Class Houses: The 2024 Designer House Tour Offers a Peek Inside Stunning Homes
Mayflower: Luxurious backyard with pool and cabana.
The comforting “thwack” of screen doors slamming has been the siren call of summer for generations, evoking memories of flip-flops, fireflies, dripping popsicles, and hazy, if not lazy, days of summer. And that pure summer joy was one of the inspirations for a stunning shore home where Southern charm meets casual elegance in the most family-friendly way.
And you’ll be able to walk right through that hearty navy-blue screen door when you go on the 17th Annual Cape Regional Designer House Tour on Saturday, Aug. 10.
Like the stately home with the friendly front door, no details have been overlooked in any of the nine homes on this year’s tour. They represent the pinnacle of quality craftsmanship. And they’ve all been designed with such skill that they’re not only breathtaking to behold, but they also evoke a specific vibe that will linger with you long after you leave the last spectacular bayfront backyard behind.
For almost two decades, thousands of people have flocked to the island to take part in this splendid self-guided tour. For some, it’s a tradition. For everyone, it’s a treat.
“We are pleased to present an outstanding showcase of homes for this year’s Designer House Tour,” says Ellen Kravet Burke, chairman of the board of the Cape Regional Foundation, and member of the Cape Regional board of trustees. “I would like to personally thank the homeowners who generously open their homes to support this event, as well as the talented interior designers, builders, realtors, and volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year to make this event happen.”
Kravet Burke is proud that the tour has supported not only Cape Regional Hospital for so many years, but that it will also continue to do so amid the recently completed merger with Cooper University Health Care. “We are very excited that this merger allows us to expand our scope of services, bring in more physicians, and will provide world-class cancer care through a future affiliation with MD Anderson Cancer Center,” she says.
Funds raised by the tour are carefully allocated. “The money we raise from this house tour will be dedicated to the Emergency Department and Radiology Department at the newly renamed Cooper University Hospital Cape Regional,” says Tom Piratzky, executive director of the Cape Regional Foundation and co-chair of the house tour. “Going forward all funds raised locally will stay local to support this hospital that is so vital to our community.”
The 17th Annual Cape Regional Designer House Tour is a celebration of this community for this community. Here is a sneak peek at the nine spectacular homes that you can visit on House Tour 2024!
Mayflower
It all began in 2017 with the homeowner, an active mother of two young children. “She had a photograph of her children running on the beach when they were very little, and she took it to the architect and said, ‘This is what I want my house to look like,’” recalls Mayflower’s interior designer, Megan Gorelick, owner of Megan Gorelick Interiors. “That was the direction she gave him, and he loved that and got the energy.”
Sure enough, every nook and nuance of the home, built by Brandywine Developers, exudes cool elegance of the family that’s made it lived in and loved by generations of their extended family and friends. When you walk through the front (yes, screen) door, the foyer leads to a soothing first-floor family room that’s a comfy hangout space, complete with a fabulous piece of art the homeowner discovered in Atlanta.
In fact, original art is one of the home’s distinguishing features. “She’s really into art,” Gorelick says of the homeowner. “She is such a collector and has a great eye, so you’ll see cool art everywhere. Even in the laundry room, there is great art.”
While the homeowner grew up in Pennsylvania and spent summers in Stone Harbor, she’s more recently lived in Atlanta, where she discovered a taste for Southern style. “There are so many details like the fringe on a sofa and the window treatments in all the rooms,” Gorelick explains. “She likes all those kinds of details which all brings in that Southern hospitality, which I love.”
The first floor also includes two luxurious guest rooms and bedrooms for the two children. The rugged bunk room is a rough and tumble space fit for a busy boy, that’s as rustic as the daughter’s room is whimsical. An airy confection with two fluffy day beds, a vintage swing chair, pink accents, and bohemian touches, the girl’s room also features wallpaper created from the adorable drapery fabric. Pretty perfection.
As you climb the stairs to the second floor, two vibrant paintings of the original photos that inspired the home stand out on the navy-blue back wall, while riser-less stairs lend a contemporary feel to the space.
At the top of the stairs, the massive great room combines many design elements into a cohesive style that can only be described as “Mayflower.” Cozy sofas and chairs abound. Vintage pieces add modern kitsch. Barn wood beams bring the soaring white ceilings down to earth. Layered fabrics and grass cloth wallpaper add depth, without ever feeling “busy.” A large round table in the middle of the room is softened by custom-designed semi-circular benches that create snug perches for game nights, family dinners, or cozy coffee mornings.
