A long-admired Margate beach house was modernized over 14 years for this family’s needs
When Andy Perry asked his wife, Lenni Sue, if she’d like to buy a beach house in Margate, she said yes, but only one house would do: a 1920 Dutch Colonial nestled into a beautiful garden on the beach block.
The charming house had rich, stained mahogany garage doors and several outdoor spaces, perfect for entertaining.
“We drove down that street, and the owners, who we had known from growing up, came outside,” recalled Andy, who runs a wealth management practice in New York City. “Lenni told them how much she loved their house, and they said they were putting it on the market.”
With that, in 2008, Lenni Sue got the house of her dreams, a three-story, 4,500-square-foot home with five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a separate one-bedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse that she uses as an art studio and office.
Over the next 14 years, with the help of her cousin, interior designer Rhonda Sacks, Lenni Sue renovated room by room.
“We took a 100-plus year-old house and modernized every part of the inside,” Andy said. “We kept the outside intact because we loved this special, unique old-world Margate home.”
The first priority was brightening up the house by painting all the walls white and using white porch paint — made for surfaces that are walked on — for the floors and steps.
An avid cook, Lenni Sue tackled the kitchen, removing a column to open the space. Her must-haves included a butcher block chopping station, two side-by-side Sub-Zero refrigerators with four freezer drawers, and a stainless steel hood.
The room features a large black-and-white drawing of a young girl that they bought at Art Basel, the annual Florida art fair.
“Most important was that every piece of fabric was washable,” said Lenni Sue of her white kitchen, living room and deck furniture. “I also wanted it to be like a bed and breakfast for my guests where things like the coffee station were easily accessible.”
To create a flow between the inside and out, they installed retractable doors that they mostly keep open for a seamless transition. Outdoors, guests can enjoy lounging in the hot tub, sitting around the fire pit, or sipping cocktails from the adjacent bar, while Andy barbecues in the outdoor kitchen.
“Our outdoor table can fit 30,” said Lenni Sue, who often entertains large groups of friends and family. “Our outdoor space is really where we live.”
The second-floor wraparound deck offers ocean views, perfect for morning coffee.
When the family first bought the home, their three children were preteens who stayed on the third floor. The two boys, Matthew, now 26, and Brandon, 23, shared one room; Alexis, 28, had the second room, and they shared a bathroom. But as the kids got older, they outgrew the space.
“My kids are super tall, and as they were growing, they weren’t fitting on the third floor,” Lenni Sue recalled. “So I added dormers to create more space for separate boys’ and girls’ rooms, each with its own bathroom.”
The first floor’s open plan features 10-foot ceilings and seven-foot door jambs. The house’s neutral decor with gray and black accents creates a “calming, Zen vibe,” Lenni Sue said. Recently, the couple replaced the original floors with a mushroom colored oak in five-inch planks.
One of the couple’s favorite indoor spaces is the elongated living room, where family members and pets Willow Mae, a 2-year-old American Staffordshire terrier/bassett hound mix, and Ivy, a 4-month-old American Staffordshire terrier, can cuddle on two lounging couches to watch TV.
A huge puzzler and canasta player, Lenni Sue converted the sunroom into a game/puzzle/exercise room where sun pours in through eastern- and southern-facing windows.
Last year, the family sold their home in Short Hills, where they had lived for 25 years, and will now spend more time in Margate.
“When we bought this house 14 years ago, it quickly became our happy place,” Andy said. “Everyone is happiest here.”
