Private Rehoboth vacation oasis exquisitely furnished - not your typical rental. Sunny, airy, spacious floor plan all opens to pool and terrace, and garden. Think white and South Beach - designed by award-winning architect, Hugh Newell Jacobsen. He is an architect and designer, and his surprises, incorporated into the more than 400 houses he has designed in the course of a long career, are all a result of ingeniously arranged spaces and perspectives. “A house promises things to the viewer,” he says, “and it must fulfill that promise. So many houses oversell, and you wonder why you came in. I want people to enter one of my houses and say, ‘Wow!’”
Well-equipped kitchen with two wine coolers, large refrigerator, six-burner gas cook-top, wall oven, warming drawer, built-in microwave, two dishwashers, coffee and espresso maker and everything else you need to enjoy your vacation if you choose to cook at home. Large island with Carrara marble and plentiful storage.
It is ideally sited on a half acre corner lot and extensively landscaped to provide privacy.
Technology - the home has wireless internet, fully wired throughout for music, televisions and cable in living room and all bedrooms.
The basics - four bedrooms, three full baths, stone floors and soaring ceilings. The master bedroom has a king bed and opens to a wonderful screened porch. Two of the guest rooms open to side terraces and the fourth bedroom has a queen bed but is a bit smaller than the other two. Slate floors throughout.
Multiple private terraces with gorgeous furniture around the house and pool for relaxing and dining. Two large porches, one off the master bedroom and the other off the dining room.
The home is equipped with everything you need to enjoy your vacation – gas grill, beach chairs, an expansive book collection and much more.
***The home was featured in Delaware Today.
Great architecture is the ultimate geometry lesson, a pursuit that combines lines, surfaces and dimensions.
The owners turned to Hugh Newell Jacobsen, an architect who is known internationally for his modern, pavilion-style residences, including the home on Martha’s Vineyard he designed for Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the 1980s. Every year, the professional journal Architectural Record chooses the 15 best new houses in the United States. Jacobsen has won the honor 20 times.
“We knew that he would design a wonderful, one-of-a-kind home for us—and he has."
Essentially, the house is designed on a geometric grid in which architectural elements add up to the number 16. The stone pavers on the floors are 16 inches square. The large windows and doors on the back of the house are eight feet wide, which is 16 divided in half.
The result is harmonious flow free of friction, a subliminal invitation to relax.
“It’s pleasing - you don’t know quite why, but everything works together.”
Whiter Shades of Pale
To make clean-lined white cupboards in the kitchen, the couple commissioned Oceanic Ventures, a cabinetmaker in Lewes. Custom storage enables the homeowners to corral clutter and keep the kitchen sleek. A washer and dryer are hidden behind doors under the counter.
The couple chose Carrera marble for the countertops in the kitchen and baths. The stone’s milky tones and silvery veining are a subtle complement to stainless steel appliances and chrome fixtures. “Repeating materials helps to make a home feel cohesive."
Stone floors laid throughout the house are elegant yet practical. “Stone is impervious to everything.. Wet feet, sandy feet, high heels.”
In the gathering area, furniture is placed away from the walls, creating an aura of breathing room, a feeling of spaciousness.
A wall of glass sliders that forms the back of the room visually expands the space, as well. The glass also ushers in serene views of the pool and gardens.
The master suite is hip and spare, with a midcentury modern sensibility.
The master bedroom adjoins a private screened porch furnished with a large daybed that can be wheeled outdoors to provide extra seating during large gatherings. In day-to-day life, the porch is a tranquil retreat that offers an intimate connection with the outdoors.
The owners envisioned the grounds surrounding the house as a series of open-air rooms. Paxton Holt Jordan, a landscape architecture firm in Milton, designed a California chic setting with an East Coast twist. Flowering crape myrtle and hydrangeas, all in white, mirror the pale palette inside the house.
If the oversized settees, chaises and market umbrella on the patio look as if they might be at a resort it’s because they were designed for use at high-end hotels.
“Commercial furniture costs a little more going in but it will last much longer because it is made to stand up to constant use.”
A tall hedge buffers the yard from neighbors. A dining table and chairs are stationed in a small grove in the side garden.
A pair of pavilions are stationed at either end of the yard. On most days, they serve as massive garden sculptures. A shimmering Roman-style pool is ideal for swimming laps, or “getting your feet wet while you’re enjoying a cocktail.”
Super Space Planning
There are pocket-sized patios outside each guest room, allowing visitors to enjoy morning coffee or a nightcap without disturbing others in the house.
Each guest room is furnished simply, with a bed, a pair of nightstands and a chair. Flat-screen TVs are mounted on the wall. Storage is provided by built-in cupboards. To keep the tops of the nightstands clear for a book or a drink, pendant lamps are suspended from the ceiling.
The architect designed window seats in the foyer, ideal for quiet reading. Beneath the seat, there are drawers for storage.
“He made every square foot count, without making the house feel crowded, that’s the genius of his design.”
