Boston Home February 2024

Inside A Serene Newport Oasis

This seaside Rhode Island home is airy, open, and all about the view.

With floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and low-backed furnishings, the stunning water view washes into the living room. / Photos by Michael J. Lee

Nestled in a secluded enclave off Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island, the coastal home sits on a rocky ledge overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and salt marsh. The views and sunlight pour into the open living areas and primary bedroom through wide windows and sliding glass doors, and this is just as Burns intended.

…the interior structure overshadowed and blocked water views, which was counterintuitive, recalls Burns, who is principal of her eponymous Boston interior design firm. So she embarked on an extensive redesign to open up the interior and orient it toward the landscape.

Burns envisioned a clean slate for the home. “Obviously, it’s all about maximizing the view here,” she says, casting a glance out the vast windows to the shining sea in the near distance. “The house was built about 10 years before we bought it. So [our renovation] was really about updating the finishes, taking down a couple of walls, and opening it up to the view a bit more.”