Interior designer Molly Frey did not always love the design of this cabin. Before the renovation, Frey recalls that the home has been a “designer’s worst nightmare” — a split-level floor plan with multiple, disconnected staircases and disjointed rooms. “The first things I did were reconfigure the rooms, open walls up, build a central stairs and create a functional flow between distances,” she states.
The designer layered in elegant decor inspired by the expansive ocean, sky and sand. “I love that this summer home has an air of sophistication. The cabin evokes a casual-chic sense of the household while they visit in the summer, but it’s also elegant enough for dinner parties and entertaining guests,” says Frey.
in a Glance
Who holidays here: A couple and their 3 kids
Location: Marblehead, Massachusetts
Size: 4,800 square feet; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths
Molly Frey Design
Frey built a custom made stage to the 11-foot model sailboat from the entry and surrounded it with built-ins for extra storage space. But initially, the boat’s height posed a challenge.
“We moved the front door to a new location and produced a two-story entryway that is open to both the living room [foreground] and household room ]backdrop) — the most ideal location for the vessel screen,” Frey says.
The stairs visually opens the cabin and makes its different parts available to one another. Frey augmented the space economically, and the design — that started off as a nightmare — turned into a feature that the designer along with her clients came to adore.
Molly Frey Design
Frey opened up exactly what she describes as closed-off and dated rooms on the ground floor by eliminating a wall separating the rooms. She maintained the structural wall’s aid poles but incorporated them into custom cabinetry, therefore adding storage to the kitchen side and paneling detail (not visible) on the living room side.
Molly Frey Design
Molly Frey Design
White keeps the space looking as clean and crisp as a freshly ironed shirt at the eat-in dining area and the kitchen. Beadboard paneling provides a quaint, cottage appeal to the kitchen, contrasting well with the sleek marble countertops and stainless steel appliances.
Slipcovered armchairs by the window, throw pillows from cool coastal colors and inviting chairs lend a casually chic sense to the living room. Sunlight floods the distance by the surrounding windows.
Molly Frey Design
Molly Frey Design
In the living area is a great case of TV styling with wires and unsightly wires out of sight. The built-in offers drawers for a DVD player and media storage, and bamboo shades decrease glare on the track.
Molly Frey Design
The guest package’s reading corner welcomes day nappers. Framed cubes, a cushioned seat and a sandy colorway of khaki and white encourage guests to put their feet up and stay awhile.
Molly Frey Design
A dressed-down four-poster canopy bed feels completely suitable for the coastal setting of this vacation home, don’t you believe?
Molly Frey Design
The household entertains guests over the duration of their stay in the summertime, so incorporating additional sleeping places was crucial.
“We made great use of this space by adding daybeds and beds at nooks where guests could sleep comfortably while seeing. These spaces were designed to be more quaint, unique spaces that add character to the house in addition to being functional,” says Frey.
Molly Frey Design
Clad in a cooling colour of olive oil, the guest bathroom feels bright and airy. A tree gives colour and some solitude to the window-side bath.
Molly Frey Design
The master bedroom appears the only high-flair note in the house, with a mini Florentine chandelier perched above shabby chic furnishings and a casually made bed.
Molly Frey Design
Frey augmented the seafaring theme from the boy’s room with nautical flags along with a navy blue loft-style bunk mattress.
Molly Frey Design
Labeled wicker bins corral toys, making arranging and cleanup a cinch after a day of play.
Molly Frey Design
Personalized hooks offer an easy way for kids to hang their moist towels and clothing from the mudroom.
Molly Frey Design
The designer thinks she was meant to accept this project. After closing on their cabin, Frey’s clients arrived from California eager to hire a designer and clutching pictures of a home they saw at a magazine.
“They chatted with a friend who watched the photos and recognized the house immediately. It was my home,” says Frey, “just down the road from this cabin.”
More Tours:
Clean-Lined and Casually Coastal
A Summer Beach House Charms and Welcomes