It’s known for its mountains, lakes and autumn foliage more than for its coastline, but while the state of New Hampshire in the United States only has a 29-kilometre stretch along the Atlantic Ocean – most of which is rocky and rough – there are a few sandy beaches dotted along the ocean shore.
“I grew up vacationing on the coast and it was wonderful,” recalls the Boston-based interior designer Jim Gauthier, with a smile. It was these fond recollections of family vacations in the area that led Gauthier to create his own holiday home near his cherished childhood haunts.
However blissful those days might have been, the family’s three-room cottage always felt cramped, so Gauthier was keen to find a place that would be big enough for extended family and friends. He came across this property near Hampton Beach and while its location wasn’t ideal, and it was far from possessing the longed-for laid-back vibe of an easy breezy beach house, there were several persuasive pluses. The property was affordable, spacious with six bedrooms and three bathrooms, and it lies a mere 45 steps from the sand.
Gauthier bought the house and gradually completed a series of interior renovations, amid a revolving door of visiting loved ones. However, despite the new-found sophistication inside, the dated exterior was not as Gauthier desired, so he decided to hire the architect Bruce Miller, who had previously worked on his Boston loft apartment, to oversee the facade’s transformation.
“I got what Jim was trying to do,” recalls Miller. “We had to make it as charming as possible. He gave me a lot of images of houses he liked and I combined them with my memories of traditional summer homes.”
“I wanted a front door and a porch,” explains Gauthier. “I love what porch means in our New England vocabulary. It sets the mood for a house. A porch makes a home gracious and inviting. Here, is where we greet our guests, refreshments in hand. It’s part of the ritual of the house.”
Now pretty and imposing, the house is complete with the prerequisite New England porch and white picket fence. “It was a huge transformation; people hardly remember what it used to look like,” says Gauthier.
A garage on the ground floor was transformed into a sheltered porch, entrance hall and mudroom-cum-laundry room. What was the first-floor terrace above has been enclosed. The roofline is altered, the windows augmented, and the vertical siding replaced with wooden shingles.
Gauthier chose reclaimed Boston brick pavers for flooring on the porch and in the entrance hall, which sets the informal style for the rest of the interior. “I wanted the house to be super-comfortable, so no one would ever worry about putting a glass on a table,” he says. “Nothing is precious. You walk in the door and instantly you know it’s not going to be stuffy at all. The bricks hide the sand, too.”
They also serve as a hint of the accent colour that is to come. “On the outside, we worked with classic colours – dark grey with white trim,” Gauthier explains. “Inside and out, I used accent colours of red, white and green, but I love orange; I always have. I had an orange room as a kid. I have touches of it in my apartment, but I really turned up the orange in this house.”
Chocolate brown is also used to dramatic effect in several of the rooms, from the bold striped wallpaper in the entrance hall to the walnut floor in the living room and the richly hued walls in the open-plan kitchen and dining room. And despite the use of vintage treasures, white-painted board-clad walls and an array of beachcombings throughout the property, these striking shades prevent any clichés of seaside-style.
There are plenty of spaces for getting together with guests and enjoying each other’s company, such as by the huge counter in the first-floor kitchen, which was picked up from an antique shop in The Berkshires and now serves as a breakfast bar: “It really is our gathering place,” says Gauthier. “It’s where we all hang out. I made sure that it would seat up to 10 of us at a time.”
Friends can also gather in the seating area nestled between the kitchen and dining room, or meet up on the ground-floor porch with its six rocking chairs and two swinging seats facing the sea view. They might have a chat and take in a game by the bocce court at the rear of the property or catch up in the living room, with its sofas and armchairs arranged sociably around a large coffee table.
Then there is the newly enclosed porch, which is Gauthier’s favourite space. “I wanted to make the porch into a true ‘room’, with lots of seating,” he explains. It’s generously furnished for relaxing en masse, with a dining table at one end and an abundance of comfy chairs and cushions, alongside lamps and furniture for resting refreshments.
“It’s a cosy spot even in winter when the insect screens are swapped for glass and the sun can heat the porch to 24°C. I just love it in summer, though,” says Gauthier. “There’s always a little noise in the background from the street or a baseball game that’s on in the house … it’s perfect. The room just makes me happy.”
It seems his family are just as impressed by the transformation, which exemplifies the people- centric design approach of his Boston interior design firm, Gauthier Stacy – designs focus on people’s relationships with their spaces; comfort and creativity are key but spaces are completed when their inhabitants animate them.
“It’s incredible,” says Gauthier’s mother, Barbara, who is staying here while her own home is renovated.
“When Jim bought it, the house was suitable, but it was dark. It didn’t feel like a beach house. Now it’s bright, open, comfortable and friendly. When I am here by myself, I’m very comfortable, and even when the house is full of people, it feels just as comfortable.”
And while Gauthier’s loved ones enjoy coming together here to create new happy memories, Gauthier is just as pleased with what he has achieved with the house he used to think was “ugly”. “I remember wanting it to look nicer, so I would enjoy pulling up to it,” he says. “And now, well, I can’t help myself. I drive up and I can’t stop smiling.”
* Red Cover
