The great room acts as a kind of fulcrum for the L-shaped house: the vaulted apex of its roof and ceiling, and a combined living-dining-kitchen space for the clients and their children to gather.
It was important to make the home as fire-resistant as possible, granted its wooded Northern California site. (Natalie is on the board of the wildfire council.) The Harrisons pulled the siding off the house and put it through a shou sugi ban treatment — contractors created a giant burn box and roasted the whole pile. “It feels earthy, and also like you never have to treat it again,” explains Natalie. “We found people to actually do this—they burn it, and put it back up.”
New cherry paneling and flooring throughout complements the original Douglas fir exposed beams.
“We listened carefully to the house, and tried to do what it needed,” Carisa says.
The bedroom is elevated around five meters above the forest floor, and the space beneath has—like the green roof—been given back to the Bushveld. “Naturally, this space is shadier than the surrounding forest, so it creates a different microclimate for different species to flourish in that area,” says architect Ant Vervoort. “It’s an area that we have cultivated.”
The indoor pool adjoins the main house, and features a pair of Easy Chairs by Jørgen Høj and Poul Kjærholm.
When it’s a bit cooler and the windows can be opened, the home's orientation encourages excellent air circulation. In the summer off-season, when temperatures consistently reach 115 degrees, the home’s windows and doors are covered with insulating material to keep interior temperature as low as possible. To further maximize efficiency, the team upgraded the existing HVAC.
A curved staircase brings an organic touch to an otherwise linear design.
The home nestles comfortably into its surroundings, rather than feeling 'perched' awkwardly atop the sloped landscape.
"The kitchen is pretty small, so we were inspired by Japanese design where everything is highly organized,
HR Design Department refurbished the original wood siding and painted it in Sherwin Williams Snowbound. New flagstone pavers and gravel make the yard more drought tolerant.
Kenter Powder Room
The wood-wrapped tiny home features a deck pierced by a tree trunk.
The clients have filled Spyon Cop with a collection of vintage Mid-Century modern pieces, including the coffee table, sideboard and dining chairs.
Spyon Cop is located in the Cairngorms in Scotland, a large national park renowned for its natural beauty and access to outdoor activities like hillwalking, mountain biking and climbing. The house is located on a hilltop where the River Don bends, and overlooks beautiful views down two valleys. “Our clients wanted the house to feel like it belonged, so Spyon Cop is quite modest in its size and form, but also in its presence,” explains architect Kate Brown. “It sits gently on the land.”
The couple doused the interior in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White to create a bright canvas for their antique furniture and to focus attention on the outdoors.
Two complementary lighting fixtures from New Hampshire Antiques co-op hang in the kitchen. "One of my good friends from college was getting married in New Hampshire, and he mentioned an antique store down the street. We probably spent three hours in there,
Calvin Klein linens cover the bed in the primary bedroom while a vintage folding screen serves as a headboard.
Madison points out that the pod concept would make it easy to add an extension if necessary. “We see it as a house that can grow with us—and that we can pay for as we go along.”
Yellow vinyl floor tile defines the new living room and keeps the interior from veering too industrial. “You need to offset the brick with something simple,” says Tom. “Otherwise, you get too many textures.” The lights and coffee table were found at local vintage stores.
After: Inspired by the Murano light fixture hanging over the table, the architects opted for custom-patterned ceiling millwork in the dining room.
“Those living rooms are always a challenge in brownstones, to furnish in a thoughtful way,” says Cuttle, pointing to the narrow dimensions of the room, the low window sills, and abundance of woodwork taking up wall space. A curving Carl Hansen sofa floats in front of the bay window, so as not to block the light and allowing easy sightlines. The chairs and coffee table are from Lawson Fenning and the rug is Jardan.
Other than blocking off some exposed plumbing and repairing the fireplace, the team left the library relatively untouched. "We wanted to preserve all the beautiful wood and stained glass and add a couple modern pieces,
The home is perched lightly on the site and the landscape has been integrated into the architecture through a sympathetic form and materiality, and the expansive windows. “We long for this untouched nature,” says architect Line Solgaard of the site. “It brings us calmness and maybe even helps us be more in touch with ourselves.”
The arrangement of windows in the home creates a play of light and shadow and allows the family to experience different views as they move around the space. “It’s about creating a calm, comfortable home that is still dynamic,” says architect Line Solgaard. “There are 360-degree views but you don’t see in every direction at all times—there are moments of drama throughout.”
New windows and their views of the trees lend a treehouse feel to the interior, which is wrapped in wood and has heated slate floors, as well as a Jotul stove. “It's a little bit lighter, a little bit more fun, but it still has a richness that goes with the house,” says Pellegrini.
Two vintage Don Chadwich for Herman Miller chairs upholstered in Kvadrat sit in front of a walnut feature wall. The painting is by artist Kelly Zellers, whom Natalie has worked with extensively throughout her design career.
Project architects Studio Marshall Blecher and Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter opened up the center of the house, previously comprising a maze of fourteen small rooms, creating one large and airy kitchen and dining space with a high, chapel like ceiling. A six-meter-long concrete plinth standing at the center of the room which doubles as an island bench and dining table, had to be lowered into the house by a crane while the roof was being reconstructed.
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