Cape Cod HOME Summer 2017 | capecodlife.com

Osterville pool house makes a splash

Cape Cod Home  /  Summer 2017 / ,

Writer: Julie Craven Wagner / Photographer: Richard Hilgendorff 

Osterville pool house makes a splash

Cape Cod HOME Summer 2017 | capecodlife.com

Cape Cod Home  /  Summer 2017 / ,

Writer: Julie Craven Wagner / Photographer: Richard Hilgendorff 

Osterville pool house

A growing family finds serenity, solace and space of their own when visiting on the Cape. Photo by Richard Hilgendorff

Family and friends gather for fun in the sun 

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” It’s conceivable that designer Marsha Malone, upon meeting her client Amy Collins several years ago, may have repeated this famous line from Casablanca. Malone, owner and principal of Nautique in Brewster, was first enlisted to help Collins, a savvy homeowner with a specific vision, with some items for her Florida home. This successful endeavor led to a recent collaboration transitioning a pool house to a guest house.

Collins and her husband, John, benefit from a lovingly and successfully “blended” family, as they share special times together, particularly at their home in Osterville during the summer. The young grandchildren love to visit “Papa’s House,” and when the extended family gathers together, every moment is precious and savored. For the young parents of these energetic children, the stress of imposing their busy, chaotic existence upon their hosts is completely avoided thanks to the serene and simply appointed guest house at Papa’s. “In the morning, the kids are told, ‘You cannot go into the main house until you see Papa up and about in the kitchen,’” Collins explains. But with a twinkle in her eye and a devilish laugh, she adds, “But usually, it is John telling me the same thing, I can’t go over to the guest house until I see that they are up!”

Collins oversaw the subs who accomplished the expansion that more than doubled her existing pool house. “Before, it was just kids in and out from the pool, wet towels, and grass on their feet. We thoroughly used the kitchen and bathroom, but there wasn’t really any civilized place to sit and be comfortable,” she says. “So, I thought, ‘Why don’t we add on to it?’ It occurred to me that it could be so much more, and with Marsha, we were able to outfit it with the pretty things I wanted, but everything is indestructible, so I never have to worry about it.”

Malone applied her signature “Nautique-look” to the new guest house and made sure every fabric could easily rebound from wet bathing suits, sticky hands and anything else thrown in the mix.

Julie Craven Wagner

Julie Craven Wagner began her experience with Cape Cod Life in 2010 when she joined the sales team after 10 years of working with local businesses on the Cape and Islands with WMVY. In addition to sales, she is the Associate Publisher/Editor of Cape Cod LIFE, Cape Cod HOME, and Cape Cod ART. Growing up on the Outer Cape has given her a unique perspective of life on Cape Cod, from tip to bridge, and that is reflected in her appreciation and presentation of stories found within the pages of our publications. Julie lives in North Falmouth with her husband, Eric, and their yellow lab, Enzo. When she finds free time, she enjoys her Cape Cod life sailing on Buzzards Bay, spending time on the beach in Wellfleet, or exploring Martha’s Vineyard.