LaBarge Homes’ new Provincetown office in historic Whalers Wharf proves that thoughtful design and coastal character can thrive in even the smallest spaces.

Tucked high above the bustle of Commercial Street, on the third floor of Provincetown’s iconic Whalers Wharf, a small professional suite glows with quiet intention. Measuring just nine by twelve feet, the new LaBarge Homes satellite office may be modest in footprint, but it stands as a powerful statement about craft, collaboration, and connection. From the moment one steps inside, the hum of the harbor below fades, replaced by the serene confidence of a company that knows exactly who it is—and where it belongs.

For Lori LaBarge, who founded LaBarge Homes nearly three decades ago with her husband, Todd, the Provincetown space represents both a professional milestone and a personal homecoming. “We’ve spent nearly fifteen years summering in Wellfleet and working on projects across the Outer Cape,” she says. “To finally have a physical presence here feels like a natural evolution.” The idea had been percolating for years, she admits, but the opportunity arrived by chance. When friends at a local design firm mentioned they were vacating their Whalers Wharf office, LaBarge reached out to the building’s owner—an old acquaintance—and within days the keys were hers. “It wasn’t even on the market,” she recalls with a laugh. “It was just one of those moments when the universe nudges you forward.”

Whalers Wharf itself is an architectural story all its own. Built in 1919 on the site of the original Atlantic House stables, the structure was reimagined in the late 1990s as a warren of studios and shops that reflect Provincetown’s enduring artistic spirit. The third-floor space that LaBarge now occupies is framed by slender rafters and the lightest suggestion of ship’s timbers—what one local aptly called “the belly of a whaling ship.” Lori says, “That comment delighted me. It’s exactly how I wanted the office to feel—connected to the seafaring history of this place, but still fresh and modern.”

To translate that vision into form, LaBarge turned to interior designer Jocelyn Chiappone of Newport’s Digs Design Company. The two were introduced by mutual colleague Elizabeth Ethridge McGann, who recognized a shared sensibility between the builder and the designer. “I wanted someone who understood not only how to make a space beautiful, but how to make it work,” LaBarge says. “With only 750 square feet, every decision mattered.”

Chiappone approached the commission with the precision of a set designer. “The goal was to create a functional workspace and a client meeting area while showcasing LaBarge’s craftsmanship,” she explains. The palette came first: a deep ink-blue wallpaper whimsically patterned with swimming fish, and rolling waves envelops the walls, while trim and ceiling painted in a darker tone visually expand the height of the room. Exposed pipes and beams, once distractions, disappear into shadow. Overhead, an oversized rattan chandelier adds sculptural drama and necessary light. “It’s amazing what color and scale can do in a small environment,” Chiappone says. “I wanted it to feel layered, tactile, and unmistakably coastal without leaning on clichés.”

The materials echo LaBarge Homes’ own reputation for refined coastal construction. Beneath the meeting table—crafted in warm walnut—the floor, once plain wood, is now painted black and softened by an indoor-outdoor rug in weathered blues. Along one wall, pecky cypress wainscoting introduces a note of history. Its distinctive worm-hole texture, plastered, sanded and clear-coated to a silken finish, lends the illusion of age. “It looks like it’s been here for two hundred years,” Lori LaBarge says, smiling. “It’s coastal, but unexpected—a little Old Cape, a little modern twist.”

Function was equally paramount. Two built-in desks allow staff and project managers to meet with clients or catch up on plans when they’re on the Outer Cape. A streamlined credenza tucks away files and samples, while a bar cart and preppy patterned bench keep the mood from ever feeling too serious. “It’s a professional space,” Lori says, “but it’s also meant to be welcoming. People come in, and it feels like them—it feels like Cape Cod.”

That warmth radiates beyond the décor. For the LaBarges, the Provincetown office is as much about people as it is about place. After raising four children while growing their Harwich-based business, Lori and Todd have turned their focus toward fostering the next generation of Cape Cod professionals. “We’re proud that several of our younger employees have been able to buy homes here,” she says. “Creating spaces where they can thrive—whether that’s a home we build or an office like this—feels like investing in the Cape’s future.”

That sense of community also extends to their neighbors upstairs and down. Whalers Wharf remains a sanctuary for working artists, from glassmakers to painters to sculptors. One of them, a stained-glass artisan directly beneath the new office, recently completed windows for a LaBarge client in Brewster. “When I found out she’d done that work, I thought, this is exactly where we’re supposed to be,” Lori says. “Our clients want to know not just where to buy art—they want to know the artists themselves. Being in this building connects us to that creative current.”

The new office officially opened this fall with a celebration hosted by Cape Cod HOME to benefit the Provincetown Theater—a fitting partnership, as the theater’s director is credited with the ship analogy, adding to his impression by saying, “feels like being backstage in a ship.” The gathering brought together local builders, designers, and longtime clients, all toasting the LaBarges’ ongoing commitment to Cape Cod craftsmanship and culture. “It’s exciting to have an office in the heart of Provincetown to further connect us to this vibrant and thriving area,” Lori said that evening.

From their flagship headquarters in West Harwich to this jewel-box perch above the dunes, LaBarge Homes continues to build not only houses but relationships—rooted in quality, integrity, and the character of coastal living. And in Provincetown, at the farthest reach of the Cape, a single, beautifully designed room now reflects that legacy in miniature: a space where vision, history, and community all find their rightful view.