10 must haves for the perfect Cape Cod cottage

Below are the 10 most important elements for the perfect Cape Cod cottage.

#1 white cedar shingle siding and roofing.  The salty air turns the white cedar shingles to a beautiful silver tone...giving these homes their iconic Cape Cod feel.

 

Hutker Architects

 #2 Painted trim.  White is the most ubiquitous, but I also love the use of blue/green trim.

 

Nantucket

 

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Martha Stewart Lily Pond Lane

 #3 White chimneys with a black band.  The lore is that these chimneys advertised an owner's loyalty to the Tories during the revolutionary war....so approaching ships would know if they were landing in enemy or friendly territories.

 Edgartown

#4  Old Fashioned Roses.  Climbers like New Dawn or White Dawn seem to thrive in the salty air.  They look beautiful on a fence or trellis.  Its especially striking to a rose climbing onto the roof of a cottage.

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Jeffrey Bilhuber

 

#5  Hydrangeas.  Any kind of hydrangea; white, blue or pink speak of summer.

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#6  Rose of Sharon.  This is another plant which for me is synonymous with Cape Cod.  Carefree and blooming in mid summer makes it a perfect shrub for a cottage.

Traditional Home 

 #7  A porch.  To be outside but sheltered from the hot summer sun, a porch is the perfect place to sit and admire the view.  No cottage is complete without a porch.

C.H. Newton Builders 

 

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#8  A hedge or a fence.  These boundary providing elements provide a bit a privacy especially in tight quarters.  They also provide a perfect backdrop for a garden.

   Edgartown

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Ferguson Shamamian Architects

 

#9 An American Flag.  Something about a lawn and a flagpole that says summer cottage.

 Architectural Digest

#10 A water view.  Arguably the most important thing for a summer cottage is a water view.  It's like an old fashioned TV....always changing and endlessly mesmerizing.

Huestis Tucker Architects