A Dover Home Opens Wide to the Massachusetts Woods

Photo by Greg Premru

​​​​This article is from the spring 2026 issue of Boston Home. Sign up here to receive a subscription.

This Cape Cod–style home in Dover underwent a full renovation to lean into the surrounding woods and pond that attracted the homeowner here to raise her family 20 years ago. Now embracing nature, efficiency, and a contemporary mood, it’s full of natural elements that create a marriage between inside and out.

Reconfiguring the cramped first floor and borrowing from the dining room to expand the kitchen, New England Design and Construction senior designer Joe Wood created fluidity and breathing space. Meanwhile, interior designer Dane Austin imbued a warm color palette as well as whisps of wildlife to enliven wall coverings, furnishings, and lighting. Now the wide-open kitchen and adjacent living room, as well as the sun-drenched sunroom and dining nook, borrow from the backyard in a relationship of grounding energy.

The grasscloth wallcovering in the office has a subtle green undertone that “you don’t necessarily see at first until you’re looking closer, but it’s such a beautiful effect,” Austin says. The drapery fabric depicts waterfowl, lily pads, and grasses that frame her views out to the pond. / Photo by Greg Premru

Custom Essex Bay Cabinetry and Design cabinets are painted in contrasting Benjamin Moore’s “Philipsburg Blue” and Sherwin-Williams’s “Aesthetic White” to create a softer, artistic ambiance. La Dolce Vita quartzite stone on the backsplash, counters, and atop a 9-foot walnut island creates a kitchen where everyone wants to be. / Photo by Greg Premru

In the sunroom, tree-branch sconces and a palm-frond chandelier are frisky nods to nature, while a series of side tables of varying heights and materials creates layers of natural texture. / Photo by Greg Premru

“Giving [the homeowner] that connected living space through the procession of three rooms on the back of the house, where she spends most of her time, was crucial,” Wood says. “And we retained some of the Cape Cod exterior while giving her an expansive two-story space on the inside.”

This is most evident in the vaulted living room, which now floods with light and airiness from a 7-foot picture window, an overhead dormer, and a second-floor balcony. An asymmetrical art nouveau–style handwoven wool rug from India became the launching pad for the color palette and materials throughout, Austin says, including shades of muted blues and greens that intertwine naturally from room to room. They even painted the doors throughout the house in Benjamin Moore’s “Jamestown Blue,” he adds, which is visually softer and more palatable than the more common stark white.

The vaulted two-story living room is a study in layers: The fireplace is set in Venetian plaster with an overlay of lily pads on water by Patina Designs; the shelving is in deep walnut; and the burl-wood coffee table undulates like the pond in the yard. / Photo by Greg Premru

The dormer window in the vaulted living room ceiling is clad in maple shiplap. It brightens up the new second-floor balcony, where the Venetian-plastered fireplace continues skyward. / Photo by Greg Premru

The species of trees growing in the backyard also inspired the use of natural woods. From the built-ins and shelving to the cabinets and floors, fir and walnut are standouts that offer easy movement of the eye from inside to out, Wood says. The kitchen island, for example, is set in weighty walnut, opposite contrasting-color cabinets, quartzite counters, and double ovens that offer a gravitational pull toward the homeowner’s love of baking and entertaining.

“The white upper cabinetry recedes into the background and feels more cohesive throughout,” Austin explains. “All of these warm tones, with the wood, floors, ceiling, and natural textiles, counterbalance cool tones throughout.”

A custom table grounds the new dining room, where grasscloth walls and walnut shelving provide seamless continuity from the kitchen and living room. / Photo by Greg Premru

From larger spaces to smaller moments for rest and reflection, the home has inviting little spots, too. A mini reading nook is tucked next to the customized dining room, while the charming sunroom, which was meant to be a walk-through space from the garage, boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and a cozy chenille sofa that has become a destination in its own right.

“Good design is about contrast and juxtaposition and showing the dichotomy between finishes. And I really believe in custom upholstery because you can focus on the comfort,” Austin says. “It’s about layering and creating that sense of sophistication that feels collected over time. It’s a sharp look when you can mix materials in a way that looks effortless.”

Architect and Builder New England Design and Construction
Interior Designer Dane Austin Design
Photo Stylist Caitlin McLaughlin