interior design and renovation services, please contact Ally Maloney.
Images credited to Lila Delman Real Estate. Additional editing done by Maloney Interiors.