Page 2

The Providence Journal Sandor Bodo

Builder and developer P.J. Morelle wanted subtle and blending with nature when planning the front entrance to his shingle-style modern house in Warren.

“I planned the landscaping and the location to be private — almost secret,” Morelle says of the front porch with a one-story overhang held up by two columns.

The ceiling boasts bead-board natural color planks. Two wooden steps on a granite slab lead to it. It has enough room for a few chairs.

“I designed it [the front porch] so it would be hidden from the street,” Morelle says. “I was inspired by [legendary architect] Frank Lloyd Wright. On his houses, it was nearly like solving a mystery to find the front entrance.”

Gallery

Walk through the House of the Week

From the street, his dwelling, built in 2000 at 19 Jacobs Point Rd., appears deceptively tiny. But step through the front entrance, and you are standing in 5,118 square feet of living space. It has an open design, vaulted ceilings, large rooms and a wraparound porch. It overlooks the East Bay Bike Path and has views of Warwick.

“I angled the house on the lot to take advantage of the water view,” he adds about the home whose gray-tone weathered shingles are frequently found on houses in Narragansett, Newport and on the Cape. “When we moved in, it felt like we were on vacation every day.”

He adds: “Out of every room in the house but the laundry room you can see the water.”

Morelle and his wife, Beryl, are selling the four-bedroom house on more than a half acre for $1.287 million. They plan to relocate to the Washington, D.C., area.

The family room, which measures 25-by-25 feet, features wide-plank oak floors, which are also found throughout the house. It has plenty of windows including a giant picture window with a curved top.

A granite fireplace with a wood mantel can be either gas or wood. Currently, it’s set up for gas.

The main floor has a study off the foyer with a closet and built-in book shelves. It could be used as a guest room.

There’s a half bath in the hallway outside of the study, which Morelle’s wife uses as an office.

The two-story foyer has a giant motorized chandelier that is controlled by a switch in the closet under the main staircase. At the press of a button, the light fixture slowly lowers so bulbs can be changed, and it can be dusted.

At 19 Jacobs Point, you’ll find an open design typical of a modern home. The living and dining room and kitchen make up the bulk of the main floor. There two sets of sliding glass doors lead to the wraparound porch above the bike path.

Granite covers the counters in the kitchen, which has a large center island with drawers and cabinets below. It seats about four.

A hallway in the kitchen leads to a laundry room with a sink, formica counters and a laundry chute. It also connects the house to a den/office with sliding doors to the deck and entry to the attached two-car garage.

A staircase in the office goes to a guest suite with exposed beams wrapped in paneling, and, over the room’s front window, a dome shaped like half of an octagon.

The guest suite has two closets, one cedar. There’s also a full bathroom.

The house’s main staircase off the foyer has a picture window over the landing. There are two bedrooms on the floor. One has a full bathroom and a walk-in closet.

The other bedroom is a massive master suite with a built-in dresser and two walk-in closets, each having two rooms. The second room in one has a window, and is big enough for a desk. The other closet’s second room is attic storage.

In the bathroom, a window looks out over the water. There’s a Jacuzzi and glass-enclosed shower, and a vaulted ceiling. “You can sit in the Jacuzzi and see the view,” he says. “At night, the Bay Queen rides by with all of its lights on.”

As for the bottom level of the house, it has doors that walk-out to the plant-filled yard. There are three rooms on that level: A billiard room; work-out room with full bathroom; and an unfinished portion for storage.

“I spend lots of time playing billiards,” he said. “What I like best about the house is the sunsets. They are spectacular.”

The four bedroom with 4½ bathrooms at 19 Jacob’s Point is for sale for $1.287 million. It has more than 5,000 square feet of living space on more than one-half acre. There’s a laundry chute, gas, central air-conditioning, central vacuum and a walk-out basement. Taxes are $11,907. There’s a $600-per-year common-area fee. The realtor is Jazzmine Napolitano of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, (401) 225-7070; (401) 245-9890 or jazzmine.napolitano@nemoves.com. How to submit a House of the Week

A different House of the Week appears each Saturday in the projoHomes section of The Providence Journal. The feature tells the story of the house and the people who have lived in it. If you would like us to consider a house for sale as a subject of this news feature, send a photo, information about the house and why it is of interest, to Christine Dunn or Andy Smith, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902; fax (401) 277-8250; or e-mail pjhomes@projo.com.

For more information, call Dunn: (401) 277-7913 or Smith: (401) 277-7262.

pjhomes@projo.com