The house on Cranberry Lane began with a reproduction of a historic “half Cape” cottage that was built as a retirement home for one person in 1980. Nearly thirty years later, the next generation of the family asked me to incorporate the original house into a design that would accomodate the extended family for vacations and holidays, yet keep the look and feel of the original cottage from the street. While they wanted a traditional exterior, my clients also asked for a house that would feel more spacious than it looked, and be filled with natural light. Inside the house, the materials and details are traditional, but the spaces are not. The open kitchen and dining area is long and low, with windows looking out over the gardens planted after the original cottage was built. A door at the far end of the room leads to a screened porch that serves as a hub of family life in the summer. All the interior trim, millwork, cabinets, stairs and railings were built on site, providing character to the house with a modern spin on traditional New England craftsmanship.