York, ME
The site for this project is located in York Maine on a spectacular 3 acre ocean front property that has sweeping views of Cape Neddick beach, Pint Cove and the historic Nubble light house in the near distance.
The brief was for a 3500 sf summer house to be designed on a one story plan with focus on three main site views; the Nubble Light house, various rock formations aligning Cape Neddick beach and a rocky peninsular stretching into Pint Cove. The plan is composed around a square entry courtyard the various spaces of the home being arrayed around the perimeter. This allowed unique and different views from each space within the house. Natural cedar wood and a large stone wall and fireplace make up the walls of the home, white metal columns and a flat roof are juxtaposed against the more vernacular wall materials. The effect is a modern home that feels both cozy, light filled and unique.
Jackson Hole, WY
We were asked to design a modern pavilion house for an avid young skier. The secluded site is located near the base of Grand Teton Mountains and looks out over Rock Springs Canyon. The pavilion is structured by heavy hewn timber beams that form a coffered interior ceiling canopy. The timber ceiling is supported by four large concrete pillars that help define the interior spaces, and a large wood burning fireplace anchors the living area.
A delicate, Swiss engineered, window and door system is juxtaposed against the masculine proportioned structure. The sophisticated specifications of the triple pane glass allow for a comfortable interior even in the coldest winter storm.
This is our take on a modern rustic cottage.
Undisclosed Location
We were asked to design a modern house on 14 Acres of land in Maryland as part of a competition. Our solution was to create a low slung horizontal structure that hugged the sites rolling topography, the interior spaces taking full advantage of the panoramic landscape views.
Simple wall architecture forms the auto-court, a stained wood gate frames a view of the landscape and acts as the symbolic front door. The plan is composed with a series of walls that slide past each other creating free flowing living spaces. A Pool and a water moat are carved out of a low plinth and eliminate the need for perimeter handrails. A simple and material palette is used throughout to give consistency to interior and exterior spaces.
We won the competition.
Georgetown, Washington, DC
This Queen Anne-Era Georgetown House, built ca. 1880, was once the home of Mr. and Mrs. Auchincloss, the parents of Jacqueline Kennedy. This house is understood to be one of Georgetown’s more significant and historically important homes.
The client, an established Washington Family who entertain large groups of people regularly have over many years compiled a treasured art collection. It was surprising to all involved the shabby and somewhat crude state that the house was in – the years had not been kind to this old lady. The interior felt thoughtless and confused; a general lack of flow on the first floor made the house seem unnecessarily cluttered and dreary.
With a few moves the plan was opened up allowing the various living spaces to flow and communicate. A goal of both client and architect was to better bring the generous garden spaces into the interior. To that end, large glass panels and a glassy breakfast room blur the lines between the outside and the now bright airy inside.
Color, details and furnishing were selected to compliment the art collection all with the intention of creating a tranquil timeless interior.
The garden was carefully re-imagined. Hedges, lawns, trees and paving work together to give a sense of layered space, or a series of outdoor rooms. A long lap pool was place to re-center the terrace on the newly designed breakfast room and kitchen, strengthening the inside/ outside relationship of the renovated house.
Photography by Gordon Beall
Washington, DC
The for this project clients moved to Washington DC in search of a quieter lifestyle after spending ten years in a Manhattan apartment.
The existing house is a 1920s Tudor situated in an established Washington DC neighborhood, a dated and leaky 1979 family room addition and a dark kitchen were like a carbuncle on the side of this old gem.
A modern aesthetic was chosen to differentiate the existing house from the addition and gain as much light and garden view as possible. The kitchen, family room and breakfast room were made into a single space, with the goal of making the garden beyond seem to extend into the room. New flush steel beams and columns support the second floor above.
Two 10 foot tall doors flanked by floor to ceiling glass front the terrace. Mullions and structure were kept to a minimum–six 1½” diameter steel pipe columns are the only vertical members holding up the new addition. Deep overhangs shield the addition from the sun. A rotted out wood railing on the existing terrace was replaced with glass for uninterrupted views. From the street the addition appears as a garden wall, where ivy is being trained to grow around new horizontal windows.
Photography by Gordon Beall
This new beachfront home is located in a popular summer retreat along the Delaware coast. The house is to be used year-round by a couple with grown children – a house that would provide views of the beach and ocean, yet give shelter from the intense summer sun and the winter winds. The husband has a unique fondness for Shingle Style houses, having grown up in a Massachusetts town renowned for its collection of H. H. Richardson buildings.
The goal of the owners and architect was to create an architectural statement amongst the nondescript cottages thrown up by developers and owners since the 1940’s. Situated on a corner facing the ocean and the street, the house presides over both. The architects used this duality to create two quite different facades. A broad gable with a screened porch addresses the beach and ocean to the east, while a more energized vertical tower/gable composition addresses the street on the north side. Trim bands and variations in coursing enliven the shingled facades. Multi-paned windows frame views and give a sense of enclosure. Nautical motifs decorate panels and inform the details, beginning with the newel at the sidewalk which is inspired by a lighthouse.