The Wait is Over! After a 2-Year Hiatus, the Cape Regional Designer House Tour is Back
Water View Blues
Breathtaking views and vistas. Exquisite interior design. A masterclass in architecture and craftsmanship. They’re all back for the 2022 Cape Regional Designer House Tour, your chance to tour nine of the island’s most spectacular homes on Aug. 13 from 11am to 4pm.
“We are thrilled to be back,” says Ellen Kravet Burke, chairman of the Cape Regional Foundation Board and chairman of Designer House Tour. “During the past two summers, we received so many phone calls from people asking if we were doing the house tour. People also stopped me on the street to say how much they missed it. So, it warms my heart to bring it back.”
Of course, the designer house tour doesn’t happen without the skill of the designers, architects, builders, craftspeople, and artisans who work on the houses – and the generosity of the homeowners themselves.
“We are very grateful to our homeowners for opening up their homes for this special event,” says Kravet Burke. “This kickoff fundraiser will support Cape Regional’s Emergency Department and Radiology Suite Expansion Project, set to begin in the fall. This project will upgrade the entire emergency department and add nine new bays to support our summer population.”
The house tour is a special opportunity to support a good cause while having a good time. And the nine special houses on the tour will offer a little bit of everything, from rebuilds to new builds to renovations. You’ll see the latest trends in architecture, design, and décor as each house offers a unique perspective and reflects the homeowner’s vision of what an incredible beach house can be.
For a sneak peek, here are three of the nine amazing homes on the 2022 Cape Regional Designer House Tour.
Sun Byrnes
As you climb the steps to the entry of the blue-shingled home, the bright yellow door announces that this is a classic beach house with a twist. Warmth and color abound in rooms paneled in unstained shiplap, outfitted with vintage finds and family heirlooms, and dotted with the homeowner’s exquisite paintings.
The owners first purchased a home on the property in 1996, when their three children were young. After many years of living and loving their sweet bungalow by the sea, they felt it was time for some upgrades. But when renovation plans became increasingly complex, they along with their architect and builder (Matt Pappas of Brandywine Developers) decided to build a new home on the property instead.
While a brand-new house had its upsides, the homeowners, and especially their children, wanted to retain the warmth and charm of their old house.
“After taking the old house down, we tried to keep some of the feel of it,” explains the homeowner. “My daughters were particularly adamant. They were very attached to our old house and wanted to keep the paneling. So, we did shiplap with no stain, which allowed us to retain the feel of the old house, with a beachy vibe in a modern way.”
In fact, entering the home on the first floor, you are enveloped by the earthy shiplap, and entranced by the homeowner’s own colorful painting that anchors the space. To the left, a cozy den provides a fun spot for gathering and games. With its sports and boardwalk theme, the den combines blue furnishings with quirky accessories such as a boardwalk game wheel, a basket of croquet balls, and badminton racquets. The den’s huge barn door is both functional and funky, designed with port holes that allow light to flood the room even when the door is closed. Beyond the den, the first floor also has several bedrooms, baths, a laundry room, and access to the backyard deck and pool.
On the second floor, a soaring, open-concept space contains the kitchen, dining area, living room and a whimsical staircase leading to an arched doorway and the third-floor deck with ocean views.
Though large in scale, the space stays grounded in muted tones, textures, and colors. An expanded island allows for abundant seating and gathering, while plentiful kitchen cabinets are a sophisticated shade that marries white and gray into a hue that is hard to define but easy to appreciate. The dining area is punctuated by a glassware cabinet that was designed and painted by the homeowner and her daughter that depicts the family’s astrological signs along the Milky Way.
In fact, the homeowner’s art permeates the home. An award-winning artist, she works in plein air, to create impressionist paintings that are at once light and deep, evoking moods as much as scenes. Depicting beaches, wetlands, water towers, family memories, and local vistas, the paintings accent nearly every room of the home and provide more than a personal touch. They make this special beach house a living gallery of color and artistry.
Water View Blues
To find a house that is as serene as it is fun, look no further than Water View Blues. A modern take on a classic Nantucket-style home, Water View Blues is the result of a two-year, two-phase renovation effort.
After enjoying their bayfront beach house with their four children for 14 years, the homeowners knew it was time for updating by the fall of 2019. But what began as a bit of “tweaking” became a massive renovation. Ultimately, the home retained its original footprint, yet was taken down nearly to the studs to create rooms that are functional, durable, and simply beautiful.
“I wanted the renovation to create a space that is coastal chic but livable,” explains the homeowner. “I wanted it to be a place where you can sit down in a wet bathing suit and not worry about ruining anything.”
The home’s aesthetic was influenced by many factors including the family’s busy lifestyle, love of entertaining, and the 10 years they lived in Bermuda. In the end, every room of the home is crisp, yet welcoming. Sharp, yet warm. It’s a delicate balance achieved with a combination of white walls, beamed ceilings, warm wooden accents, and pops of blue, green, and gray tones that call to the sand, the sky, and the bay right outside the door.