When you see the kitchen, it’s impossible to believe it was designed and built more than seven years ago. Gorelick cites the homeowner’s great foresight and vision. “She’s a real trendsetter. This kitchen is so ahead of the trend, people still aren’t doing this now,” Gorelick asserts. “She did all the cabinets and the island in a light blue-gray color and introduced gold in the kitchen. The quartzite countertops are the most durable and sought-after, and hers are perfection; they’re so warm and bring in the brown from the beams, and the cream colors. Finally, she got a lot of pushback for doing open shelves. But they used the barn wood again, and she loves it.”
Like the rest of the house, the kitchen fuses contrasting elements to create a vibe that’s not traditional, rustic, contemporary, or Southern, but seemingly, effortlessly … all of them at once.
A gray-wave-wallpapered powder room, gorgeous primary suite, and office space nestled on the third floor add to the stunning interior of the home. Outside, plentiful decks and outdoor seating areas wrap the house in hospitality, while the backyard cabana and pool boost the home’s blue color schemes with bright turquoise umbrellas and chairs.
“Mayflower” is a home that was inspired by two photographs. Seven years later, it’s still picture-perfect.
The Estate on 88
“The Estate on 88” highlights the impact a talented design team can make. Originally built as a spec house with eight bedrooms, eight full baths, and two powder rooms, the bay-view home was customized by the Studio Blu Interiors team of principal designer Sara Mass and interior designer Bridget Callahan. Together, they made a spec home, well, spectacular.
“The builders brought us in to help make this into a truly upscale custom home,” explains Mass. “Unique was the goal.”
Consider it a mission accomplished.
A spacious foyer with coastal colors, a soft palette and white and soft-blue marble checkerboard tile inlaid on the floor immediately hints at the home’s clever twist on traditional.
The foyer gives way to an intimate glass-walled wine room, then spills into a first-floor family room that Callahan aptly describes as “moody and cozy.” Walls and built-ins are a rich shade of cadet blue, while a coffered ceiling, cozy sofa, and wood-burning fireplace make this a casual gathering spot for the homeowners and their large family that includes 11 grandchildren.
As you walk through the house, you notice every space has unique elements, while a common foundation in color, tone, and styling makes it all cohesive, serene, and cheerful.
The winding staircase to the second floor is coated in oversize white shiplap panels, offering a transitional approach to the traditional style. Arriving at the top of the stairs, you’re greeted by an open-concept kitchen, dining, and living space that feels like walking into the whitest cloud in a clear blue sky.
It’s open, light, clean, and spacious. Crisp white walls, a high white ceiling, and white cabinets are interspersed with natural wood elements, textured accents, and bursts of soft blue color. For the homeowner, the mixed materials maximize the appeal. “I love how the wood is mixed in with all of the white,” Callahan notes. In fact, her favorite part of the room is the custom wood hutch built into the wall adjacent to the dining table.
Another element the homeowner particularly enjoys is the double seating area the Studio Blu Interiors team created in the living-room space. In fact, she recalls a recent holiday in which half of the large family watched a ballgame on one side of the back-to-back sofas, while another group mingled with young children on the other side. The whole design ingeniously makes a large open concept space also intimate and extremely functional.
Down the hall, the primary suite is entered by passing through a vestibule that features a custom built-in desk, and the bedroom is highlighted by a stunning master bath with separate vanities, a walk-in shower, and a dazzling light fixture over the stand-alone tub.
Outside, the second-floor front deck offers sprawling bay and sunset views, while the backyard forms its own oasis with a pool and luxurious cabana, featuring a full outdoor kitchen and woodburning fireplace.
From back to the front, top to bottom, “The Estate on 88” is a grand achievement for Studio Blu Interiors and a must-see stop on the 2024 Cape Regional House Tour.
104th Street
One great feat of exceptional architecture, design, and construction is the ability to combine “classic” with “contemporary.” And that goal was exquisitely achieved at this home on 104th Street, where a brand-new home unites the seashore charm of a bygone era with modern aesthetics and amenities.
Inspiration began when the homeowner first saw the original home that sat on the bayfront lot. “He looked at it and said, ‘I love this cottage, I hate to tear it down,’” recalls Paul Kiss, the founding principal of OSK Design Partners, PA who served as the architect on the project. “So, we evaluated it and realized there was nothing structurally or functionally that made sense. But we said, ‘If we can evoke that feel in a new building, then you haven’t really lost anything, but you’ve gained a lot.’ Now when I walk in the rooms, it feels like the original cottage, like Old Stone Harbor.”
