A Loving Legacy
CAPE COD HOME: MArtha’s VIneyard & Nantucket
BY Valerie Gates
This home has been loved. That was the first impression interior designer Stephanie King and her father, Craig Bovaird had when they first stepped into the small seasonal cottage on Oliver Street in Mattapoisett.
“Built in the 1930s, the cottage has a rich history and has seen its fair share of hurricanes, once being destroyed and rebuilt while other times withstanding damages, but surviving. Given its structural changes and challenges, the cottage languished on the market waiting for the perfect buyer who would look beyond that and see its pure charm,” remembered Craig.
Craig is an engineer and entrepreneur who loves design, antiques, and buying old properties to renovate. Stephanie often teams up with him to create the interior designs for the projects he purchases. They found that they love working together, and this project presented as their next opportunity for another team collaboration. “When we first walked into the main living area and looked out the south facing windows, it was like sitting on a boat,” Craig recalls. “Nothing but water for 180 degrees and a magnificent view of Buzzards Bay, Ned’s Point Lighthouse, The Elizabeth Islands and the Lower Cape. It’s only 538 square feet; there were two tiny bedrooms with bunk beds, a small kitchen and a bathroom. The interior was rustic and frozen in time. It had been a well-loved seasonal summer cottage rental for generations of vacationers. The previous owners shared a guest register that dated from the 1970s to present day. They had grown up spending summers in the cottage and had kept the place intact for close to 50 years. By all accounts, people and families had enjoyed the special feeling of this iconic property for many years,” said Craig. Now, the task to bring the nostalgic structure into the 21st century found Craig with only one name on his list: Tim Costello. Costello, principal of Costello Fine Homes has worked with Craig on multiple projects and luckily had a small window in his schedule to take on the renovation in time for the family to enjoy the cottage for the upcoming summer season. Costello gutted the structure, updated the mechanicals and winterized the cottage, allowing another 50 years of memories to take hold. He consolidated the two small bedrooms—to make a more spacious bedroom which now features a bunkbed nook and a larger double bed—and installed a new kitchen and bathroom. Throughout, Costello and his crew employed careful effort to provide the modern amenities the client wanted, all the while deliberately maintaining the rustic appeal of the original structure. “The cottage was in rough shape,” Costello confesses. “We wanted the final outcome to look great, and function well, but we definitely didn’t want it to look like a shiny new penny.” One of the ways Costello and his team achieved the time-honored ambiance in the cottage was to custom-make and install all the millwork and cabinetry found throughout the home, that now complements the original elements that were retained.
Stephanie took one look at the cracks in the walls, weathered grain in the beams, and the old fashioned styled kitchen and knew that it would be perfect as a canvas for an Americana interior design renovation. She loved the nostalgic feel of the tiny cottage and wanted to create a space that was cozy, warm and breezy like “a moment of lying in the grass in a field with your eyes shut, feeling the sun.” Her experience sourcing mid-century furnishings came in handy as she began her search for vintage pieces for the cottage. 1st Dibs, Chairish and InCollect became her online go-to for furniture and she also scoured the large antique malls of New Bedford, where she found many of the nautical touches such as the antique oars above the twin bunk beds. One of Stephanie’s often used vendors, The Urban Electric Company from Charleston, South Carolina created the handmade globe pendant above the dining table and other lighting fixtures in the cottage.
The color palette is very American—red, white and blue against white shiplap walls. Touches of natural wood ground the color scheme, from the period rattan dining set Stephanie sourced from Florida to the bamboo woven blinds found on almost all the windows. A redmid-century modern rocker and a blue striped chair counterbalance a grey-blue couch with bright red piping which folds out for extra guests. Red and blue patterned pillows frame the expansive view of the ocean from a long, cushioned window seat. An American flag is positioned by the dining table. Rattan mirrors hang on the wall. Perfect Americana.
