This Shou Sugi Ban house celebrates modern living in coastal New Hampshire

Rear of the dark charred-wood house at dusk with a glass gable window, a lit covered patio, and a boulder garden

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SP Architects designed this modern Shou Sugi Ban house in Rye for a family trading city life for coastal New Hampshire, where the surf is good year-round and skiing, biking, and time on the water fill the calendar. The 4,000-square-foot home was built above the 50-year flood zone and to high-performance energy standards, so it stays comfortable through humid summers and frigid winters.

Out front, the garage and barn wrap around a welcoming entry courtyard. Inside, white walls and minimal detailing serve as a backdrop for the owners’ colorful art collection. Working with Betsy Bassett Interiors and Tucker Builders, the team meticulously crafted every detail, from trimless interior doors to the entry’s floating staircase. Continue below to see the rest of this stunning coastal home tour…

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT SP Architects
INTERIOR DESIGN Betsy Bassett Interiors
BUILDER Tucker Builders
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Roome & Guarracino
PHOTOGRAPHER Rob Karosis Photography
LOCATION Rye, New Hampshire
SIZE 4,000 square feet

Coastal New Hampshire Home with Shou Sugi Ban Siding

Front of the house at dusk with black charred-wood gables, a white board-and-batten entry, and a garage with frosted glass doors

The house sits beside a tidal inlet of the marsh, and its siding is finished with Shou Sugi Ban, a traditional Japanese method of charring wood that darkens it and helps it withstand the weather. Warm wood, metal, and glass soften the crisp, minimal lines of the architecture.

Every main living space faces south toward the salt marsh and opens wide to the landscape. Stone retaining walls double as raised garden beds, nodding to the owners’ passion for gardening while helping protect the nearby wetlands. The floor plan splits into two gabled wings: one holds the owner’s bedroom suite and home office, while the other gathers the shared living areas and the remaining bedrooms.

Paver walkway through a planted courtyard to a glass front door between charred wood wings and the garage

Above: In contrast, the pale board-and-batten entry stands out between the two charred wood wings, drawing you down the paver walkway to the front door.

Front Entry with Cedar Posts

Cedar-post entry with a glass front door and a dog sitting inside at the foot of the floating staircase

What We Love About This Home

The gorgeous curb appeal of the charred-wood Shou Sugi Ban siding drew us in. It looks almost black against the trees, and at dusk the lit windows create a striking aesthetic. Inside, one of our favorite features is the floating staircase against the wood mosaic wall. We also didn’t expect a graffiti game room in such a calm, polished house, but it looks like a fun spot for entertaining family and friends!

Tell Us: Would you choose the dark charred wood exterior for your own home, or something lighter? Let us know in the Comments below!

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other amazing home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign in the state of New Hampshire: Tour this stunning shingle style beach house on the New Hampshire seacoast and A magnificent New Hampshire home nestled in the serene Rye countryside.

Front entry at dusk with clerestory windows above a glass door showing the lit floating staircase

Above: At dusk, the glass front door puts the glowing floating staircase on full display.

Entry Hall and Floating Staircase

Entry hall with a dog sitting on a rug by tall glass doors to the courtyard, beside the floating staircase

At the heart of the house, a custom floating staircase with glass rails links all three levels: the open living and dining spaces on the main floor, the bedrooms upstairs, and the game room down below.

Floating oak staircase with lit treads and glass railings against a dark wood mosaic wall

Floating oak stair treads with underlighting, a black handrail on glass panels, and a dark wood mosaic wall

Floating oak staircase with lit treads rising beside a dark wood mosaic wall

Above: Light oak treads with glowing undersides appear to hover against the wood veneer background.

Mudroom and Powder Room

Mudroom with walnut benches, gray stone tile, a black ceiling, and a cluster of woven pendant lights

Above: A cluster of woven pendants hangs from the black ceiling, adding drama to this hardworking mudroom.

Fluted walnut cabinets with black frames beside a small stone counter with a mirror and picture light

Powder room with striped metallic wallpaper, a round black mirror, cone pendants, and a floating vanity

Above: Moody striped wallpaper and metallic cone pendants make the powder room a jewel box.

Double-Height Living Room with Steel Fireplace Wall

Double-height living room with a sectional and Eames lounge chair, looking past a black bookcase to the kitchen

Generous windows pull daylight deep into the rooms, and the house was sited to make the most of its marsh and woodland setting.

Living room with a vaulted wood ceiling, a black steel fireplace wall, a grand piano, and a ring chandelier

Above: The floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace wall meets the warm wood ceiling, framed by tall windows with views of nature.

Breakfast Nook with Curved Banquette

Breakfast nook with a curved banquette, round dark wood table, and black chairs, seen from the living room

Curved banquette with black leather seats and striped back cushions around a round pedestal table

Above: The curved banquette wraps around a sculptural pedestal table, with windows on three sides looking out to the forest.