Speaking of doors, when you walk through the front door, you enter a bright haven of pristine shiplap walls that stretch three stories high. In fact, you can look up from the foyer and see the massive, bubble-shaped chandelier, framed by soaring staircases, and hanging from the beamed third-floor ceiling. Bringing warmth to the space, the stair railings and woodwork are stained an earthy-gray and a huge, impressionist painting from Ocean Galleries hangs on the foyer wall, swirling with movement and color.
While every room of the house was redone, all of the original kitchen cabinetry and most bathroom cabinets were retained and repainted, rather than replaced. The transformation is incredible, as the old cabinets appear to be brand-new.
During the renovation, one of the most impactful decisions the homeowners, their architect, and their builder (D.L Miner) made was to replace a two-story side porch with new indoor rooms. This change resulted in a sleek yet functional new space adjacent to the kitchen and family room known as “the wine pantry.”
“This is our favorite change,” says the homeowner. “Everyone loves this room.” It’s easy to see why. Separated from the living room by a glass wall, the wine pantry is flooded with light, with mix of white and wood cabinetry, a built-in refrigerator, a built-in coffee machine, a water-filling station, tons of storage space, and ample wine.
Below the wine pantry, the first-floor porch area was transformed into a guest room, a full bath, and a fully outfitted exercise room that’s been a useful addition for this active family.
And while many things went according to plan with the renovation that began in the fall of 2019, nobody planned on a pandemic. “Suddenly we ended up with everyone here and working from home,” says the homeowner. To accommodate this giant shift in work-life dynamics, the renovation team created two new spacious home offices for the family – one on the first floor and one within the third-floor master suite of rooms.
Another thing they didn’t anticipate was adding a pool to the property. “When they suggested it, I thought, ‘No way, you can’t fit a pool,’ ” laughs the homeowner.
And yet they did. The sleek bayside pool and hot tub blends into the existing landscape and provides hours of fun and relaxation. “People get home from the beach and pop in the pool and just hang out, enjoy the sunset, and spend happy hour at the pool. We love it so much,” says the homeowner.
Just inside the door of the pool, a giant first-floor great room is ready for anything. Two gorgeous blue L-shaped sectional couches offer plenty of seating, while the kitchenette/wet bar provides space to linger over drinks and snacks, and the pool table sits ready for a spirited game among family and friends.
Water View Blues is an incredible example of reimagining, repurposing, and renovating an existing house to meet the modern needs of a family that can work from home, play at home, and comfortably host family and friends for generations to come.
Hook, Wine & Sinker
When the homeowners of this summer cottage began planning to spend more than half the year at the shore, they decided some changes were required to make the home more suitable for year-round use. So began a two-year renovation project that resulted in this updated home that fuses farmhouse style with beach house living.
“The overall vibe is comfortable and fit for entertaining,” says the home’s interior designer, Maria Toczylowski of Beach Dwellings Design. “It’s eclectic, colorful, and reflects the homeowner’s personal style.”
The great room on the first floor is a showcase for the home’s design elements. White wainscoting sets a crisp backdrop that’s tempered by the ceiling’s stained wood beams. Cool blue textiles and fabrics are punctuated with dollops of deep red throughout the furnishings and decor. The kitchen features white cabinets set against hand-painted blue tiles from Walker Zanger. And an apron front sink and open shelving displaying the homeowner’s antiques and mementos set a cozy tone.
In the hallways, elliptical designs in the wainscoting provide a dash of the unexpected, while a second-floor den offers two cozy reading nooks and a table designed for card playing. Outside, the renovation turned an unfinished garage into a stunning cabana complete with white beamed ceiling, open wood shelving, and soothing gray cabinetry.
While the renovation was done in stages over two years, the homeowners now enjoy a house that is built for the entertaining they love to do, in a style that reflects their lifestyle and refined tastes. Says Toczylowski, “It was worth the wait.”
Just like the 2022 house tour.
2022 Cape Regional Designer House Tour
What You Need to Know
Tickets are required for the self-guided tour. Proceeds will benefit the Cape Regional Emergency Department and Radiology Suite Expansion Project.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 13
Time: 11am to 4pm
Tickets: $40
Order tickets online at: caperegional.com/foundation/designer-house-tour-ticket-order-form
Buy tickets in person at:
Cape Regional Foundation Office (at the hospital)
Avalon Chamber of Commerce
Avalon Elementary School (day of tour only)
Isle of Wellness (9501 Third Ave., 2nd Floor. Entrance around corner on 95th, green door)
For more information call: 609-463-4042
*Booties and masks will be supplied at the entrance of each house and required for entry.
