Country Ease in Eastham

Colorful touches like playful bold fabrics and rustic country-style decorative accents add pizzazz to classic Cape-style interior and exterior spaces…

Interior designer Kelly McGuill’s concept for an Eastham Cape is a simple, yet elegant reflection of the love that the designer poured into creating a charming oasis for a family of six.

“The homeowners wanted something worry-free, not pretentious or overwrought,” explains McGuill, whose firm is based in Walpole. “Our main goal was to create a space that would be comfortable with a traditional country-style that would blend harmoniously with the outdoor surroundings.”

Photo by: Eric Roth

McGuill teamed up with North Eastham architect Peter McDonald to design the home’s interior and with West Harwich’s LaBarge Homes to build a spacious porch addition. “We focused on creating a space that was extremely livable, clean, and uncluttered—with four young children and a dog, the last thing anyone needs is a lot of stuff,” McGuill explains. “When the surroundings are neutral, individual pieces have the chance to stand out.”

Photo by: Eric Roth

The renovation of the first floor allows each space to open smoothly into the next, from the dining room and kitchen to the living room, and out onto the ocean-side porch. With the renovation, McGuill imagined a unique floor plan with the family’s needs in mind. “The front door used to open into a family room, as in most homes. Changing that space to the dining room, which opens into the kitchen, just made sense for this family. There are plenty of places to sit in the home, but the dining room is where the family can gather, eat, relax, play games, and have guests—we wanted that to be front and center,” the designer explains.