Without changing the basic form of the original 1960s ranch, Harrington wanted his house to look like a Cape Cod house, with a white picket fence, arbor, and crushed shell driveway from the front but to be completely open and modern on the back. Architectural designer William Ross played with detailing, such as the curved walls of the gable window and the curved garage doors with windows, to give the exterior additional visual interest. A whale weathervane tops the cupola.