Photo by Sean Litchfield

Outside, steps down from the porch to the backyard, designed by landscape designer Mary Wirtz of Vineyard-based company Wild Violets, the Rives enjoy exactly the kind of maintenance-free environment owners of a seasonal home want, especially now that the family has expanded to include an inquisitive six-month-old. A small patch of lawn features plenty of hydrangeas and a small rock wall, wrapping around a low-maintenance flower bed, punctuated by a profusion of perennial bloomers like rudbeckia, echinecea and Shasta daisies. A spacious outdoor shower provides a kind of simple luxury after a day at the beach. The shiplap detail makes a cameo appearance, this time cladding the shower enclosure and a sliding barn door in weather-friendly cedar.

Sheffield is quick to acknowledge the incredible job Kontje and his company 41 ° North contributed to make the project successful. “We had to replace some of the original heart pine flooring on the first floor, and it is very hard to come by,” Sheffield says. “Geoff removed pieces from the second floor and made them seamlessly work downstairs. Those are the efforts that brought back the original character of the house.” The floors are also remarkable due to the unique stain concoction Kontje developed and applied to the quarter-sawn planks, which give the heart pine a deeper, more defined glow than often seen. Konjte also talks about the flooring challenges when he discusses the invaluable resource of Cataumet Saw Mill as they sourced those rare and obscure resources his company often needs. “With a new house, it is a blank slate,” he says. “An existing house can be much more challenging, an architect understands what can happen with an existing house. The collaboration with Kyle, right from the beginning, was very rewarding.”

The Rives’ home exudes a special vibe. It doesn’t shout, rather it seems to hum a familiar tune from somewhere in the past. The homeowners and teams at LDa and 41 ° North found a rhythm to compose a classic structure. Like a moving a capella performance, countless scales and keys can be utilized, but only when informed and restrained choices are selected does a perfect harmony emerge.