Tour an organic beach house retreat on Cape Cod with unforgettable ocean views

Two-story beach house with cedar shingle siding and gabled roof, lit up at dusk, viewed from a wooden boardwalk path through dune grass

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This organic beach house retreat, beautifully designed by Duckham Architecture in collaboration with Thread Art Design, is located in Orleans, a charming town on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. When the owners purchased their dream beachfront site, a 1970s-era structure was already in place. However, a lot of work was needed to renovate the home to meet today’s standards. In the end, they wanted to celebrate their glorious site and opted to tear down and rebuild.

The project team collaborated to design a house on a fairly narrow piece of land. They expanded the original footprint to include two main bodies: front and back. There is a connecting entrance area where the house steps in, and the material palette changes. Projecting canopies over the windows helps shelter them from the sun. The structure has a contemporary aesthetic, incorporating elements of the Cape vernacular.

DESIGN DETAILS

ARCHITECT Duckham Architecture
BUILDER SJ Overstreet Construction
INTERIOR DESIGNER Thread Art Design
MILLWORK & CABINETRY Kochman Reidt + Haigh Cabinetmakers
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Sitecreative Landscape Architecture
LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION Schumacher Companies
WINDOWS & DOORS Marvin

A Warm Welcome at the Front Entry

Home entrance at dusk with stone wall, glowing pendant light, and wooden dining table set with wine glasses on the patio

An Open-Concept Living Room With Wraparound Ocean Views

Open-concept living room with gray sectional sofa, wood beam ceiling, and folding glass doors opening to an ocean view

On the interior, the main living spaces are oriented to take in the ocean views, while a sliding glass window wall helps blur the lines between indoors and out. The vision was inspired by the bright openness of beachfront houses in southern California, more specifically Malibu, reinterpreted for the topography of the Northeast.

Living room with gray sofas, wall-mounted fireplace, built-in window nook seating, and a floating wood-and-steel staircase

What We Love About This Home

This Cape Cod beach house perfectly balances modern California-inspired architecture with the relaxed character of New England’s coastline. Flooded with natural light and framed by magnificent ocean views, living spaces were designed for comfort, connection, and indoor-outdoor living. From the open and airy great room to the outdoor terraces with spectacular views over the Atlantic Ocean, this home offers stylish yet relaxed coastal living.

Tell Us: What details do you find most appealing in the design of this Cape Cod beach retreat? Let us know in the Comments below. We love reading your feedback!

Note: Be sure to check out a couple of other fabulous home tours that we have highlighted here on One Kindesign in the state of Massachusetts: Inside a dreamy Cape Cod house with warm and welcoming interiors and Take a peek inside this beautifully transformed Cape Cod vacation house.

Built-in wood-paneled window seat nook with dark cushions and patterned pillows, flanked by sconces, with tan armchairs and a patterned storage ottoman in front

Kitchen island and living area with floating staircase, wood beams, and glass doors framing an ocean view

A Dining Nook Made for Long Family Meals

Dining nook with glass table, black chairs, and built-in banquette seating beneath large windows and a woven pendant light

Dining banquette with tan leather cushions, glass-top table, and a woven pendant light beneath large windows

Floating wood-and-steel staircase beside a kitchen island with tan leather stools and dark tile flooring

A Kitchen Wrapped in Handmade Zellige Tile

Bright kitchen with island, tan leather stools, patterned tile backsplash, and pendant lights, opening to dining area with ocean view

Above: The kitchen features white cabinetry to allow for the Ann Sacks tile of the island and the feature wall to stand out.

