Oceanfront Home in Chatham

The owners of this Chatham home had a unique vision for their Cape Cod landscape design. They wanted the look in the front of the home to have a traditional ‘Nantucket appeal’ while at the rear of the home, they requested something more contemporary. Between the entrance and the white picket fence, which acts as a divider between the front and back yards, the look is classic Cape Cod. A clamshell drive curves around a grass island. Ornamental grasses, Cape Cod roses and hydrangeas fill the flowerbeds. An almost overwhelming view of the ocean introduces the contemporary drama at the back of the home. A dramatic change in the elevation between the home and the ocean below called for a landscape design which is laid out in a series of levels. Terraces made using Niagara Blonde granite and Boston Blend Roughly Square cascade down the hill. At the uppermost level is an outdoor kitchen. To one side is a seating area grouped around a gas-operated fire pit. The next level down, where a large pool with a negative edge takes center stage, is the primary outdoor living area. A sunken spa is tucked into one corner. At the lowest level, stone walkways and half-staircases are sprinkled throughout the lawn and a stairway of natural granite boulders leads into the ocean.