HAN19

The Artist’s Garden at Hyannis Port

Cape Cod Home  /  Annual Home 2019 / ,

Writer: Allyson Plessner / Photographer: Dan Cutrona 

The Artist’s Garden at Hyannis Port

HAN19

Cape Cod Home  /  Annual Home 2019 / ,

Writer: Allyson Plessner / Photographer: Dan Cutrona 

Hyannis Port garden

In the spirit of respecting the history and romance of the property, the team was able to save a large oak tree and beautiful rhododendron that add incredible personality and sentimentality to the space. “I love the blending of existing and the new—the Grand Ole Oak tree meets the English cottage garden,” says Friel.

The incredible landscape that this team created is the reward for that detailed planning and empathetic understanding of the type of emotion that a beautiful work of art such as a garden can elicit. After all, emotion is the one thing that every artist strives to capture. Above all, this is a space created for a couple who loves gardening and who loves Cape Cod. “There’s an emotional aspect to reconstruction that you don’t get with new construction,” explains Wahler. “These spaces are a part of the client’s lives, a part of their history, and it’s important to understand their stories and experiences with that particular place.”

“The homeowners took me out to their terrace at the beginning of the project. They called it the ‘Tuscan terrace,’ and they just smiled at each other as they talked about it,” Wahler recalls. Certainly a smile is the reaction that the Chapmans will share every morning as they sit on the terrace and enjoy their new view, and perhaps “The Artist’s Garden at Hyannis Port” will one day exist on the walls of a great museum, hung for all to enjoy the spectacular artistry of this hillside oasis.

Allyson Plessner

Allyson Plessner is a former editorial intern for Cape Cod Life and now works for the publication as a staff writer and digital media coordinator. Born in Florida, Allyson has been a lifelong summer resident of the Cape. She is a recent alumna of the College of Charleston, located in Charleston, South Carolina, where she completed bachelor’s degrees in both English and Spanish. In her free time, Allyson is an avid sailor, beach-goer, and—like her fellow Cape Cod Life colleagues—a dog-lover.