Almost complete winter renovations at the Freeman

by Donna Cain

For all of our repeat guests and future guests to come, I wanted to give everyone an update of our winter project at the Captain Freeman Inn. For Byron and I, the completion of our new owner’s quarters has been a dream in progress for many years. We have happily lived at our sister inn, Brewster by the Sea for 12 years. We were very blessed, as my mother lived there with us and the inn has hosted many wonderful guests over the years. We were looking for a little more room and were ready for a change of pace, and so we hired a new innkeeper to help us run Brewster by the Sea and converted the back of the property at the Freeman for our own personal quarters. The results have been astounding, and we could not be more pleased.

Shown below is a little preview. We love giving tours and showing everyone why we have grown to love Brewster which we always describe as our little slice of heaven.

Everyone loves our local Brewster General Store which is just a few steps from the inn. It’s old time America at it’s finest!

Entrance to our new kitchen and private quarters. The floor design actually works out perfect as we leave the hall and kitchen open by day and love to have guests come in to visit. At night we can close the door for privacy when we are ready to retire. We spent quite a bit of time thinking about the products we wanted to use for the renovation. Would highly recommend these porcelain tiles that look like wood. I originally envisioned hardwood floor throughout but realized that would not be practical in a commercial kitchen. Have been so pleased with this grey tile that adds to the industrial/modern/ old look I was looking for.

Our new dining table includes plenty of seating for family, guests and visitors. Guest’s are always welcome to join us for breakfast in the kitchen if they would like. Only words of wisdom for anyone redoing a kitchen- I would not recommend buying a cement table or counter top. While it looks great the surface is very porous and absorbs all spills. We have since protected it with a wax but wish now we had gone with old fashion wood.

Everyone that know me will understand why I am so excited with this bookcase…..I have room for all of my favorite cookbooks plus I have the perfect spot to showcase my grandmother’s Little Red Riding Hood cookie jar. We decided upon a large commercial frig and have been very pleases with it’s efficiency and extra space. We also added a wonderful gas fireplace in the kitchen.

A dear friend gave us the wonderful wooden sign, and we are enjoying the roller paper bulletin board. Byron is always keeping to do lists and this is the perfect place to keep him organized:)

Our new desk area…..we have never been so organized!

Just love this new corner of the inn which has a family piece and picture.

Our new fireplace and mantel. Just love the old mixed in with the new.

Our new bookcases and stairwell leading down to Byron’s new office.

We love our new sofa, and I just have to share a family story. My mom left us some wonderful antique pieces including the beautiful cherry china in the background. My mother always took perfect care of her furniture and this piece was in perfect condition. We moved it in and we both didn’t like the cherry look. Byron said it reminded him of an old person’s home:( Just had to smile. So we decided to paint it black. We love it although I am guessing Nanna would be shaking her finger at us for painting over such a lovely wood.

Byron is getting settled into his new space which includes a lovely new stained glass window of Nauset light house.

Now onto the guests rooms and new dining room.

New dining room in the former Chatham Room AKA the Ladies Library in Captain Freeman’s time. We added a frig and microwave and glass ware for guest’s to use for making a left over meal.

New decor, gas stove and artwork for the sitting area in Barnstable.

New side table and artwork in Barnstable. Loved the old antique ones but they were wobbly.

New furniture on the Barnstable porch.

New P’Town wall complete with a new gas fireplace and storage area.

We also made many improvements in Eastham including a new gas stove, new decor and new loveseat. Picture to follow on instagram as that room was reserved today.

New foot stool in Dennis. Just love the old Indian blanket look.

Third floor staircase includes a wonderful new showcase of Byron’s photography and a new chandelier.

New hardwood flooring and beautiful area rugs on the third floor. Just love the pattern in Wellfleet.

The new pattern in Truro compliments the decor perfectly.

And so ends the tours of our lovely newly remodeled inn. We also have a spanky new generator in the back yard but thankfully have not had the opportunity to test it out. Our electric was also upgraded so no more fuses being blown in the summer. We are talking with contractors to also add more central air now that we have the expanded capacity on our box. Hoping to get Orleans, Harwich, Brewster and Wellfleet on a new system this spring.

Wishing everyone a wonderful spring season filled with plenty of flowers and health!