RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY - AUGUST 2012

Born Again

A Providence-based architectural firm takes curb appeal to dazzling heights with two got-to-see-it-to-believe-it Wickford transformations – today’s pride of the neighborhood.

BY MEGAN FULWEILER

INDOOR-OUTDOOR HARMONY

Owners Lisa and Barry Cadden knew potential when they saw it. The weather-worn cottage lacked style, but the views? Spectacular. When Patrick Connors of Brewster Thornton Group Architects suggested a Craftsman bungalow vocabulary; they were off and running. “It was all about making an ugly duckling sing,” Connors says. Rather than blow apart the existing structure, though, the architects cleverly worked with what was there. Lisa’s smart slew of primarily cosmetic changes brightens the interior, while on the exterior, layers of detail and decorative adornments build on the bungalow tradition. 

RECALLING THE PAST

The reworked interior opens to light and views, while the street-facing façade – farewell pseudo-Colonial porches, homely red shingles and awkward windows – rekindles the historic home’s glory. Architect Mary Dorsey Brewster devised new columns and railings that mimic those in an old photo. These same details scoot around to the water-facing side, too. “Front and back talk to each other,” Brewster says. “Using the same language of forms over and over in variations keeps things coherent.” Still, teetering high above grade, the house lacked an outdoor connection. The architect’s ingenious solution? A covered porch (with screens that can be lowered as needed), a multitasking terrace and – icing on the cake – an infinity-edge pool to bring the ground up.