Sudbury Design Group’s transformation of Osterville’s Fox Island is a watershed moment in the firm’s 50-year history.

When Mike Coutu, owner of Sudbury Design Group, talks about Osterville’s Fox Island, it is obvious he is still proud of the work his company did several years ago, transforming this 7-acre estate that floats like a tranquil island with unparalleled Cape Cod views of marsh, river, bay, and ocean.

The Fox Island project may have been completed in 2018, but Coutu’s voice is still enthusiastic when he talks about the unique satisfaction of beautifying Fox Island with its one-of-a-kind, naturally stunning location.

Fox Island was first developed in 1973 as the family estate of Osterville philanthropist, photographer, and heiress to an American lumber fortune, Carolyn Crossett Rowland.  It is the ultimate family refuge, providing a protected sanctuary from the cares of the world, yet located at the very edge of a panorama of coastal woods and meadows, pristine beaches, bay, sea, and sky. 

 From Sudbury Design’s headquarters, Coutu says that the nearly three-year design and installation was one of the highlights of his long career. “I have worked on a lot of great Cape Cod properties, but I really believe this is the most unique property our crew has ever worked on,” says Coutu, noting that three of Sudbury Design’s 12-plus designers managed every detail of the project from start to finish.

“The views in every direction change hour by hour,” says Coutu, who visited the property last summer to be certain everything still looked pristine for an upcoming 2021 family wedding. “You can look out at Prince Cove in the morning, and the colors and the light on the water look...