Built in 1960, the modernist outer Cape Cod cottage of editor Robert Hatch and his artist wife, Ruth, was designed by Jack Hall. The house hovers above the ground on concrete piling and is protected from the elements via a series of wooden shutters on pulley systems. The living and dining rooms, preserved by the Cape Cod Modern House Trust, are low-key and informal. Paintings by friends and prints from Matisse hang on the walls, and the blue upholstery of a built-in banquette is balanced with eclectic textiles. K. Michael Hays, a professor of architectural theory at Harvard, described the Hatch house as “the perfect modern primitive hut” in Cape Cod Modern.
Here, we give you the bones of a quintessential modern summerhouse with many of Ruth’s original sources; we’ll leave it to you to fill in the rest.
Above: Photograph by Raimond Koch for the Cape Code Modern House Trust.
Above: Photograph by Don Freeman via Artists’ Handmade Houses.
Above: Photograph via the Cape Code Modern House Trust.
Living
Above: The retro-looking Malm Fireplace in black is $2,200 at Design Within Reach. For more options, see 10 Easy Pieces: Freestanding Woodstoves.
Above: A Hoop Fire Wood Holder made of simple wrought iron is available through Brookstone. For more ideas, see 10 Easy Pieces: Firewood and Log Storage.
Above: The traditional Tatza Polish Bread Basket in handwoven willow is exclusive to March and similar to the baskets seen on the walls of the Hatch House; $110.
Above: From Wyeth on 1st Dibs comes Hans Wegner’s original Folding Chair; price available upon request. For buying multiples, similar Wegner designs can be sourced online, such as the Easy Chair ($3,610 at Design Within Reach) or the ch28 Easy Chair in oak and walnut ($4,030 at Hive Modern).
Above: Designed by Lucien Gumy for Wrong for Hay, the oak Wooden Shelf in variable heights starts at $1,405 from Danish Design Store.
Above: The Chino Color-Bound Natural Sisal Rug is $499 for the 9-by-12-foot size at Pottery Barn.
Above: West Elm’s Armless Rounded Retro Sofa, shown in Regal Blue linen weave; $599.99 to $1,099.
Above: An 18-by-18-inch Turkish Kilim Pillow can be sourced from Decolic on Etsy; $14.75 and up.
Above: The Alvar Aalto Stool 60 in birch veneer is made in Finland by Artek; $277 at Hive Modern.
Above: Modern Plum’s Aalto Pillowcase shown in a kelly green and navy combination is $135.52. They’re available in a range of other color-block combinations from Modern Plum. For more on the designers, see A New Linen Line Inspired by Modernists.
Dining
Above: Ruth Hatch had Bruno Mathsson’s Maria Folding Gateleg Table ($2,000 via 1st Dibs) in the dining room.
Above: A Pair of Ladderback Farmhouse Chairs is $168 from Mom’s Antiques n’ Things on Etsy.
Above: Belgian designer Michael Verheyden’s Solid Walnut Coupe for the dining table is $675 at March.
Above: The Regolit Pendant Lamp Shade from Ikea is $4.99.
See the rest of the Hatch House at The Outermost House: Modest Modernism in Wellfleet. And more Cape Cod modernism at:
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