House 3
Len and Tony brought an urban sensibility to their home in the Berkshires. They
found a modest ranch house with good bones on a sunny, secluded site. On a site
visit prior to purchase we discoved the roof structure to be free-spanning trusses.
This allowed us to gut the interior walls and create a wide open loft-like space.
The other big move was to tilt up a portion of the main roof towards the south, on
axis with the kitchen and dining area. The stair to the basement was moved next to
the foyer, and both are wrapped in a shoji-like enclosure, the only walls within the
living space. Window & door openings were expanded to bring in the outdoors. The
bedroom walls were left largely intact, though gutted and re-fitted, with an
expanded master bathroom.
From then on it was a matter of blending various
influences together with uncompromising finish work. The Japanese shoji partitions
are built of cherry and antique glass. The operative windows are true French
casements, swinging to the inside and shut with Cremone bolts. The stainless steel &
colored glass kitchen is from Italy, as are many of the lighting fixtues and
furniture pieces. The wood flooring is dark walnut, with thick stone tiles set flush
for the kitchen and foyer floors. The view-through gas fireplace is set within a
sandstone-clad wall. Custom 3-panel cherry doors are set into the walls without
casing, as are the windows but for their stone interior sills.
Outside, the old
porch roof was cut back to cover just the entry area and an intimate bronze-screened
porch. New canitlevered decks clad in ipe and trimmed with stainless steel railings
are set on hidden beams anchored to helical metal piers. Vertical cedar siding and
galvalume standing seam roofing complete the exterior skin.
The house is an exercise
in the strategy of 'less is more', and the blending of eclectic inspirations through
meticulous attention to detail. Much credit for the ensemble goes to the owners and
builder. Energy Star certified.
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