Dusty Miller on the Bay

The owners asked for a thoughtful, light-filled home with modern coastal character that could host extended family for long stays. At 5,767 square feet on the Buzzards Bay shoreline in Falmouth, Dusty Miller on the Bay is a forward-looking Shingle Style — recognizably New England, engineered for contemporary performance. Continuous shingle cladding, irregular rooflines, and broad porches mediate inside and out. Where a traditional vernacular would rely on wood, we incorporated standing-seam metal roofs at high-exposure edges.

The rear elevation is a disciplined grid of windows, doors, and accordion panels that delivers wall-to-wall views and opens the entire first floor to the outdoor patio. The massive glass expanse required careful engineering — three-story steel beams, installed by crane, carry the wind shear through controlled flexing. Achieving 11-foot first-floor ceilings and a soaring 20-foot great room within Falmouth's 35-foot height restriction required strategic design: twin gables frame a transparent center section with precisely engineered floor systems.

The home solves an unusual programmatic puzzle. To accommodate a family member with limited mobility, the entire first floor is ADA-compliant and includes an ensuite. An elevator reaches a third-floor west-facing lounge with a wet bar, custom cabinetry, and four accordion door panels that open onto a balcony with a glass railing for sunsets over Buzzards Bay. Two separate offices support remote work. Three guest ensuites and a movie theater with blackout shades and surround sound absorb the long summer stays.

The kitchen is engineered for the family's cooking traditions. A pristine open "show kitchen" faces the great room while a fully functional second kitchen — a dedicated "dirty kitchen" with its own sink, two dishwashers, and two ovens — handles Indian cuisine and holiday prep behind a wall of pantry cabinetry that cleverly separates the kitchen from the formal dining room. The design addresses the incompatibility between traditional cooking and pristine entertaining head-on.

The centerpiece is an over-nine-foot custom island clad in Italian Iceberg Blue Quartzite that waterfalls dramatically down both short sides. Custom Riff Cut White Oak inset cabinetry in Fog 5 matte with diamond-pattern door panels catches light differently through the day. The quartzite continues into the great room as a floor-to-ceiling fireplace media wall, carrying material continuity between rooms. Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Bosch appliances integrate behind custom panels. Brushed modern brass and matte-black accents thread through the home. The family's roots — India, Hawaii, California — inform the palette. The primary bath alone carries Matisse Gold quartz countertops, Étoile Crème glossy porcelain tile, and a gold bathtub.