This large house, serving as a retirement home for a couple from Boston, is located on a waterfront property north of Rye Beach. The site is a narrow lot that is oriented perpendicularly to the beach and is tightly situated between existing residential structures. The geometry of the site necessitated a modified L-shape plan that is linear in nature connecting the street side of the property to the water. Together with a two-story pavilion (containing a garage and guest suite), the house forms a courtyard space along its south side; this outdoor space includes a swimming pool and provides an exterior circulation link from the driveway court to the dunes on the opposite side.

The communal gathering spaces of the house are located on the first floor; the living, dining, and kitchen areas face the ocean to the east and connect to the main west entry via an axial, light-filled loggia running along the edge of the courtyard. Behind the loggia, a family room becomes a counterpoint to the pool court and includes a media wall and wet bar. Two large stairways at each end anchor the loggia, providing access to the sleeping quarters on the second level. Stylistically, the architecture utilizes the formal geometry of the gambrel roof and is reminiscent of the residential structures along the New Hampshire and Maine coastlines designed by the architect John Calvin Stevens in the late 19th century. The house is sheathed in its entirety with a white cedar shingle skin on the walls and roof, and all the interior detailing, including millwork, wall paneling, and cabinetry were developed with architectural drawings and are all custom-built.

Designed as a full-time residence, the new house balances formalities of entertaining and everyday living with a more casual, beachside lifestyle. The design solution breaks down the scale of the home within the context of a dense, coastal community that consists of varying income levels, full- and part-time residents, and houses of different sizes. The dichotomy between the formal and casual use of space is evident in the entry foyer: although formal in its architectural origin, the planning of the foyer is reconceptualized to accommodate the functions and informality of the beach house typology. This zone contains utilitarian spaces to support the swimming pool, including a changing room, washroom with shower, and laundry. And the concept of asymmetry establishes an informality, as well; within the main façade facing the street, a small offset gambrel portico protects the front door which, itself, has a single, large sidelight illuminating the stair.