October 29, 2013
Ahearn on Architecture: Navy Way in Katama
This newly built home is referred to as an “upside-down house,” because its primary living and entertaining areas are on the second floor—rather than the first—in order to maximize ocean views. In this particular area of Edgartown, such an orientation is the best way to ensure water vistas.
From the outside, the house gives no hint of its surprising plan. Even the unusual second-floor screened porch looks entirely appropriate, carefully positioned atop a secondary stepped-back wing, so it doesn’t distract from the overall gambrel-roofed volume. At the rear, a curved covered porch and deck open the house to the beach.
