Wychmere Rise
Wychmere Rise is in a village that surrounds three small harbors. Wychmere Harbor, a commercial fishing port as well as a beloved base for recreation, is at the center. A view of the harbor—and its famous skyline of Shingle Style homes, inns, and fishermen’s shacks—is coveted. On one side of the basin is a neighborhood of mid 20th Century Capes. Wychmere Rise is an addition to that neighborhood. It faces the harbor on one side and the neighborhood on another. With its vertical and asymmetrical disposition toward the harbor, and its horizontal “Cape” disposition toward the neighborhood, the home mediates between the more eclectic houses on the harbor and the Capes beyond.
| Project Category | Harborfront |
|---|---|
| Scope of Work | Architecture, Construction |
| Finished Space Above Grade | 4,573 |
| Photography | Brian Vanden Brink |
Wychmere Rise is a “Cape,” however, with a twist.
Its primary street-facing typology follows the Cape diagram (one story facade with a low eave and dormers above) but the proportions and details are exaggerated and unexpected. The windows are over-sized. The shutters have unusually large louver blades. The columns at the entry porch are broad, flat, and stretched far apart. The dormer is almost too big for the roof on which it sits. These distortions from the original type move the house away from being just a Cape into being emphatically a Cape—both an actual Cape and a representation of “Cape” as a house type.
Exaggerated, even voluptuous details occur at the interior as well.
Big windows facing the street bring in abundant light from the south to the generously-sized and outfitted kitchen. Living, dining, and kitchen have only implied separation. Television and equipment storage are hidden behind doors that are incised into the v-groove paneling and baseboard in the living room.
The primary bedroom allows observation of the pier and harbor below.
The primary bathroom is tucked under the roof but still has abundant natural light. Above the garage is a guest room/office with its own staircase. It is a cozy place to work, dream, or socialize.
The screened-in porch is a bold but still inviting and relaxing space for a snack or a nap.
The fabled Wychmere Harbor skyline is beyond the screened-in porch. The impossibly large center opening is dramatic and playful. It is in scale with the context as a whole more than it is with the house itself, yet it still feels compatible. The back of the house is a charming place for cooking in the pizza oven, socializing, and relaxing on a summer evening.
As Seen In...
New England with a twist, by Eileen McEleney Woods, September 26, 2021.
