A Forever Home
Designed for an active retirement and rooted in Seacoast tradition, this Shingle Style home balances timeless architecture, low-maintenance living and seamless connections to the outdoors.
On the cusp of early retirement and eager to build their forever home, a Massachusetts-based couple turned their attention north to Rye. “We love New Hampshire, we love the Seacoast area and we knew our lives were changing,” says the husband. “We understood that we were not only going to build a house but also choose a neighborhood where we would want to spend the rest of our lives.” Choosing Rye, he adds, “We chose so well.”
In the kitchen, Oyster White marble with a leathered finish tops the island, and Hubbardton Forge pendant lighting is suspended from the coffered ceiling.
After an extensive search of architects on the Seacoast, the couple knew there was only one logical choice to bring their dream to life: Maugel DeStefano Architects, which has offices in Portsmouth and Harvard, Mass. Working closely with the firm’s residential studio leader, Britni Rotunda, the couple articulated a vision for a traditional Shingle Style home, complete with an attached garage plus a detached garage spacious enough to accommodate up to nine cars, including ceiling height for multiple car lifts. An active pair who spend much of their time outdoors, they also emphasized the importance of seamless connections between interior and exterior spaces.
“It was great that Maugel DeStefano came to our old house and asked us to point out the things we liked and those we didn’t like,” shares the couple. “That way, they were able to incorporate what we liked and redesign what we didn’t.” The resulting 5,600-square-foot residence includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half-baths, along with generous living spaces, high ceilings and abundant windows that flood the interiors with natural light. A sizeable covered porch with a retractable screen overlooks the pool, while thoughtfully designed landscaping complements both the scale of the house and its three-acre setting.
A cozy seating area is surrounded by windows that have views to the backyard.
That covered porch—with a wood-burning fireplace and a widescreen TV—may be the feature that best supports the couple’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle. Both agreed that a space like this was essential, though the wife was clear about what she didn’t want: a traditional screened porch or a repeat of the canvas awning they had at their previous home. The solution came in the form of retractable screens that can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button—just one example of the advanced smart home technology that automates and controls a wide range of functions throughout the home.
Oriented perpendicular to the porch, the pool offers a dramatic lengthwise view, and it quickly becomes a talking point. It’s a chemical-free natural pool that relies on aquatic plants to absorb nutrients and prevent algae growth, dramatically reducing maintenance. “I pull the cover off, start the pumps and do practically nothing the rest of the summer except robo-vacuum it,” says the husband, clearly a fan.
Low maintenance was a guiding principle throughout the project, reflecting the couple’s desire to simplify their retirement years. High-quality, durable materials and energy-efficient systems were selected to ensure longevity and performance, balancing beauty with sustainability. For example, rather than natural cedar shakes, which are vulnerable to moisture and insects, the home is clad in NuCedar engineered shingles with a 25-year warranty. Their rough-sawn texture so closely mimics real cedar that the difference is nearly imperceptible.
While the exterior settles comfortably into the neighborhood’s Shingle Style traditions, the interior takes a more nuanced turn. The wife says “unlike the traditional homes we’ve previously owned, I really wanted to challenge myself to use a more transitional design approach.” Working within a predominantly neutral palette, she chose restrained millwork and unfussy finishes. “I’m a big believer that simple is more elegant,” she explains. “It’s really a balance between trying not to overdo the interiors, but still have enough going on to make them interesting.”
Despite its vaulted ceiling, the airy living room feels grounded by the millwork and custom railings.
That philosophy is especially evident in the living room. Without careful attention to scale and detail, the large, vaulted space could have read as little more than a featureless box. Instead, thoughtful architectural articulation gives it dimension and warmth. “A band that runs around the height of the tall space cuts the room in half, and there is paneling above and below that,” notes architect Rotunda. “We did things to break down the scale and to make it feel grounded and finished, but not overdone.” This perfectly captured the wife’s vision of the space. And while the main living area has the ease of an open concept, it is not entirely without boundaries. “The kitchen and living space are open to each other, but dining is a separate room,” she says, “accessed through a generous cased opening.”
A similar strategy shapes the kitchen, where a coffered ceiling introduces depth and shadow that temper the room’s nine-foot-three-inch height. The ceiling remains lofty, but the effect is warmer and more intimate.
Providing a significant indoor–outdoor element to the home, its spacious porch looks down the length of the chemical-free pool. The porch’s retractable screens can be raised or lowered at the touch of a button.
Throughout the house, trimwork plays a quiet yet defining role, bringing clarity, cohesion and character to each space. Simple, square-edged profiles reinforce the home’s transitional sensibility, while specific applications vary from room to room: board-and-batten paneling behind the bed in the primary suite adds subtle texture to crisp white walls; vertical shiplap lends the laundry room a relaxed, utilitarian feel; and partial wainscoting introduces rhythm and interest in the dining room and hallways.
Just as trimwork grounds the interiors, the landscape design carefully anchors the house to its setting. “It’s a big, open lot and a fairly substantial house, so we did a number of large natives out at the street, where there is an alley of red maples that I really think give the house some stature,” says Robbi Woodburn, owner of Woodburn & Company Landscape Architecture. “The trees tend to anchor the house to the land.”
Closer to the house, ornamental plantings provide color and texture throughout the seasons. Daylilies, Knock Out roses and lavender ring the foundation, while ornamental grasses, allium, butterfly bush and black-eyed Susans at the back of the pool extend the summer bloom. “Around the pool, there are two flanking seven-son flower trees, which we like to use near pools, because they bloom in August and September—something you don’t get very often,” Woodburn adds. “They have a terrific scent.”
It is a lovely setting for a gracious house, and the effect continues to resonate with the homeowners even after five years. “We’re so lucky,” says the couple. “We come back from vacation, and we’re so psyched to be home.”
PROJECT TEAM
ARCHITECT:
Maugel DeStefano Architects
603-431-8701
maugel.com
BUILDER:
Persimmon Custom Homes
603-778-6400
thegovegroup.com
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:
Woodburn & Company
603-659-5949
woodburnandcompany.com
HARDSCAPE:
Exeter Land Contractors
603-778-0005
exeterlandcontractors.com
POOL:
Waterscapes by Jesse Dutra Landscape
508-228-9310
waterscapesnaturalpools.com
SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY:
Audio Visual Experience
603-601-1050
electronic-lifestyle.com
