“Bookends,” a new 3,500 s.f. summer home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, is a contemporary interpretation of the Shingle Style tradition. The dominant theme of the exterior architecture is the curving, sculptural form of the shingled eaves contrasted with the simply detailed double hung windows. The name "Bookends" comes from the home's two-part bookend structure and the fact that one of the homeowners worked in publishing.

The windows provide abundant natural light on the interior and helped solve a design problem. Our clients wanted a large screened porch and conservatory-style dining/living room, but the small lot area and budget prevented us from designing them as separate rooms. Our solution was to design two rooms for the price of one by creating a single room that would function in both indoor and outdoor modes. We used groups of large screened double hung widows with transoms on the three exterior sides of room and French doors that open into the room. When the windows are open in the summer, the dining/family rooms feels like a screened porch.

Another focal point on the first floor is the entertaining kitchen/bar with its series of lit walnut cabinets punctuated by double hung windows that stream light into the kitchen during the daylight hours.