New Pool House, Orleans, MA

Cape Associates built this pool house in Orleans with architect Peter McDonald. It is a gabled building with cedar-shingle gable and walls, weathered wood sliding doors and a small dormer window above the entry.

The large sliding doors open the whole front toward a lawn and a rectangular pool surrounded by stone pavers set in grass. Wooden outdoor sofas with gray cushions sit on a small deck next to the building.

Inside, white-painted shiplap walls and a polished concrete floor make a simple room. Shown are a kitchen counter with a farmhouse sink, a table under pendant lights and barn-style doors with an X pattern at the back.

The structure is simple and well proportioned. A peaked roof with cedar shakes gives it a barn-like character, and the wood doors can slide fully open, so the building acts as a shaded room beside the pool in summer.