Home Tour: Unique Stone Features Make this Tiverton Farmhouse a Stunner

From the shingled ranch in Tiverton where Caitlin Durand had made her home for two years with husband Paul and their baby daughter, she recalls a lifelong affinity for the Ocean State. “I’m originally from Fall River but spent a lot of time here growing up,” she says, launching into a list of touchstones common to so many in Bristol and Newport counties. “We stopped at Gray’s in Tiverton for ice cream on the way home from the beach and every August we went to Jamiel’s in Warren to buy two pairs of school shoes.”

The couple started their married life in the Spindle City but yearned to live in Tiverton where Paul’s family is from. In the midst of a daunting real estate search, one early morning while vacationing in Maine, Caitlin spotted a house online in Tiverton that “checked all the boxes”: single-level living for “sprawling family life”, a front porch, double garage, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and “a little bit of land” for a garden.

Caitlin refers to the home as The House on the Rocks, as it sits high on a hill and is surrounded by a rock wall and stone walkway. Bespoke stonework is among the many features that drew the pair to the property. “The original owner was a mason and the stonework is fantastic,” says Caitlin, noting the fireplace, a living room focal point. Connecting to the farm coast location, interiors are a cozy mix of farmhouse and coastal styles with some pops of classic New England prep. “I’m a sucker for a good monogram and love a good accent wall of printed wallpaper in bedrooms and bathrooms!” says Caitlin, who credits this look to years of living in Boston. 

The room that makes Caitlin the happiest is her daughter’s, where she has traded a shoreline palette for tropical hues. Floral wallpaper, a capiz honeycomb chandelier, and round ABC rug show the new mom’s eye for design. Crown molding detailing the walls is a source of pride as Paul installed it with a friend after watching how-to videos on YouTube.

“I have a print on our bookshelf that says ‘This Must Be the Place’ and it kind of says it all. One of the reasons I like my house is I can be at Brigg’s Beach sitting in my chair with a book open in exactly 20 minutes from our driveway,” says Caitlin. Gazing at her baby she quickly adds, “I will have to adjust that timeline this summer!”