Braver's New World
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Previously, the house had just a small screened-in porch as its only outside space, “unless you wanted to put plastic chairs on the front lawn, which some people did,” Braver says, laughing. A generous roof deck atop the garage was a winning way to allow a survey of the neighborhood during Massachusetts’ Indian summers.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
The cedar screen that extends out from the dining and living rooms traces the line of the actual setback and reads not as a wall of the house but as a delineator of exterior space. The same material is used on the railing on the roof deck and offers a bit of privacy without, according to Braver, “looking like a stockade.”
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
A pair of large outdoor rooms projects off the glassed-in living room at the front of the house (here) and the kitchen in the back. By better connecting the home to the outdoors, SsD further increased its livable area. “For the part of the year that they’re usable,” Braver says, “they’re wonderful spaces in which to read and to enjoy.”
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
To maintain a sense of scale with regards to the lot, the Braver house was built up, down, and back. Through a series of split-levels, the previously one-story home is now three-and-a-half levels, with much of the new square footage reaching into the backyard.The asymmetrical angle of the roof’s pitch isn’t architectural whimsy. Instead, it simultaneously hides an array of solar panels from view while optimizing its angle to the sun.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
The living room at the front of the house benefits from the privacy afforded from the cedar screen and the light let in by a wall of windows. The wood-burning stove and collection of paintings give the modern home a bit of New England charm.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
Always a pleasure to take in the outdoors from an executive chair by Eero Saarinen for Knoll.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
The fenestration here mimics the stairs inside. The sloping site allowed SsD Architecture to put the interior spaces on a series of floors and half floors.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
This office is up one flight of stairs from the ground floor, but still down half a level from Braver's library (seen through the door).
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim -
The dining room, just off the kitchen, is actually down a half level from the living room and entry. You can see the other outdoor room outside the sliding glass door.
Photo by: Chang Kyun Kim
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