For the past 30 years, designers Jeffrey and Cheryl Katz rented summer cottages on the outer reaches of Cape Cod. This year the design duo took the plunge and bought their own place, applying their pared-down yet welcoming style to a historic cottage and artist’s studio in Truro.
Cheryl and Jeffrey first came across the classic Cape cottage back in the mid-90s. At that time it belonged to local artist Mary Fassett, who moved into her adjacent studio while the young Katz family rented the main house. “I?m not sure if it was the leafy green winding road that connects the ocean to the bay, the art that covered the walls salon style, the narrower than narrow, steeper than steep staircase that led to the second-floor bedroom, or the large kitchen table that seemed to accept many more guests than it should,” Cheryl recalled. “What I know is that it was magical.” This spring, when a friend told the Katz’s that their old rental was on the market, the couple “responded with our hearts,” Cheryl says. “We weren’t even looking, but the house held so many memories.” They couldn’t resist. Join us for a tour of their new old place.
Photography by Justine Hand for Remodelista.

Above: Cheryl and Jeffrey took over the 1980s post-and-beam structure that had been Mary Fassett’s studio, transforming it into a master suite with living room, bedroom, studio, and kitchenette. Furnished with a high/low mix of p...