A remote island off the Northeast coast of Rhode Island is home to a contemporary cottage clad in a shell of shingles. Designed by Bates Masi Architects as a tough call back to the region’s vernacular structures, the Mohegan Trail Residence was built to survive the area’s wild storms – and the island’s even wilder logistics. With no cargo boats allowed, every building material made its way to the island via passenger ferry, meaning strict limits on size, weight and overall ambition. Instead of fighting the constraints, the architects leaned into them, building almost the entire residence from standard lumber arranged in short, manageable spans – nothing that needed cranes or special crews.
The house takes cues from the region’s long standing storm-proof structures, resulting in a densely framed, no-nonsense shell that wears its handsome ruggedness well. On the outside, that’s in its long shingle-style cover that uses tongue-and-groove deck boards as stand ins for plywood, immune to moisture damage and echoing time-tested local construction methods. Inside, the craftsmanship is evident in the timber beams which are left exposed, with insulation sat above them, giving the interiors a warm, unfussy character. Underfoot, unglazed clay tiles nod to the island’s natural clay deposits, bringing a subtle handmade texture to the design.
The overall form – a classic gabled saltbox – anchors the cottage firmly in its Northeastern context, the resulting home a structure that feels classic in design and spirit, smartly improvised, and built to last.
Photography © Bates Masi