Interior designer Sarah Henley helps three sisters design a new home for their father’s next chapter.

In life we are told to “get our priorities straight.” For this multigenerational Osterville clan the priority has always been clear—it’s family. And so they decided to build a house around that principle. They enlisted the help of Sarah Henley of Henley Design, Jim Bowes of Bayside Building and home designer Steve Cook of Cotuit Bay Design. A passion project instigated by the owner’s adult children, akin to a gift for their father, the home was designed to be a centerpiece for the family. The family, who has been a part of the exclusive community of Oyster Harbors for over 60 years, wanted a “playful, informal summer home that invites a good party and plenty of family fun,” Henley says. 

The first order of business Henley tackled with one of the homeowner’s daughters was the color scheme that stemmed from a discussion of the front door. “They didn’t want anything that would be a typical staid look.” Given that their father is such a lover of golf, many of the colors pull from that notion; a nod to a rich, classic look, while also having a convivial feel. A custom carved wooden sign in Benjamin Moore’s Essex Green created by Cape Cod Wood Carving signals to family and guests that they have arrived in the right place for “Last Call,” a hub for entertaining the homeowner’s children, grandchildren and anyone else they want to bring along, as an open-door policy has always been the family adage. With suggestions from the family that gave reference to the stylings of Bunny Mellon, Lilly Pulitzer, and Tory Burch, Henley intentionally blended...