Walnut Kitchen with Black Waterfall Islands

Kitchen with walnut cabinets, a black waterfall island with black barstools, and a marble slab backsplash

Professional range under a stainless hood, with a marble slab backsplash and walnut cabinets

Black island with a sink under a black pendant, facing glass-front cabinets and a window to the trees

Above: Matte black dual islands and black hardware ground the warm walnut cabinetry and veined white marble backsplash.

Walk-In Pantry

Walk-in pantry with walnut cabinets, open shelves of glass jars, and a marble backsplash

Above: The walk-in pantry continues the kitchen’s walnut and marble, with open shelves for displaying labeled jars, cookbooks, and Pellegrino sparkling water.

Wet Bar and Double-Height Dining Room

Wet bar with walnut cabinets, beverage fridges, a hammered brass sink, lit shelves, and a gold sconce

Dining table with blue taper candles, looking toward a lit wet bar with mirrored shelves

Double-height dining room with a glass drop chandelier, three abstract prints, and a blue patterned rug

View from the upper landing past a glass drop chandelier to the dining table and wet bar below

Above: From the glass-railed landing, the cascading glass chandelier adds visual drama to the double-volume dining room.

Bedroom with Quilted Bedding and Nightstands

Bedroom with a gray upholstered headboard, brown quilted bedding, and white table lamps

Bedroom corner with a round black mirror over a dark oak dresser, and a gray armchair and ottoman

Bathroom with a Walnut Vanity and Dual Sinks

Bathroom with a floating walnut double vanity, two rounded mirrors, and a yellow orchid

Walk-in shower with large gray tiles, a long niche, and a stone bench behind frameless glass

Bedroom Suite with Grasscloth Wallpaper

Bedroom with grasscloth walls, a vaulted ceiling, a walnut bed, and white and tan linen bedding

Walnut nightstand with a white lamp, a peony, and stacked books beside the bed

Above: Grasscloth wallcovering wraps the vaulted bedroom in soft texture, warmed by walnut furnishings.

Upholstered chaise lounge with leather straps and a black side table between curtained windows

Above: In the bedroom corner, a comfortable Stilt Chaise Lounge from District Eight is complemented by the Jakarta Black Accent Table, a matte black concrete table from Global Home Interiors.

Fluted walnut dresser under a round horn-framed mirror, with a doorway through to the bathroom

Organized Walk-In Closet

Walk-in closet with lit shelves of shoes and handbags beside white drawers under a window

Above: Lit shelving puts shoes and handbags on display, tucked beneath the sloped ceiling.

Bathroom with Freestanding Tub and Steam Shower

Freestanding tub under a bubble glass chandelier by a window, beside a glass shower

Floating walnut double vanity with backlit mirrors and a marble backsplash

Steam shower with white marble walls, black fixtures, a bench, and a window, next to the tub

Above: Black plumbing fixtures and hardware stand out against the boldly veined marble in the glass-enclosed shower.

Navy and White Striped Bedroom

Bedroom with wide navy and white striped walls, a wall-mounted desk and shelves, and a navy comforter

Above: In the kids’ bedroom, navy-and-white stripes wrap the room and run up the ceiling for a fun, graphic look.

Navy and white striped bedroom with a gray oak dresser under a round black mirror

Bathrooms with Sloped-Ceiling Showers

Glossy gray floating vanity under a lit mirror reflecting a mosaic tile shower

Shower under a sloped ceiling with gray hexagon mosaic walls, a stone bench, and glass doors

Floating cerused gray oak vanity under a lit mirror reflecting a marble tile shower

Shower under a sloped ceiling with gray marble tile, a penny tile niche and floor, and a bench

Above: The shower is tucked under the roofline, with full-height glass keeping it feeling open.

Laundry Room with Graphic Wallpaper

Laundry room with a navy washer and dryer, graphic line wallpaper, a hanging rod, and felt bins

Above: The navy washer and dryer pick up the blue in the crisscrossing wallpaper, making laundry day a little more fun.

Lower-Level Game Room

Upper landing beside the floating staircase and glass railing, with the game room visible below

Game room with a graffiti mural wall, a red pool table, and a red neon Game On sign over a sectional

Above: A floor-to-ceiling graffiti mural and a red neon sign give the lower level a high-energy vibe.

Red pool table beside a graffiti mural, with a sectional lounge under a neon Game On sign

Lounge with a gray sectional, wood block coffee table, a TV showing a video game, and a red spinning chair

Red pool table under a linear light, with a cue rack, bar table with stools, and the floating stairs

Fire Pit Patio and Covered Porch

Colorful Adirondack chairs around a fire pit on a stone patio beside the covered porch

Above: Colorful Adirondack chairs circle the fire pit, an inviting spot for coastal evenings.

Glass gable window with crossed black mullions above a covered porch with the lit living room inside

Charred Wood Home Glowing at Dusk

Rear of the house at dusk with two dark gabled wings, a glowing covered patio, and raised garden beds by the lawn

Above: The two gabled wings glow at dusk, with raised garden beds along the lawn’s edge.

PHOTOGRAPHER Rob Karosis Photography