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AQuinnAh BLuff • 263
262 • AQuinnAh BLuff
guest cottage. The main spaces face slightly toward the
panoramic views, offering a unique experience from each
room. In this manner, each façade catches slightly different
light, further reducing the visual mass of the house on the
landscape. • The house and guesthouse appear to come
together visually across an intimate garden space. Between
the two structures, all interior spaces open onto gardens
and the magnificent view of the Elizabeth Islands beyond.
Our design program included the concept of creating inti-
mate settings, comfortable for two, which in turn flow to-
gether as part of a larger composition. Freestanding pieces
of cherry cabinetry define the parameters of interior spaces,
as well as provide functional support for the activity within
that space. • The main house interiors are a mix of semi-
formal wood and upholstered furnishings; they contrast
with a less formal ‘weekend at the beach’ approach to the
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Aquinnah Bluff
Strict town zoning laws, including height restrictions and federal wetland protection
rules, mandated restraint in the massing of this home. Our approach created a series
of cottage-style structures, rather than one volume. Landscape plantings and building
materials indigenous to the local vernacular further blend the structures into the
prominent waterfront setting.
