The Love Boat
Two parents, six kids, and one lively bar (and pool house) set sail in Marblehead.
If kitchens are the social centers of most traditional homes, then it's no surprise Hap and Sue Brakeley's clan wandered slightly off the mark. They're atypical in many ways. Sue was a widow, Hap a widower when the family of eight came together four years ago in a Brady Bunch-like fashion (she had three daughters, he had three boys). After marrying, they moved the kids (who range in age from 16 to 25) to Marble-head and set up family central in a more unusual spot: the bar and pool house areas.
The idea to create a bar space, Sue says, had more to do with encouraging togetherness than with drinking. "I had a fabulous bar in my house in New Jersey. The kids would sit and have their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate milk. It wasn't like a liquor bar; it was just a gathering place," she explains. "And, of course, we used it for parties - we love to entertain. So that was what I wanted [in the new home]. The pool being one, and I wanted a great bar."
Both areas have a singular design aesthetic that sets them apart from other parts of the property. Interior designer Jean Verbridge of Siemasko + Verbridge, the firm responsible for the Brakeleys' renovation, says that what brings it all together is the unique touches that speak to the family's history and its conjoined present. "If anything, that would be troubling to them to have one style," Verbridge says. "It's the notion of blending different lives and different cultures. Everything has meaning, rather than a theme. It's about authenticity."
Located in the family room, the bar uses a reconfigured 1952 Hinckley sailboat as its facade and represents the Marblehead chapter of the Brakeley story. The space was picked, in part, because of its views of the pool. The couple hired local artist Davita Nowland to work with the designers and marry the actual boat with a functional center island - complete with wet bar - and back bar with custommade cabinetry, ice maker, and dishwasher. Verbridge says the team carefully studied what the inside of a similar boat would look like to add accents such as plank-board-style flooring behind the bar. Nowland also designed eight fish of varying sizes inlaid in the wood of the bar area; each fish's eye color represents a different family member's birthstone.
"Years from now, if someone else lives here," Sue says, "it's either going to remain legend or everyone's just going to say, `Oh, there's some fish here. Isn't that nice?' But we know the significance."
The design of the pool house (separate from the main house) is far more contemporary and kid- and pet-friendly. Its etched-concrete floor is covered with a rubber rug, making it easy to hose down after raucous gatherings. Unexpected furnishings, like a pair of lime-green vinyl chairs, brighten the space, and lighthearted accessories like a "Brakeley Bunch" sign keep things playful. And since the pool house has its own kitchenette, full bath, and second-floor loft space, there's no need to run back and forth to other parts of the home.
"This whole area is where it's happening," Sue says, referring to the pool and adjacent areas. "If you want to have a quiet, private conversation, you don't stay on this side of the house."
Design
JEAN VERBRIDGE, PRINCIPAL SIEMASKO + VERBRIDGE
126 Dodge Street, Beverly, 978-927-3745, svdesign.com
Boat Bar Design
DAVITA NOWLAND NAUTICALS OF MARBLEHEAD
128 Washington Street, Marblehead, 781-639-0227, nauticalsofmarblehead.com
Deblina Chakraborty is a writer in Boston. Send comments to designing@globe.com.
