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They knew our goal of expanding our family and finding more space compared to what we had in the city.
— The Tenneys
” lot in East Greenwich, it wasn’ t long before Meridian Custom Homes came into the picture. The Tenney’ s realtor, who sold them the parcel of land, recommended the local home builder. The couple clicked with the Meridian team immediately, as they took the time to understand what the couple was looking to achieve regarding the house’ s layout and aesthetic.
“ The clients were able to see a number of homes of this variation that we’ ve achieved in the past very beautifully,” says Alex Mitchell, co-owner of Meridian Custom Homes. The homeowners also partnered with Ironwood Studio to bring thoughtful craftsmanship and cohesive design to the home. Their custom carpentry work includes the molding details, the dining room ceiling and living room box beams.
The Tenney’ s forever home checklist included: a spacious house for their future children, a room across from the master suite for the nursery, a cathedral ceiling in the family room, coffee bar, butler’ s pantry, plenty of storage, and of course, a long driveway and a three-car garage( no street parking here!).
“ They knew our goal of expanding our family and finding more space compared to what we had in the city,” the Tenneys say.“ From that initial meeting with them, you could tell it’ s more than just putting up four walls for someone.”
When conjuring up the plans, the Tenneys settled on a classic New England gambrel-style home— characterized by its symmetrical, dual-slope roof. Meridian has built gambrel homes in the past, but the Tenneys were excited to put their own spin on theirs. The team took the ideas the couple suggested and married them into a cohesive design.
A plethora of windows welcomes natural light into every room, including the open two-story family room. Both the four-panel sliding door and cathedral ceiling contribute to the light within the area, where exposed beams match the natural gray stone fireplace, its limestone mantel and polished nickel chandelier.
“ We wanted cathedral ceilings in the living room to make it feel open, which stems from living in smaller spaces for so long,” say the Tenneys.“ It expands into an area that we’ re going to spend a lot of our time in.”
The kitchen is a vision in off-white, with brass elements bringing a sense of warmth. The oversized island and sink catch the eye as guests walk in, and the cream cabinets ensure storage is no issue. The kitchen also boasts an integrated refrigerator, wine cooler, coffee bar, thick marble countertops, two dishwashers and a pot filler over the seven-burner gas cooktop.
The coffee bar’ s layout is the result of a successful game-time decision: The intended wood paneling never came in, so Meridian and team crafted custom millwork
36 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY’ S NEST | 2026