Architecture Wednesday: A House In The Woods

It’s been mighty hot here in Smallville, of late, and I needed a shot of cool and this house, A House in the Woods, during a snowy winter’s day is cool in every sense of the word.

It’s a single-family home located on a densely forested almost ten acre lot at the base of the Shawangunk Mountains. The 4800 square foot home is the result of what the architect calls a “studied relationship between two opposing geometries – a long sculptural wall clad in Cor-Ten weathering steel and a mass of stratified bluestone that appears to have emerged from the boulder-strewn earth. “

And here I just thought it was purty.

The design for A House in the Woods began with the owner’s desire to build an artful home that responded to her values of order, beauty, and environmental stewardship. The home’s simple geometric lines are enriched by the materials—all locally sourced—which creates a kind of balanced composition that that is both sensuous and refined.

From HomeDSGN:

“The site boundary is defined by a series of Norway spruces, the singular element guiding visitors to the secluded entrance. The curved Cor-Ten wall is heroic, yet pragmatically justified as it carves a modest entry court that amplifies the sound of the stream running parallel to the house. The wall also operates as a spine that organizes the interior spaces into a series of cinematic portals to the landscape. The character of the minimalist interior is profoundly impacted by the changes of the wooded site from season to season.”

Funny how something that seems so easy, and so cool, could have spring forth from such a complicated thought process. I, however, still think it’s purty.

HomeDSGN