Salvage Spotlight: By Boat Hull into Social Hub of This House

One day when the lady met this fellow … they renovated their residence and comprised a showstopping bar island crafted by a sailboat. “These homeowners are a timeless Brady Bunch story: a woman with three brothers, a guy with three sons — they found each other, married and created a family of eight. The children were teenagers at about that moment,” says architect Jean Verbridge of Siemasko and Verbridge. “One of the homeowners grew up with a bar-type space as the social center of the house and wished to recreate that welcoming environment, albeit with a exceptional twist”

Siemasko + Verbridge

This exceptional twist was inspired by another ship bar the homeowners had seen, in addition to their property’s breathtaking waterfront setting, north of Boston, Massachusetts. After viewing a similar bar, they found Davita Nowland of Nauticals of Marblehead, a nautical reclamation expert that specializes in altering nautical salvage material into useful household objects. She helped them secure and salvage the ship from a 1952 Hinckley sailboat.

After they had a conversation-starting nautical form, they had function. The vessel hull bar was carefully planned, quantified, sanded and made operational with a counter counter tops, sink and cabinets added to the hull by expert craftspeople. All this work entailed a group that comprised Verbridge since the programmer of the general renovation, both the homeowners, Nowland and her craftspeople, and required several months.

The beauty of ships inspired the remainder of the bar area; the bar is mahogany, with a gloss finish worthy of a yacht, and the closets have nautical hardware like you would find on a ship, including sailing cleats.

On the bar a TV transforms into a framed mirror when not being used. Behind it beadboard panels were inspired by ship design.

Siemasko + Verbridge

The swimming fish details have special meaning; made of mahogany that matches the bar, each one has another rock eye, representing each one of the kids’ birthstones. They also offer a function. “It’s traditional in using reclaimed wood to get chips, dings and holes, and frequently these regions are treated to disguise the flaws,” Verbridge states. “Here the flaws were renowned as an chance to add interest”

Siemasko + Verbridge

A brass footrest provides a practical touch for relaxation and another nautical touch.

The location of the bar is just off the kitchen close to the casual entryway to the house. The bar anchors one end of a casual living room, complete with comfy lounge furniture, a fireplace, a television and an Elvis pinball machine.

“One of the homeowners was a bartender during his school days; he had a great working knowledge of how a bar ought to function,” Verbridge states. The group carefully planned for pullout trash bins, drawers, a sink, and a marble counter tops and backsplash on this side of the bar. A refrigerator, a dishwasher and a ice maker are integrated to the cabinets on the wall.

“Another detail beyond the use of the vessel hull is that the use of a board floor made out of mahogany and holly strips, found in yachts,” Verbridge states. The rock used on the countertop recalls the large stones along New England’s shore.

Siemasko + Verbridge

The property’s setting, in the gateway to Marblehead Neck, is just the spot for a bar made from a salvaged ship.

Long until they found the ship, the homeowners envisioned the bar as a great spot for family, neighbors and friends to congregate at, and now it is.

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