Architect Peter Cadoux is primarily known for two things: his smaller homes whose built-ins can be maneuvered into multiple uses, and his sprawling manses.
Within many of these homes, clients are requesting “destination location” rooms that veer from the home’s primary aesthetic and venture into delightfully unexpected environments. “They’re ‘adult playgrounds’… no, that sounds bad,” he laughs. “Let’s call them ‘grown-up playgrounds.’”
Attics and basements are popular spots for these whimsical rooms, as they’re not tethered to the design flow of the main floors.
Here are a few of our favorites:
Formal Meets Coastal
For this beachfront property, Peter designed a formal home with marble floors, archways, and coffered ceilings. But the owner wanted something with an informal, coastal feel for the cabana.
The result is an open, informal space with dark wood and nautical details. Think: a Cape Cod yacht club before decades of use with the trappings of a Westport country club.
Upstairs, an observation deck allows for 360 degree views of the ocean and the property. With plate glass windows, telescope, “industrial” stairway and gating, the space evokes a lighthouse. Albeit, a far more enviable one than most.
To prep visitors for the design shift, the connector hallway is its own “defined space,” inspired by an Italian grotto. Intended as a walkway “journey,” the windowed walls can be open or closed, bringing the outside into the interior. Skylights flood the hall with light, indicative of its beach destination.
Mai Tai, Anyone?
A couple with unconventional taste wanted the ultimate grown-up playground in their basement, which includes an indoor conservatory/spa, squash ball court, and - wait for it - a tiki bar.
Taking color cues from upper levels of the home, Peter used impactful Caribbean hues for the bar, walls, and ceiling, and installed an aquarium filled with tropical fish. The result is a transcendent few square feet that handily catapults the bar-goer out of their New England environs.
As does the conservatory/spa. Filled with indigenous plants, the goal was to recreate an “Indian Jones movie set.” The owners then commissioned a quixotic mural to amplify its fancifulness.
Swing You to Sleep
While the beds appear to be hanging on ropes, each has a hidden stand beneath. The coastal style matches the rest of the home, but it’s these fun, imaginative touches that set the sleeping porch apart.
CadouxAIA.com