| From 2006 through 2009 we designed
three small houses on an island, for an extended family. One
of the owners played on this unspoiled point of land as a child,
as her father had built a house next door. We were asked to design
a main house and a guest barn. The main house was arranged to
save the most level and grassy spot on the point. The trees in
this area were watered and fed a year before construction. The
contour of the ground and the trees remains unchanged around
the house. The main house has a living space and a master bedroom
under separate roofs, and an office connecting the two.
The owners
had no preconception of what the house might look like, except
that it should have a low profile, being concealed as much as
possible in the landscape, in sharp contrast to the grand, white,
turn-of-the-century houses on this island, which stand at attention
against the fir and spruce. We invited them to look at a library
of hundreds of images of residences from all over the world.
They both gravitated to the clean lines of Japanese and Scandinavian
design, and then sat back to let us do our work. The interiors
are finished with Douglas fir and reclaimed southern yellow pine
floors. The house is rigorously detailed, like a large set of
cabinets. Exteriors are red cedar shingles and trim, with standing
seam copper roofs. Furnishings include 19th century American
paintings and artifacts, and contemporary Japanese ceramics.
The first floor of the guesthouse is comprised of a "barn" for
boats, vehicles and games on a rainy day. The second floor is
a guest quarters with two bedrooms and a living area. The guest
house exterior is of the same material as the main house, but
the interior is whitewashed pine. This project was cited for
design excellence by the Maine Chapter of the American Institute
of Architects in 2008. |
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