DOUBLE VISION

ARCHITECTURE FIRM RUHL | JAHNES MAKES OVER A CONTEMPORARY ON THE SOUTH SHORE OF MASSACHUSETTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VIEWS OF THE OCEAN AND SUNSETS OVER THE POND.

- MARNI ELYSE KATZ

"I used to ride my bike by this house when I was kid and loved that it was contemporary," says the owner of this beachfront home in Cohasset. Decades later, in 2006, he and his partner drove by during an open house. Soon, it was theirs.

Although the house served the couple well for many years, they imagined how it could be better. They sketched iterations with larger windows-the home has direct views of the Atlantic Ocean to the east and a salt pond to the west-and a larger living space. A few years ago, they hired William Ruhl and Sandra Jahnes of Ruhl | Jahnes, knowing they could propel the home to its full potential.

The architects reimagined the home from every angle. "We added visual energy to the original white box by cutting out corners, reworking windows, and introducing other materials, including iron spot brick, ipe, and zinc," Ruhl says.

The site needed intervention too. Landscape architect Kara Lam addressed environmental concerns, beautified the property, and made it more functional. "We directed the ocean water that washes over the road during storms to the pond on the other side of the house," Lam explains. Plantings, including the spectacular purple butterfly garden, are resilient to the harsh, salty conditions. "The landscape design accents the modern form of the house," Lam adds.