Christine Dayton reimagines a legacy vacation home designed for family memories
Written by Kristen Hampshire
Photography by Robert Radifera
Styling by Charlotte Safavi, Stylish Productions
The home stored decades of memories—afternoons building pillow forts in the eaves, rivalrous ping-pong matches on the sun porch, and long summer days on Chesapeake Bay’s tidal marshes. Through the years, two brothers and their families carried on a tradition of gathering at their Dorchester County vacation house for all the big holidays.
Several years ago, the centenarian dad decided to turn the helm over to his sons, and they bought the home from him.
Situated on seven acres on a point wrapped by the Church Creek shoreline, its Flood Zone A status presented some serious considerations for the next chapters of the property. The home sat about 60 feet from the water, “not conforming to today’s rules,” says Christine Dayton, architect and principal of her eponymous firm based in Easton.
Aside from abiding to Critical Area Commission parameters, the brothers’ lifestyles—both married with children ranging in age from teens to mid-twenties—were at odds with the original Cape Cod floor plan.
They wanted plenty of open gathering areas and dedicated personal space, too.
Opting for a rebuild, the family engaged Bob Gearhart of Focus Construction, who enlisted the firm of Christine M. Dayton Architect, P.A. to join the project. Interior Designer Susan Taylor of Blacked-Eyed Susan Style in Philadelphia collaborated to deliver curated finishes.
The result is an Eastern Shore farmhouse manor with nautical nuances, modern amenities and nods to the past.
A Kitchen Feast
A monochrome kitchen in a crisp white subway tile backsplash with black accents is warmed by a wet bar/serving station with stacked stone and rich blue-gray cabinetry. “The kitchen has an integrated, casual dining area that can also be formal and fits into a bay window space,” Christine says, noting the round table can seat up to 10.
An island provides additional serving, meal prep and seating space, while a peninsula adds yet another perch. “The kitchen is one where many people can function at one time,” Christine relates. “Preparing a meal can be a family activity, and it supports feeding a family of 10 who are feasting.”
Fun and Functional
A see-through fireplace wall divides a living area and game room, which offers a generous auxiliary dining space. A wall of built-in cabinets, while decorative, is highly functional. “It accommodates hidden support for the pool table’s cue sticks and balls, and one part stores a ping-pong tabletop that can be laid on the billiard’s table. “The shelving holds a lot of memorabilia, and they serve a purpose, Dayton notes.
Nooks for Nesting
Clever full-size daybeds fit into the third-floor bedroom shed dormers and double as quiet, inviting nooks for reading, napping or streaming a movie. They also provide a roomy, secondary bedroom-within-a-bedroom.
Overall, the home has six bedrooms, each with an ensuite, and plenty of flexible sleeping spots that allow the families to host as they wish. For instance, a lofty open area at the top of the second-floor stairs features a low-level built-in unit for a bed, where the family can lounge or accommodate guests.
Unity Meets Privacy
Christine drafted a design to serve two families equally with open spaces appointed for gathering and guests, and corridors to separate first-floor primary suites. The brothers also wanted to incorporate treasures and remnants from the old house into the new, in a way that would celebrate their fond memories.
Meanwhile, capitalizing on 180-degree water views meant positioning main living areas and suites to the south, ushering in light at all angles and playing to the surrounding landscape.
“This house lives in such a way that you can be inside yet still feel connected to the water,” Christine says. “The views become a backdrop to your day-to-day activities.”
The home’s core includes a main-level kitchen, great room and game room, second-story family room and a charming book nook and a third-floor loft that leads out to a balcony hidden in the eave. “It’s a great roost,” Christine quips. Two bedrooms are positioned on either side of this central, three-level nucleus and the third-floor houses two more bedrooms, again divided by a middle living space.
The layout includes purposefully designed “hyphen” corridors, Dayton explains, referencing symmetrical connections from the main living area to a primary suite on either side.
The kitchen is connected to one first- floor primary suite by the butler’s pantry, hall, laundry, mudroom and powder room. The other side of the home includes a second first-floor primary suite that is connected to the family by a hallway with an office. Both provide opportunities for honoring a bit of the past, from shelf displays of childhood treasures to a plaque of brick embedded into a wall and repurposing the original home’s front entry door into a pocket.
A statement spiral staircase of white oak with a black metal balustrade was custom-fabricated and craned in by Warren’s Wood Works in Easton. Fifty-one steps climb three levels, each with nine feet of headroom. Generous floor trusses house utilities.
A six-foot crawl space at the home’s foundation honors FEMA flood zone guidelines. Christine incorporated a lift to the front porch to help the father manage the grade.
Curated Touches
Frequent travel across the globe inspired a treasure hunt of sorts during the design-build process. Plus, one of the brother’s wives works alongside Susan Taylor and was ingrained in interior design endeavors. “She had a lot of taste and availability for resourcing finishes,” Dayton relates.
Take the primary suite bathroom, where a set of vintage-style decorative plates purchased in Italy are displayed in a diamond fashion on a feature wall, a retro touch that plays off the black-and-white geometric floor pattern.
Throughout the home, every detail from traffic flow to light exposure to intentionally placed accessories offers a cohesive experience that is equal parts classy and comfortable.
Dayton relates, “When you’re there, the home just feels good—the scale and proportion, and connectivity between the inside and outside.” CS
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