Indeed.
The newly built “classic cottage” maintains a modest footprint, while overflowing with style, class, and contemporary features that elevate quaint to elegant.
To complement the existing neighborhood and sightlines, the home is purposely shorter and smaller than what it could have been. “The roof line and eaves bring it all down and bringing the siding down a little lower also helps ground the home better, since you have to build so far out of the ground today,” explains Kiss. “Those are some of the things we can do to maintain the aesthetic.”
Preserving that cozy, clean style throughout the entire project was a team effort.
“It was a collaboration between Paul Kiss, the homeowner, and Stephanie Kraus Designs to make selections and finalize all the details so we could keep moving at a good pace for construction,” says Liz Hoesly, the project manager for the builder, D.L. Miner Construction. “We knew we had a very aggressive building timeline on the front end, with construction beginning in October 2023. We planned accordingly, and we were able to meet the goal, so everybody was happy in the end.”
The cohesiveness of the team is apparent as soon as you walk up the brick paved entry into a welcoming foyer full of modern design elements and signature custom trim details. To the right, an open-concept great room with kitchen, dining, and living rooms radiates luxury on an intimate scale. Crisp white shiplap walls surround the showstopper: a full-glass wall showcasing the home’s stunning bay views.
The ceiling’s V-groove paneling is an update on traditional beadboard, while crisscrossing natural cedar beams feel both sleek and rustic.
The kitchen features a gorgeous honed-marble countertop and a mix of white and light blue-gray cabinets with glass inlays and gold fixtures. The kitchen’s back wall features a smooth white range hood surrounded by two rows of open shelving, capped by small six-paned windows, providing an airy, charming symmetry.
The living room’s white sofa and chairs surround a blue-and-white-tiled fireplace, with a wood mantle matching the ceiling beams, while textured accessories and dollops of color lend warmth, without detracting from the waterfront views.
Throughout the rest of the house, tall, white, five-panel doors lead the way into guest bedrooms that are saturated with soothing color. Inside the bedrooms, every surface is painted to coordinate, so while doors are white on the side facing the hallway, they’re painted to match the walls inside the bedroom. Interior designer Stephanie Kraus makes a tranquil impact with subtle colors, turning each bedroom into a unique immersive experience that feels like you’re cocooned inside a cool retreat of sage green, periwinkle blue, or misty sky-blue, depending on the room.
The second-floor primary suite combines vintage details with modern touches and ingenious uses of space. For example, the walk-in closet features a small built-in desk folded into the wall that can be propped open for quick meetings, then disappears against the wall when not in use.
The roomy suite’s ceiling follows the roofline to form peaked shapes typically reserved for older homes and feather-light geometric print wallpaper adds style to the walls, while large sliding glass doors lead to a bayfront balcony.
Outside, the team made the most of the outdoor space and waterfront location. A deep-blue rectangular pool is inlaid into the smooth ipe wood deck, while a long pier leads to a large deck over the water where the homeowner’s family and friends can enjoy bay breezes and sunset views for years to come.
Marrakech and Jaipur Meet the Shore
One glance will tell you this is a home like none other. On a block full of wood and shingled homes, this oceanfront stone home makes a towering, inventive, distinctive statement. Reflecting the bold personal style of the homeowner, who spent much of her childhood abroad, the house is inspired by the colors and culture of Jaipur and Marrakech. The home was designed to make guests feel transported to an exotic boutique hotel, and it does. Brimming with color, pattern, whimsy, and art, the home includes a soaring foyer with hand-painted wallpaper, has an Alex Katz silkscreen hanging in the dining room, and vintage, exotic, contemporary, and traditional elements that make it a one-of-a-kind shore home like nothing you’ve ever seen.
Shorely We’re Dreaming
With a roomy layout and inviting design elements, “Shorely We’re Dreaming” was carefully created to entertain family and friends in casual comfort. Soaring ceilings, a huge kitchen island, and spacious living spaces relay grandeur while cozy details, colorful texture, and design choices from Stephanie Kraus Designs keep the scale fit for flip-flops. From unique guest rooms to the luxurious primary suite, bedrooms are distinctive, comfortable retreats, while the outdoor pool, seating, and incredibly landscaped gardens make the most of the shore’s natural gifts. This is a home fit for beautiful living, relaxing, playing, and yes … dreaming.
