A Family Embrace

Banks of windows on each level of this remarkable Marstons Mills home allow for a strong connection to its waterfront setting.

Architect Doreve Nicholaeff and Delphi Construction join forces to create a special family’s retreat

There aren’t more than a few handfuls of spots around the Cape that lend themselves to the flexibility and functionality of an ideal setting for the ultimate family home with the potential for everything the region has to offer. But for the lucky homeowners who built a home on Baxter Neck in Marstons Mills, at the top of the bay, a perfect spot would soon become a beloved Cape Cod retreat.

Explaining the welcoming nature of the home that was envisioned by Osterville architect Doreve Nicholaeff, AIA, the homeowner says, “When we pull in to the house, we just get a feeling of being welcomed. It is a place that is full of memories of friends, family and good times throughout. It is just a happy home, and we know from the moment we arrive until the moment we have to leave it will be full of laughs and adventure.”

Nicholaeff has a natural intuition when it comes to designing spaces for her clients. In this instance she has fashioned wings that reach out from the center of the home, like two arms that wrap around toward the backyard with the pool and saltwater dock—the area that holds the focus of the family and their guests in the warm days of the summer. By creating these strong and protective wings, the home appears to be providing a warm and supportive embrace to this busy family with three active children. “The clients were very clear that they wanted a home that had a close relationship with the outside. The view, the landscape, the amenities—both inside and out—all had to interrelate with each other so that the lines are blurred,” Nicholaeff explains. “The homeowners were very involved from the early stages and we continually exchanged ideas. I like it when the client is very involved; it sometimes pushes me more to not only be more creative, but really get the design perfectly aligned with them.”