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Built in 1946 by a photographer/curator couple, the recently updated home has a backyard studio and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out onto a large, greenery-filled lot.

My Neighbor Totoro

shakkei

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.”

Although strikingly different from its traditional farmhouse exterior, the interiors reference the outer appearance with an exposed solid granite wall in the living room and exposed roof trusses with black plated junctions that recall the artisanal joinery and construction techniques found in traditional Japanese homes.

The 16-foot fireplace is crafted from local granite and features a five-ton, live-edge mantle stone that carries the marks of its making.

The night pavilion is reflected in the infinity hot tub.

The traditional forms of Smith House are inspired by the local vernacular buildings but made modern through their cladding, fenestration, and minimalist detailing.

The impressive living room has polished concrete floors which are contrasted with a white ash plywood ceiling.

The two-acre site spans a small peninsula that historically supported an inshore fishing port. The project—known as Shobac—began over 25 years ago and today is home to a "micro-village" of cottages and homes designed by MacKay-Lyons and his family.