Classic Comfort
Old and new combine to create something exceptionally fresh in the “Classic Cottage” on 17th Street. The homeowner, who’s in the design industry, collaborated seamlessly with the team from Studio Blu Interiors to blend a love for vintage and collection of antiques with contemporary comfort and convenience. The result is a home full of pieces from their personal collection but teeming with style, personality, and serenity. With plenty of room for family and friends to spread out, the second-floor family room offers a showstopping conversation piece as a beautiful vintage rowboat from Rhode Island creatively anchors the space. Two primary suites on the third floor ensure luxury amid the timeless vintage décor. This is a home full of memories, thoughtfully designed for making new ones.
The Perfect 10
The harmonious connection between location, construction, and design make “The Perfect 10” the appropriate name for this bayfront home. Meticulously built by the team from Brandywine Developers, this transitional-style home makes the most of its location with a grand entrance with bay views leading into a family room and bar area that melds right into the outdoor seating and pool deck. Indoor and outdoor boundaries fade away in this spectacular achievement of building and design. The landscape and pool by Garden Greenhouse and Nursery accentuate the home’s design, celebrate the natural beauty of its prominent location, and provide privacy for backyard entertaining and tranquil twilight evenings.
Houndstooth Bungalow
It took a team of talented professionals working together with the homeowner to turn this quaint home into a coastal gem. After buying the original 990-square-foot rancher in 2016, the homeowners spent six years enjoying the home before they began major renovations. When they were ready, architect Pam Fine, owner of Fine Architecture, helped them maintain the original bungalow while adding a front porch, extending the kitchen, expanding the great room, and adding a spiral staircase and third-floor deck. Inside, Studio Blu Interiors made the most of these new spaces with creative design elements that fused old with new. More fresh updates and all-important storage came from Euro Line Designe cabinetry in the kitchen, primary en suite, and built-in desk/office nook. On the exterior, new landscaping from Haberman Landscaping enhances the new front porch and adds beautiful natural curb appeal to complete the total renovation of Houndstooth Bungalow.
Baydream Believer
A large bayfront lot allowed the homeowners to build this shore house of their dreams. Designed as a comfortably elegant retreat for friends and family, this home boasts four distinct cocktail areas, six roomy bedrooms, and multiple kitchen areas. The homeowner’s eclectic art collection adds one-of-a-kind style throughout the home. Outside, sprawling decks and balconies overlook the bayfront pool by Garden Greenhouse Pools that is the centerpiece of a sprawling bayside haven complete with cabana, firepit, and views for days.
From charming screen doors to shimmering backyards, the homes on the 2024 Cape Regional Designer House Tour have a little bit of everything. And it’s all amazing.
Notable 2024 House Tour
Builders, Designers and Landscapers
Brandywine Developers: https://www.brandywinedevelopers.com
D.L. Miner: https://dlminer.com
Euro Line Designe: https://www.eurolinedesigne.com/
Fine Architecture: https://finearchitecturedesign.com/
Garden Greenhouse Nursery: https://www.gardengreenhouse.net/
Garden Greenhouse Pools: https://www.gardengreenhouse.net/
Haberman Landscaping: https://habermanlandscaping.com/
Megan Gorelick Interiors: https://megangorelickinteriors.com/
OSK Design Partners: https://www.oskdesignpartners.com/
Stephanie Kraus Designs: https://stephaniekrausdesigns.com/
Studio Blu: https://studiobluinteriors.com/
2024 Cape Regional Designer House Tour
What You Need to Know
Tickets are required for the self-guided tour. Proceeds benefit the Cape Regional Radiology Suite Expansion Project and the Emergency Department.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 10
Time: 11am to 4pm
Tickets: $55 per person
Where To Get Tickets in Advance:
Avalon Chamber of Commerce, 2989 Ocean Drive (Avail. until 8/9)
Call Cape Regional Foundation office, 609-463-4042
Where To Get Tickets Day of Tour:
Avalon Elementary School 9am to 1pm (cash preferred)
At each of the houses on the tour.
Guidebook:
To request a downloadable copy of the 2024 Guidebook and map, go to caperegional.com/designer-tour.
For more information call: 609-463-4042
*Booties will be supplied at the entrance of each house and required for entry.
