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"Location: Bay Head, New Jersey      When it came to the interior decoration, DelleDonne pulled out his history books and took cues from turn-of-the-nineteenth-century architecture and interiors.    The 1920s house was clad in aluminum siding, and the interiors really hadn&amp;#039;t been touched since the 1970s. But the beachfront location in the south Jersey Shore village of Bay Head was just what Hillary and Bill Weldon had been looking for during their two-year house hunt. The couple sensed something special about this vintage cottage, where the previous owners had lived and raised a family over 45 years. &amp;quot;We could just feel the love when we walked in,&amp;quot; says Hillary. Henry Hengchua, the Toms River, New Jersey, architect entrusted with the renovation, agrees. &amp;quot;The energy was so good it made me want to have a glass of red wine and stay a while,&amp;quot; he says. It&amp;#039;s a feel-good place that the couple and their preteen son and daughter would come to value more than they could imagine, even before remodeling was complete. Spearheaded by Hengchua and the Summit, New Jersey-based interior designer Frank DelleDonne, the transformation took nine months and added 944 square feet to the original 3,097-square-foot footprint (thus, avoiding the need to apply for variances). It also opened the house to light and Atlantic Ocean views. The Weldons hadn&amp;#039;t envisioned gutting their home. But a total redo was necessary to stabilize the foundation and install entirely new air-conditioning, electrical, and plumbing systems. This clean-slate approach gave the design team the flexibility they needed for more improvements, including moving the once-central staircase to one side of the house. Now the stairs run conveniently from the unfinished basement to the finished attic, which has been turned into a windowed bunkhouse-style playroom for the children and their overnight guests.                For casual meals, the Weldons pull up rattan chairs to an antique table and slide onto the custom banquette. The playroom is perfect for indoor games and for relaxing. A cabinet panel to the left of the apron-front sink conceals the dishwasher.      With the staircase no longer in the way, Hengchua was free to create a central front entry that opens onto a wide hall, with main living areas\u2014living and dining rooms, kitchen, and a playroom spread expansively across the first floor. On the second floor, a roomy master suite\u2014the owners&amp;#039; oasis\u2014spans the back of the house, where it captures the best ocean views. Three other bedrooms on this floor enjoy street views and are clustered around two more baths, a small sitting room, and a laundry-utility alcove. On the exterior, Hengchua replaced the old aluminum siding with grey-stained cedar shingles and added 400 square feet of porches\u2014most impressive, a wraparound front porch with mahogany decking. Hillary furnished the porch rooms with inviting wicker chairs, tables, and rocking chairs. This allows the Weldons to spend their entire day playing games (their passion) and porch-hopping.    The worktable is an expansive surface for food prep and buffet meals.         Slipcovered swivel chairs flank the living room fireplace. The custom, painted-wood cabinet has raffia panels and holds electronics.   The cool tones of the master bedroom&amp;#039;s floral rug inspired the room&amp;#039;s soothing color palette of blues, greens, and purples.           The renovated attic is now a light-filled bunkhouse retreat for overnight guests.      The couple rises with the sun, awakening to satisfying beach vistas from the balcony off the master suite. By lunchtime, they seek shade on the covered porch adjoining the kitchen. In the late afternoon, the family moves around front to greet neighbors in this slow-paced village of rambling seaside homes, where everything from the post office to the beach is accessible on foot. &amp;quot;As lovely as the beachfront is, we love watching people walk by and getting to say &amp;#039;Hi!&amp;#039; at sunset,&amp;quot; says Hillary.    Product Picks      Cabinetry Custom maple design by Amaranth Interiors, 610-923-6431. Ceiling fan (living room) by Bauer International; 800-582-7690, bauerinternational.com. Chairs (playroom) Tulip in white from the Historic Charleston collection by Baker; 800-592-2537, kohlerinteriors.com. Fabric (kitchen drapes) in Madeleine by Rogers &amp;amp;amp; Goffigon, 212-888-3242. Sink (kitchen) Farmhouse Apron by Kohler; 800-456-4537, kohler.com. Tile (kitchen) Subway by Ann Sacks; 800-278-8453, annsacks.com. Windows by Andersen; 888-888-7020, andersenwindows.com.       Click here to see the floor plans \u2026Continued in the October 2003 issue of Home Magazine  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/home-remodeling-renovating/a1024/charm-school-17538/>