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This Quaint Cape Cod Cottage Was Rescued from Disrepair
Talk about a charmer!
Sometimes fate intervenes in not-so-subtle ways. Such is the case of a humble Cape Cod cottage that seemingly found its life preserver in the couple who happened by on a summer’s day a few years ago. Steve Ballerini, who works as a marketing executive in Silicon Valley, says the blooming hydrangeas caught his attention when he snapped a photo of his husband, Colin Bohrer, and their pup, Henry, in front of the house. “This little house would do just fine,” Steve wrote on the accompanying Instagram post.
A few hours later, they heard from a friend who informed them that the house had just gone on the market that day. “What are the odds?” says Colin, an animation filmmaker at Pixar. “We live 3,000 miles away, and during the two weeks we’re in town, that house gets listed.” Steve and Colin, who live in San Francisco and had pondered buying a home in Provincetown, Massachusetts, made an offer the next day. (The house now makes regular Instagram appearances on their account @thegroggyanchor.)
Originally built by a ship’s carpenter during the late 1700s, the Federal-style cottage was a charmer—located a stone’s throw from the shore in the oldest part of town, right across the street from where the couple had rented rooms while vacationing there the past 20 years. Inside, however, the house was showing its age with patched-over floors covered in linoleum and crumbling plaster walls. They also discovered the dining room’s foundation was teetering on tree stumps sunk into the sand.
The house needed a rescue, but the couple wanted to thoughtfully maintain its spirit, so Steve and Colin embarked on a two-year restoration, bringing the cottage back to life one heart-pine board and brass light at a time. One of their most prized pieces is the heirloom Salem Bridge shelf clock they received as a housewarming gift from the couple who sold them the house. “I think I cried,” Steve recalls of the gesture. “You did,” Colin quickly agrees.
After reading, take tours of more charming country-style homes:
BEFORE: Exterior
The three-quarter clapboard Cape had retained much of its late 1700s architecture, including the original Federal-style fan light above the door, but it lacked curb appeal.
Charming Curb Appeal
Along with refreshing the home’s white and black exterior, the couple refurbished many of the original windows and added new copper gutters and lanterns.
Get the Look:
Exterior Paint Color: Cloud White by Benjamin Moore
Shutter and Door Paint Color: Black by Benjamin Moore
RELATED: The Best Exterior Paint Colors To Give Your Home Inviting Curb Appeal
BEFORE: Front Hall
Talk about vision to see a new life for this piled-up room.
Petite Pieces
In the front hall, a gateleg table the couple scored for $75 on Facebook Marketplace sits underneath a Chippendale mirror from Portland Architectural Salvage, the same place where Steve found the wide-plank floorboards.
BEFORE: Front Hall
Antique Furniture
Steve says the office area located in the front entry is one of his favorite rooms in the house, outfitted with an Empire 1876 Scottish walnut desk the couple found in Vancouver. Other treasures are from The J.M. Byron House, including the seascape painting and green leather wing-back chair. “I love sitting in that chair; from that position you can see down the hall into the dining room,” Steve says. “I love working in that little office.”
BEFORE: Keeping Room
In what was known as the keeping room, the original cooking fireplace with a beehive oven is the focal point. Architectural details such as the wainscoting and the built-in cabinet next to the fireplace were also still intact and now look bright and fresh coated in crisp white (see after photo).
Pieces with a Past
“Supposedly, a lot of our house was built from wood salvaged from shipwrecks because lumber became rare,” says Steve. The painting above the restored mantel is signed T. Bailey, a pseudonym used by a salesman who is believed to have passed along other artists’ work in the early 1900s. “There’s a whole lore behind these paintings,” says Colin. “Whenever I find one, I buy it. I got this one for about $100.”
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore
Built-In Cabinet Paint: Linen White by Benjamin Moore
Vintage Glass
Not one but two original glass-front built-in cabinets in the home provide perfect spots to display collections. Here, in the keeping room, one houses a collection of vintage glass bottles.
Nautical Novelties
A carved sea captain figurine, horseshoe crab shell, and rattan-wrapped tumbler used as a vase reinforce the coastal theme.
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Leather Upholstery
The couple furnished the keeping room with a “gentlemen’s club vibe” using an antique Afghan Soumak rug and cozy leather furniture found for a song on Facebook Marketplace. The coffee table is an old shipping crate.
BEFORE: Dining Room
Damaged millwork and a low ceiling make this room far from welcoming.
Timber Beams
A rustic timber ceiling beam and reclaimed heart-pine floorboards make for a warm and inviting dining room. The fireplace’s Federal-style mantel was reconstructed to mirror the one in the living room. Hand-printed wallcoverings lend a cozy layer and break up the expanses of painted walls. The writing desk once belonged to Provincetown artist William Maynard, who had lived in the house in front of Steve and Colin’s cottage.
Get the Look:
Hand-printed Wallcovering: Printsburgh Wallpapers
BEFORE: Kitchen
The kitchen originally sloped down to a mere four-foot-tall clearance at one end.
Tavern Flooring
In the kitchen, marine blue cabinets topped with walnut countertops, a red cedar ceiling (to lend a feeling of being on a boat), and a pine subfloor salvaged from a ca.-1700s tavern in Maine revived the home’s small kitchen.
Get the Look:
Wall Paint Color: London Fog by Benjamin Moore
Cabinets: Schrock
Pendants: Nauset Lantern Shop
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Nautical-Inspired Lighting
Horizontal plank walls and handcrafted unlacquered brass and rope pendants further the nautical vibe.
RELATED: Best Kitchen Decor Ideas to Create the Most Welcoming Space in Your Home
Glenwood Stove
Made by the Weir Stove Co. beginning in 1900, wood-burning Glenwood Stoves were often a home’s primary heat source. Restored stoves from sources such as Good Time Stove Company, where Colin bought this cast-iron E model, can cost upwards of $3,000.
RELATED: 22 Jaw-Dropping Antique Appraisals That Will Make You Want to Rush to the Nearest Estate Sale
BEFORE: Parlor
Varied-Width Floorboards
Steve and Colin turned the former parlor on the main level into a guest bedroom. After removing the floor’s linoleum, they found the original floorboards, which they restored to their natural color. A new metal bed frame topped with a mix of blue-and-white textiles, including a waffle-weave blanket from nearby Stringe Gallery Art & Antiques, ups the cozy factor. “This room gets great afternoon napping light,”says Colin.
Get the Look:
Metal Bed Frame: “Eberhart” from Wayfair
Restored Hearth
An original Rumford fireplace in what used to be the parlor now makes the guest room a cozy spot. A vintage metal sailfish hangs above the elaborate mantel. The original glass-front built-in cabinet mirrors the one in the keeping room.
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