Kitchen island with pendant lights, pot filler faucet, and blue-gray zellige tile backsplash framed by windows

Kitchen counter corner with window over the sink, blue-gray zellige tile backsplash, open shelving, and a sconce light

Hallway with framed wall art leading to a large angled window showing a black wire chair on a stone patio

A Floating Staircase Under a Dramatic Skylight

Double-height stairwell with a pyramid skylight, gallery wall, textured runner rug, and dotted wall art installation

Sunlit stairwell with pyramid skylight casting geometric shadows, framed art, and a dotted wall sculpture

Family room with wood beam ceiling, gray sectional sofa, built-in shelving with wall-mounted TV, and glass balcony doors

Living room seating area with mid-century chair, striped ottoman, and built-in wet bar beneath open wood shelves

Bathroom vanity with glossy green vertical tile, marble countertop, black fixtures, and pendant lighting

Long hallway with woven wall hanging, black cabinetry, gray runner rug, and floor-to-ceiling windows

View from hallway into a sitting room with a fuzzy gray chair, striped rug, and a fringed ombre wall hanging

Owner’s Suite With an Ocean View and a Linear Fireplace

Primary bedroom with white bed, wire lounge chairs, built-in linear fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean

Bedroom with gray upholstered bed, floating wood nightstands, woven wall disc, and a wall-mounted fireplace

Close-up of a floating wood nightstand with an adjustable wall lamp beside a gray upholstered headboard

A Spa-Like Owner’s Bathroom With a Soaking Tub

Freestanding soaking tub in a marble-tiled bathroom with dual rain shower heads and ocean-view windows

Primary bathroom with floating wood vanity, soaking tub, glass shower divider, and ocean-view windows

Built-in mudroom bench nook with patterned cushion, black hooks, and tile backsplash beside a glass entry door

Laundry room with olive-green cabinetry, concrete farmhouse sink, and blue subway-tiled accent wall with window

Powder room with intricate teal geometric tile, floating wood vanity, and hanging glass pendant light

Guest Bedroom Layered With Pattern and Texture

Bedroom with dark upholstered daybed, gray built-in media cabinet, patterned pillows, and framed art gallery wall

Bedroom nightstand detail with black cabinet, pendant wall lamp, framed gallery art, and a gray upholstered daybed

Bedroom seating nook with tan leather chair and ottoman beside floor-to-ceiling windows and framed abstract art

Bathroom with blue subway tile, floating double vanity, glass shower enclosure, and soaking tub by a window

Living room corner with gray sofa, patterned pillows, macrame wall hanging, and round wood coffee table

Floating double vanity with green tile walls, black fixtures, and a folded-towel display beneath a large mirror

Glass-enclosed shower with black fixtures, gray linear tile, wood stool, and windows overlooking dune grass

Small utility sink nook with navy cabinetry, concrete sink, and pink vertical tile backsplash

An Outdoor Fireplace and Lounge for Cool Cape Nights

Stone chimney and covered patio with gray outdoor sofa, chairs, and built-in firewood storage, overlooking the ocean

Outdoor stone fireplace with lit fire beside a gray sectional sofa and lounge chairs on a stone patio at dusk, ocean in background

Covered Decks and Balconies Built for Ocean Views

Covered patio with dark outdoor lounge chairs and a round stone side table, overlooking a wood-clad breezeway and ocean view

Covered wood deck framed by three large open bays with a rocking chair and small table, overlooking dunes and the ocean

A Cedar-Clad Exterior That Fits Right Into the Cape

Two-story shingled beach house with stone chimney, cable-rail balcony, and covered lower deck with lounge chairs, seen from the lawn

Front-facing view of shingled beach house with covered lower porch, upper balcony, and stone chimney, seen across the lawn

An Outdoor Shower for Sandy Feet After the Beach

Outdoor wood-paneled shower enclosure beside the home's cedar and dark-framed exterior, with boulders and ornamental grasses

Rear view of shingled beach house at twilight, glass doors open to reveal interior lighting, with lounge chairs on the deck

A Freestanding Pergola Tucked Into a Wildflower Meadow

Freestanding black-framed pergola with lounge chairs, lit at dusk beside a wooden boardwalk through a wildflower meadow

PHOTOGRAPHER Nat Rea