Facades

The kitchen cabinets were made with cabinet boxes set into framing, then a primed drywall shell covered with a textural Roman Clay finish, and sealed.

The mirrored wall bounches light around the room and makes it seem larger. Unlacquered brass plumbing fixtures feel appropriate for the house.

The core on the third floor is split down the middle to create a dressing room. On choosing the delft blue color Priscilla says, "Since we were painting the whole column up through the house I wanted a color that would make a statement but adapt to the different situations. Blue works, though I almost did green. Maybe I'll repaint it someday."

The rear of the bedroom module is enclosed in timber slats for privacy. The slats allow light through the hidden windows.

The black-stained gable cantilevers over the entryway and aligns flush with the landscape wall, creating a horizontal gap that intersects with the vertical space between both walls.

“The exterior paths and balconies were designed on-site,” Chrismar says. “We wanted a direct connection to the landscape.”

Vertical white cedar cladding will weather beautifully over time.

“In every season, in every setting, it’s beautiful,” says Emilie.

, wood bumps out to allow space for stove.

An expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass sliders opens to the garden and a lap pool.

In the entry, a high interior window borrows light from the bedroom wing and a woven wood screen in the kitchen lets the owners see who’s at the front door. Kalon Studios crafted the bench from a single ash log. “It will split a bit over time,” Lachapelle says.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

The home’s exterior siding is made of a combination of blue-gray shiplap cedar and gray cement board.