A Contemporary Compound on Lake Winnipesaukee

The view from the living room to the kitchen takes in the second-floor walkway that features a wall sculpture by Jeremy Holmes. At the base of the staircase hangs Wall Street Girl by DeVon.

A wall of windows frames the view of Lake Winnipesaukee in the living room of the main house. The ceilings are lined with rough-sawn white-stained pine, and the floors are alder wood.

The standing-seam metal roof reflects the area’s agrarian heritage, and the front porch swing is a repurposed ski lift.

Set beside the black steel staircase, the climate-controlled wine room “is like a glowing jewel,” says interior designer John Day.

Although the main house is 5,400 square feet, it has a low-profile presence; on the left, the primary suite is contained in its own one-story wing.

MOTRA cabinets from Christopher Peacock and polished Statuario marble on the countertops and backsplash give the kitchen its clean, sophisticated aura.

Artwork by Henry Mandell draws attention in the dining room, which is immediately adjacent to the kitchen proper.

A sparkling chandelier adds a bit of glitz to the primary bedroom, which has dreamy views of the lake. The gas fireplace stands at the ready in case of chilly nights.

A cozy bunk room lets kids imagine sleeping on a ship, a train, or an interplanetary vehicle.

The primary spa-like bathroom is simple and sleek.

A windowless powder room is enlivened with a black-and-white wallcovering from Schumacher.

Stone pillars support the pergola over an outdoor seating and dining area at the main house that overlooks the lake.

The landscape incorporates a stone driveway softened by tall grasses.

The lakeside terrace on the guest pavilion has a cozy fireplace. It is set up for lounging with reupholstered outdoor seating from RH and a modern picnic table from Extremis.

Exposed Montana timber framing in the barn extends beyond the interior to create a protected outdoor patio.

The glazing in the gable end of the recreation barn allows daylight to flood the second-floor exercise room.

Exposed Montana timber framing in the barn extends beyond the interior to create a protected outdoor patio.

The guest pavilion seating area.

The kitchen in the guest pavilion features cabinetry from Christopher Peacock.

There is room for everyone in the bunk room.

Nestled into the tall pines, the pavilion glows like a lantern against the twilight sky.

The extraordinary site, just under an acre on a peninsula jutting into the waters of New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee, evokes images of On Golden Pond. Naturally beautiful, the lake, nestled in the wooded foothills of the White Mountains, has for centuries drawn visitors seeking fresh air and great fishing, boating, hiking, and skiing.

With that tradition in mind, the design team creating a new family retreat for clients with multigenerational connections to this unique place took cues from the past while firmly embracing the modern. “Stylistically, this project set up a new language for what a lakefront setting is and can be,” says landscape architect Gregory Lombardi.

Rather than one large house, architect Marcus Gleysteen laid out three distinct buildings: a main house, a guest pavilion, and a recreation barn.“You can do a lot more with separate structures,” he says. “There is built-in flexibility, and you don’t occupy buildings you are not using.” It is a strategy that advances his premise: “You can build a big modern house and make it look like it belongs in New England.”

Basic elements of the buildings’ design—Shaker simplicity, Bauhaus references, metal roofs—support Gleysteen’s modern-meets-New-England thesis. For the crew from Meridian Construction, the pared-down style presented a challenge. “This type of trim-less design requires precision in every aspect,” says Tim Long, owner and president. “There’s no way to cover up mistakes. The craftsmanship needed is akin to furniture making.”

The open floor plan put the kitchen between the living and dining areas, making it the center of activity. Designed in conjunction with Christopher Peacock, an international cabinetry company with a Boston showroom, the plan includes a “back kitchen,” a large out-of-sight food prep and pantry space meant to contain the messiness of culinary pursuits while the kitchen proper remains ready for entertaining.

“For the interiors, the owner wanted rustic materials but in a refined, unexpected presentation,” says interior designer John Day, who began the project while a partner with LDa Architecture & Interiors and completed it as a founding principal of Blue Hour Design. The overall look is crisp and minimal. Yet the home accommodates an active family that skis, hikes, boats, fishes, and swims. “It had to handle wet feet and dogs as well as grown-up parties,” says Day.

Working with LDa designer Brianna Boidi, Day balanced the stark lines of the more industrial elements, such as the black steel staircase and railings that define the living room, with neutral backgrounds and soft-toned textiles. The wine room, a sophisticated focal point to one side of the stairs, is an unabashed nod to modernity. “It is like a glowing jewel infilled with glass and gray-onyx paneling,” says Day.

Across the grassy peninsula, the guest pavilion is “more folly-like,” says Gleysteen. It has a fully equipped kitchen painted blueberry blue, three-bedrooms, a compact bunk room, and a lakeside outdoor terrace. For exercise and play, there is the barn with a well-equipped gym on the upper level and a ground-floor hangout space with a pool table and arcade game console.

Landscape architect Lombardi worked closely with the homeowner, who grew up on the peninsula, where his parents still live. “He’s something of a plant geek and cares about conserving the natural assets of the area,” Lombardi says. “The plants were as important as the hardscape.” Reclaimed granite and irregular bluestone on terraces, pathways, and car parks enhance this lakefront campus connected by nature, history, and modern elements.

“It is a home intended to draw in the generations,” says Day, “a place for new memories to evolve with them.”

Project Team
Architecture: MGa | Marcus Gleysteen Architects
Interior design: John Day, Blue Hour Design (Day was a partner at LDa Architecture & Interiors when he began the project)
Builder: Meridian Construction
Landscape design: Gregory Lombardi Design