Spaces: Exploring the Bold Coast

The kitchen combines water views with ocean blue hues, Phillip Jeffries grass cloth wallpaper and fun pop art from Campbell La Pun. Photography by Meghan Sepe

On the Sakonnet River, Mackenzie and Ian Hutton found a gem of a house that was craving attention. Its previous owner had started a new build after years of disrepair to the existing structure, and the Huttons finished the detail work with Gallo Construction of Portsmouth as well as the retaining wall, terraced yard and dock outside.

Settling in Rhode Island, where Ian graduated from Brown University and spent time in South County, seemed like a homecoming for the Boston-based couple. Portsmouth’s relaxed coastal pace matched their current speed, but not the traditional navy-blue-and-anchors look. Insisting that their design eschew or “not even remotely resemble driftwood,” they enlisted Rachel Reider of Reider + Co. in Newport to help redefine their approach to coastal. Injecting the blank space with modern hues, curves and energy, they curated a home that comes alive with unique color pairings, patterns and texture to complement their year-round lifestyle.

Books from Charter Books in Newport line the Benjamin Moore “Deep Ocean”-painted shelves while a Schumacher window shade in citron and eco-friendly Brentano fabric on the daybed create a fun reading nook-turned-laundry space. Photography by Meghan Sepe

“It was really important that the house be a reflection of what we wanted and not have to go nautical with white, tan and safe blues,” Mackenzie says. “But we also wanted the home to look appropriate, being on the coast. So the color palette respects that with blues and greens that tie into the grasses and water, but neither are what I would label as safe. It’s teals, it’s citrine, it’s mint.”

These vibrant color choices saturate the home in ikat  and animal prints, velour couches and polychromatic graphic art. Built-in shelves in the library and cabinetry in the kitchen embrace a bold twilight blue while linen and grass cloth weave throughout to add a delicate nod to the home’s waterfront locale. Contemporary lighting in the living room resembles a manta ray while brass in the primary bedroom’s cozy seating nook finds fluidity. This all marries to form moments of brightness and peace.

The back patio is like a magnet for the homeowners on sunny days. Photography by Meghan Sepe

The Huttons brought a few key pieces of furniture with them, including an antique rocking chair from Mackenzie’s family and a bed that now lives in the guestroom. These integrated into each room with updated textiles and luxurious tie-dyed pillows to soften and ensure a bit of their history meshed with new.

“Even the rocking chair has a hip seat cushion that’s a cool fabric, but it’s otherwise very old, and not the style you otherwise have in the pieces around it, but somehow it all works,” Mackenzie says.

“And it’s sitting on a tiger skin rug which is teal,” Ian adds. “I’m not averse to taking risks when it comes to color, and we both definitely share this sentiment that every wall should be covered. We both love wall covering and color.”

Unafraid of boldness, the Huttons embraced a go-for-it attitude that they agree truly shaped this vacation home aesthetic. The resulting energy is lively and unpretentious, but also curated, like a boutique hotel on a small scale.

“We’re sitting here six years later, we still love it, and I feel like it’s us,” Mackenzie says. “I think for us, the point of it is to be fearless in that way, like this is our life. And life is short.”