A Guide to Interior Design Styles: Cape Cod

Cape Cod architecure is as old as the founding of America. The early Cape Cod style homes were defined primarily by their exterior and layout. They featured a gabled roof, central chimney, symmetrical design and minimal aesthetic embellishment. Their sturdy, naturalistic appearance came about through necessity. These early homes were always constructed using local, hearty materials that could withstand any kind of weather the Atlantic Ocean conjured up.

As a result of the cultural and material constraints of the Colonial time period, the first Cape Cod homes were simple, practical places that addressed the needs of their residents. Nowadays, while that early pragmatism still informs the aesthetic, Cape Cod has grown into a style full of charming and bright details. It is about evoking an environment of relaxed natural beauty, mixed with rustic and refined elements in equal measure. What’s more, the style is no longer confined by architecture. The interior design elements that make a modern Cape Cod aesthetic can be employed in any style of home. If bright, natural, and nautical describes your desired style, then a Cape Cod interior will be perfect for you.

Life’s a Beach

A Cape Cod interior is defined by being beachy and light. The color palette is that of a summer day by the ocean, with striking white clouds drifting in a blue sky, and a sandy shoreline with sun-bleached driftwood and seagrass. Walls and painted wood furniture tend to be white or warm, sandy neutrals. Blues and greens, evoking sky, water, and plants, are frequently employed as accent colors in furniture and decor. Hardwood floors are enhanced with woven rugs.

The other half of Cape Cod style is early Colonial American designs and details. After all, the aesthetic is impossible to separate from its early American origins. The Colonial period is most prominently evoked through furniture including couches, love seats, tables and chairs. All of the common Colonial design elements are represented, such as rounded shapes, elegant flaring, woven rattan and overstuffed upholstery. Stripes and nautical designs are common for upholstery fabric, often in white and blue.ork often evokes the natural world as well, with nautical landscapes, sea birds, and sea life being central themes.

Roots in Early Americana

The other half of Cape Cod style is early Colonial American designs and details. Afterall, the aesthetic is impossible to separate from its early American origins. Common Colonial design elements are represented through furniture, such as rounded shapes, elegant flaring, woven rattan and overstuffed upholstery. Stripes and nautical designs are common for upholstery fabric, often in white and blue.

Rustic textures that call to mind centuries past are also key to the Cape Cod aesthetic. However, the Cape Cod style of rustic is still refined and gentle. Think more raw linen and exposed beams, as opposed to rough wool or rusty iron. Lighting, too, is meant to strike a careful balance between rustic and refined. Lantern-style chandeliers and table lamps offer the perfect combination between the two, and feature prominently in both nautical and early American history.

The Cape Cod Aesthetic, Perfected with Sliding Barn Doors

If you want to evoke all of the elements that the Cape Cod style embodies then consider replacing conventional doors with sliding barn doors. With the right design, a sliding door is the ideal finishing touch for a Cape Cod home. Fortunately, Barndoorz has several styles available that are exactly what the Cape Cod aesthetic calls for. Both the two panel barn door and the full plank barn door in white are perfect for evoking early Americana with their practical, classic construction. Their defined planks and pleasing, natural forms are what the style is all about. There's also the Lynwood Barn Door in white, which features a radiating diamond pattern that subtly evokes nautical themes of navigation and charting. On top of the aesthetic benefits, each of these designs comes with the general convenience of a modern barn door. The sliding feature makes it easy to increase the light and air flow throughout your home without disrupting or concealing any of the charm and comfort you have carefully cultivated.

If a breezy beach retreat is your interior design dream, then Barndoorz offers just the thing to perfect your vision. Give us a call at 713-400-6626, or check us out at barndoorz.com and we'll work with you to make your dream a reality. The waves of Cape Cod are calling.