Oyster Barn

How do you hide a working Oyster Farm on a property with an Antique Cape? 

Oyster Farming is a year round operation but sorting the harvest on a floating dock is no fun in winter, so when this farm needed to move operations inside, they needed a working barn.  The site provided a perfect setting to both compliment the antique cape and home of the farming couple, while providing an opportunity for a state of the art facility –  hidden in the slope of their site.  From the street, the barn has a scale and setting that matches the house, and no one could suspect that there is a boat shed with a 14′ high glass door off the back.  

It was important to the design to keep the staff feeling connected to nature, so the Oyster sorting operations are located to take advantage of the view to a little pond on the property. On the second level, the space doubles as an overflow guest and entertainment zone with loft space for the farm’s office. 

The Boat shed area is light filled and has a workshop attached for winter projects, boat work, and the perfect place to tinker.  

Contractor: Partain & Son

Photos: Jessica Laaper