Fresh Start
In nearly every way, this East Side contemporary is a departure
from the type of project Doug Brown typically designs. The focus
of DBVW Architects, where Brown is a principal, is not primarily
residential and the one or two non-commercial projects he works
on annually tend to be coastally inspired. “Most of them are in Little
Compton and Tiverton and they’re very vernacular — shingle-style
or old Colonials,” he says. This private residence, a custom-built
contemporary on the East Side just off Blackstone, is miles from all
those things, which made it particularly “refreshing to work on,”
says Brown.
Fresh is an apropos description all around in this case. Brown’s
design — executed by North Kingstown-based builders, Suburban
Renewal — replaced a very large and very dated early twentieth
century Colonial that wouldn’t work for the young family who
purchased the property in 2016. Their goal was to create a home
centered around wellness, which did not jive with the types of
contaminants one encounters in older houses, such as lead paint,
asbestos and aging pipes. From the cement board clapboard to
state-of-the-art mechanical and HVAC systems, Brown’s design
features sustainable, high-quality materials intended to provide
the family with the healthful, long-lived home they sought.
80 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l
APRIL 2020
This particular cement board siding has an exaggerated slope that creates
nice shadows under the clapboards and mimics historical clapboard. Western
red cedar planks under the soffits and porch roof add warmth around the
exterior. In the back, custom steel ell-brackets support the cantilevered porch
roof, keeping sightlines open from the inside by eliminating the need for
support columns.