Tour Two Contemporary Connecticut Guests Houses

Sun Belt

This guest house has versatile indoor and outdoor spaces, including a covered patio for lounging close to the in-ground pool in front. Parapets keep the rooftop solar panels unobtrusive, maintaining the building’s clean, Scandinavian-inspired lines.

Copious use of native stone for pathways and hardscaping allows the space to blend seamlessly with the exposed bedrock upon which the building resides.

While the design in the main living space nods to the rustic setting with furnishings such as a fur-covered bench, Lucite and glass materials also play well with the ample natural light.

Ladder stairs inset into a living area wall provide access to a loft bedroom.

The design team chose western red cedar for the interior and exterior walls due to its durability, economy, and availability during the pandemic, as well as its beautiful appearance. The vintage chairs were an auction find.

Practicality can sometimes yield artistry, and a guest house designed by Sherman Building Design partners Michael Carpanzano and Lauren Neill on their Sherman property ticks a lot of usability boxes: pandemic-friendly quarters for visiting family, pool house, lake house, a couple’s date-night hideout, workshop, business office, and—not insignificantly—a platform for a rooftop solar-panel array. All of that within a zoning-limited 750 square feet.

The Scandinavian-inspired, offset A-frame guest house’s light wood exterior and clean lines make it seem ordinary from the side. Only when viewed from the front does the unconventional silhouette become apparent: the roof plane is pitched to accommodate the solar field that powers the guest house, an adjacent in-ground pool, and the main residence. Raised parapets make the solar panels appear flush to the roofline rather than an awkward appendage.

Bathed in natural light, Neill’s interior design emphasizes the casual, rustic setting with copious use of light wood and repurposed furniture. A project that began as a multifunctional alternative to siting solar panels in a field has played a critical role in the family’s pandemic-survival strategy. “It’s important to stay connected to people, and now we have a place that everyone can safely enjoy,” says Carpanzano.

Project Team
Architecture and builder: Michael Carpanzano, Sherman Building Design
Interior design: Lauren Neill, Sherman Building Design
Landscape design: Sherman Building Design and Cortina Gardens
Photography: Emily Sidoti

An unassuming style and black stain help this barn fit in with its New Canaan neighbors, while aluminum-framed glass doors and square-edged eaves add a touch of modernity.

The bluestone patio includes dining space furnished with RH and a built-in spa.

A pair of compact upstairs bedrooms with pocket doors accommodate overnight guests while taking maximum advantage of the structure’s limited allowable footprint.

A comfortable living room and kitchen with an eat-in counter island are separated from the fitness area by sliding barn doors. In warm weather, the barn doors, glass sliders, and a roll-up garage door can all be opened to provide air circulation from the front of the space to the back.

Barn Break
Detached barns are nothing unusual in the former farming community of New Canaan, but it’s safe to say that few include their own built-in spa and in-home gym.

Father-and-son architectural team James and Jim Schettino had previously expanded on the homeowners’ principal residence, which lacked for additional elbow room. They returned to conceive a detached structure based on a traditional barn design but with modern sensibilities like gunmetal-framed fifteen-foot-by-eight-foot floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. Roll-up doors in the back provide fresh air to the fitness room and also allow the barn to be converted into a garage—if desired—in the future.

Glass barn doors separate the living area and gym. The gabled aluminum roof is interrupted only by a small dormer, permitting stairway access to the two second-floor guest bedrooms. Nearly every inch of the town-permitted 1,000 square feet of interior space was put to work, with the living area extended to a blue-stone patio that features an inviting spa.

With the owners’ college-age children back at home due to the pandemic, the extra space was particularly welcome for family dinners, movie nights, socially distanced cocktails, and other activities. “We have four kids, and with them all at home, the barn saved us,” says owner Jen Richardson.

Project Team
Architecture: James and Jim Schettino, Schettino Architects
Interior design: Krista Fox, Krista Fox Interiors
Builder: Vebi Gjyliqi, V&A Construction
Photography: Jane Beiles