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One of Ocean Home’s Top 50 Coastal architects of 2016, Ike Kligerman barkley Designs a Beautiful Residence in watch hill, Rhode Island.

- Andrew Conway

If The Mastery of a great ocean home is measured by its sense of anticipation, this exceptional vacation retreat in the coastal enclave of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, succeeds on every level.

A picturesque gravel driveway sets the scene, leading down a low-lying, rocky peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean like the prow of a ship.

Seagulls whirl and squawk overhead; the air is tangy with sea spray; and a breeze carries the sound of water across the bay, a secluded cove and neighboring salt marsh.

An open motor court welcomes family, guests and visitors alike, guiding them either to striking louvered cedar garage doors or a more formal front entrance reached via a wooden stairway.

And towering above is a handsome three- story home, designed in the classic New England Shingle vernacular, but exuding a confident and commanding character that strikes the perfect balance between modernity and tradition.

The seven-bedroom, five-bath residence is a masterwork by Thomas A. Kligerman, cofounder and principal of Ike Kligerman Barkley, one of Ocean Home’s Top 50 Coastal Architects of 2016.

The storied and multi-award-winning firm, with offices in New York City and San Francisco, designs stellar homes across America and beyond, but this particular commission held a personal attraction for Kligerman.

“Ever since I was 10 years old, I have spent summers just five miles down the road in the small ocean-side town of Weekapaug, set on a coastline dotted with simple shingled cottages,” he says.