HOME SPOTLIGHT

something different – and at the same time, we worked really hard to be both contemporary and contextual.”

Encompassing a stretch of coastal wetlands, the site played a big part in the design of Edgecamp Sporting Club. The northern arm of the home is taller with fewer windows to block the northeast wind. The southern arm, on the other hand, is lower so sun can reach areas that would otherwise be shaded.

The white roof is reminiscent of classic Outer Banks flat tops, many of which were constructed on the northern beaches throughout the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s.

“I’m a resident of Southern Shores, and I really love working on flat tops,” Chris says. “Flat roofs are just a natural fit – but down in Hatteras, you don’t see very much of this.”

The retreat’s woven cedar shake corners and the absence of trim boards are other design elements one might expect to see in very traditional coastal homes. Edgecamp’s distinctive use of cable rails, though, adds a more modern touch, which noticeably opens up the views from the house’s decks and interiors.

“On the Outer Banks, you see a lot of homes that are completely shrouded in decks, which can block the views,” Chris explains. “We tried to minimize that by using cable rail – or even just by eliminating the decks altogether.”

A few small decks and a screened porch can still be found on the front of the house, while the back is all thoughtfully placed decks adorned with cable rail – which appears nearly invisible when set against the surrounding scenery. On every level, windows showcase the expansive Pamlico Sound. “The sound view is spectacular,” Chris says. “Up on the top floor, it’s like being on a boat. There are water views everywhere. That was intentional.” Indoors, the spaces feel somewhat industrial with a chic, backpacker aesthetic. The angles preserve light in the gathering areas, and artwork is limited because the point of Edgecamp’s design is to showcase as many aspects of Hatteras’ natural charms as possible. “That’s what we want people to be surrounded by, so that’s what we built,” Richard says. “At every turn, we tried to elevate the game – and not to do so from a sense of luxury and prestige, but rather by letting the beauty of nature speak for itself.”

A Piece of Home

Part of our coastal landscape that can sometimes get a bit lost amid images of water and wildlife are the houses, cottages and other buildings that so often inform our daily lives here. For a number of local artists, however, capturing the essence of the Outer Banks includes documenting that architecture – and the many different shapes of all the places we’ve come to call home.

BY AMELIA BOLDAJI

Whether she’s walking or biking around a local neighborhood, Barbara Noel finds inspiration everywhere – and she’s particularly drawn to bold, bright colors…and the ability to incorporate water somewhere in her frames. Often using whatever canvases she has on hand, Barbara also tends to work from photographs with a water-soluble oil paint that lets her freely practice her art while her dogs rest by her feet on the kitchen floor. “There are only about four old Nags Head oceanfront houses that still have those original swings, and I’m simply obsessed with them,” she says about the pictured image (above). “That one little area just seems frozen in time, and it’s majestic.”

After spending years in the sign painting business, it merely made sense that Bobby Wiltshire found architecture a natural fit for his watercolor brushes. The above image, entitled Route 158, depicts one of the more colorful historic cottages lining the beach road in Nags Head – a structure which was originally built in the 1900s by Stephen J. Twine, a carpenter who’s largely credited with pioneering the distinctive features that still adorn many local homes to this day. “His houses are so dimensional,” Bobby says. “I love the shutters, the cedar shakes, the history…and that moment when the shadows come off them just catches my eye.”

More often than not, Marcia Cline’s favorite place to paint is outdoors – which is why her point of view can sometimes depend on where she can find a place to perch. While she describes her oil paintings as a product of her personal eye rather than being classic portraiture, the scenes she captures – including this oceanfront home on the beach road in Kitty Hawk – instantly evoke a certain amount of character. “It’s had a lot of different lives,” she says of the house (left), adding that it once also had yellow shutters to match the door. “And I spend a lot of time being aware of what’s happening on the beach – that’s why I live here after all.”