Hip to Be Square: A vacation home that’s sleek, spare and unabashedly modern
October 24, 2013
Text by Megan Fulweiler    Photography by Jim Westphalen
No one questioned why a busy professional couple would seek rejuvenation by the side of a lake, particularly this one in western Vermont. The pretty, tranquil spot exudes calm and relaxation. The husband and wife had good friends close by, too, which only made the location more desirable.
What did pique some interest, however, was the ownersâ decision to rebuild on the site when the existing house proved to be beyond repair. The couple sought a minimalist approach for their new retreat. In an area long filled with traditional summer houses and rustic camps, a modern abode, it was worried, could seem totally unlike its neighbors.
Lo and behold, the completed house put to rest any concerns the neighbors might have had. The buildingâs simple, unassuming demeanor turned out to be a perfect fit, so well suited to its environment that no one will be surprised if it sparks more contemporary architecture in the area.
The challengesâwhat the architect, Brian J. Mac of Richmond, Vermontâs Birdseye Design, calls âa narrow, spaghetti-like lot,â a steep grade change from the top of the property to the shore, and the usual heap of tricky restrictions that come with waterside constructionâtoday seem as remote as the moon. Given the way Mac, project manager Joe Fisher, and landscape architect H. Keith Wagner, principal of Burlington, Vermontâbased Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture, have so skillfully married house and setting, why dwell on the past?
Whether one views the place from a canoe out on the lake or from the graveled driveway that leads visitors in at the siteâs crest, itâs a stellar design. (The Vermont chapter of the American Institute of Architects agrees, having bestowed on the house a recent Merit Award.)
A detached, 400-square-foot garage, which also houses the husbandâs studio, perches at the top of the hill. Concrete slab steps float downward to the 2,000-square-foot main house, which is beautifully cantilevered over a concrete terrace. The front entry, master suite, guest bedroom, and a screened porch sit on the top level; the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area is situated below. The black metal and concrete used for both buildings enhances their connection to each other and their interaction with the woodsy setting.
Rather than stack the volumes, Mac ingeniously extended the top floor of each structure to one side, enhancing visual interest. Large windowsâin some cases whole walls of glassâallow for spectacular lake views from both house and studio. Wagner and his crew limbed up the existing trees running along the waterâs edgeâa skillful maneuver that makes for better vistas and creates a naturally dramatic frame for the home.
The projectâs phenomenal outcome, explains the architect, is really a tribute to the ownersâ determination to build something they would love. âThey stayed motivated and didnât allow anything to sidetrack their original intentions,â Mac says with admiration. No excess, no superfluous details of any kind anywhere. Each space is pure and functional, as if to underscore the belief that living well really doesâwe hear Thoreau applaudingâtranslate into getting back to the basics.
The interior glows. White walls shoot light in all directions, including into the kitchen where a stainless-steel counter big enough to seat a slew of hungry guests resides. The kitchen cabinets are made of durable Parapan, a solid, high-gloss acyclic material meant to stand the test of time. A handcrafted wood table and benches nearby provide a welcoming island as well. Their curvaceous forms offset the straightforwardness of the architecture, while their dark colorâa noteworthy contrast to the pale palette of the rest of the kitchenâinterjects fireside-like warmth. Mac and the owners collaborated on the well-edited furnishings. Eames chairs and a linear steel coffee table keep the comfortable but tailored sofa company.
This same sparseness pervades the Zen-like master bath and bedroom. In the latter, a Parapan wall serves as a backdrop for the coupleâs very cool bed, with its sculptural steel headboard. âThe owners and I designed this bed together,â Mac says. âSince Birdseye is a design/build company, weâre easily able to bounce ideas around and share drawings with clients.â Bocci pendants cast a halo of light for reading. And large windowsâin the airy bath and bedroomâyield still more views of the glorious New England surroundings. â˘
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