Filed under: Design, etc, House Tours, Architecture
The house isn't fancy, but it's what they dreamed about as kids.
Tom Vecchione and Tom Baione, best friends since childhood, grew up near one another on Long Island. One of their favorite teachers would often share happy tales of living close to the ocean, and the two childhood friends, who still remain close many years later, began dreaming of one day owning an oceanside home together.
In 2001 when the two Toms spotted a home for sale on Jones Island, a barrier island off Long Island's south shore, they decided to go for it. While the home's remote and unusual setting attracted them -- it is elevated several feet above the sand and is about a thirty minute drive to the closest store -- it made it challenging to renovate. And it needed renovation.
A photo of the house as it stands post-renovation. Photo: Tom Baione
Originally built in the 1940s (with some renovations completed in the 1950s), the cottage was used by its previous owners only on weekends. The floors and windows were in good shape, but the rest needed help. Vecchione, a New York-based architect and former HGTV Design Star contestant, and Baione, the director of the library at the American Museum of Natural History, knew the cottage needed a facelift.
Rather than tearing it down and rebuilding from scratch, they decided to work with what was there, since it was the "green" thing to do. Both are proponents of incorporating environmentally friendly ideas into design, and they decided they would use as much salvaged, re-purposed and collected materials as they could find or already owned to make their cottage the perfect vacation getaway.
Avid collectors of just about everything kitchy and cool, the two had quite a lot to choose from, including antique carriage lanterns, discarded flooring from a neighbor and the bathroom tiles in Vecchione's childhood home. All of it found its way in to the charming cottage by the water, which has become a place to relax and connect with other friends from childhood.
Below, clockwise from upper left: An exterior shot of the home before the extensive renovation, a view of the porch before it was transformed into the new kitchen, a shot of the old kitchen, and Tom Baione (left) and Tom Vecchione (right).
Photos: Tom Baione
The home greets visitors with a charming front porch and a grand door; they found the door discarded, on a street just off Madison Avenue in New York City. It originally belonged to a majestic brownstone, and now shows off its elaborate details (a large center brass doorknob included) to guests here at the cottage. The blue door perfectly offsets the gorgeously faded dhurrie rugs peeking up from the floors.
The house is small, only 1,100 square feet. There is one bedroom, a sleeping loft in the attic, one bathroom as well as two porches; one has been transformed into the cottage's cheery kitchen (more on that later).
In the daytime, the pair spend most of their time in kitchen, since they do a lot of entertaining, and by night its time to relax in the living room. "We love to gather here because it reminds us of our summers growing up, spent at Lido and Atlantic Beach, here on Long Island," says Baione.
The cottage is decorated in shabby chic, beach house style. Accent colors are reminiscent of blue and green sea glass, and mismatched chairs are paired throughout. Walls are painted a crisp white or left the color of natural wood. Even though the space is small, there are numerous windows, so the space is filled with natural light.
Photo: Tom Baione
The open and airy kitchen was originally an outside porch before it was closed in. Vecchione and Baione decided to keep the original flooring as they felt it "shows the life of the place." It also allows the eye to focus on the duo's extensive collection of blue and white china. The pretty collection is happily displayed against the white painted walls. The cupboard was salvaged from a neighbor's trash.
Another favorite element in the kitchen? There's a cabinet built from a neighbor's discarded floor boards. After cleaning the boards, Baione decided to leave the surface intact as he fell in love with the gorgeous patina. We are very glad he did! The distressed green coloring is perfect for the seaside location.
Photo: Tom Baione
Finally, the front porch is home to another one of our favorite elements. If you look through the first room, off into the back, you'll see a gorgeous stained glass window peeking in. It was rescued from an old apartment building in New York City. It's a sparkling little jewel in this gem of a house.
Liked what you saw here? Check out this mansion that's gone green!
Just like in this cottage, the kitchen is one of the most popular rooms to redo in a home. Check out our tips on which trends to avoid.
Are you a collector, like the homeowners spolighted here? Then check out our guide to the Best Flea Markets in the World.