Whitten Architects Loon Lake

Loon Lake Retreat floor plan

The detached screened porch sits out in the landscape, not unlike a Japanese teahouse.

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

“We designed the landscape and house in tandem to ensure continuity between the exterior and interior,” diNiord says. An outdoor sling chair by Croft House sits in front of the outdoor shower under the covered patio in front of the primary bedroom.

The owners built the house as a place to gather with their three adult children on Loon Lake, where they had vacationed at the husband’s family home for years. The modern Adirondack chairs are by Loll Designs.

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.”

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

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.

“They’re well-traveled New Englanders who had always lived in older, traditional homes,” Lane says of the clients. “They wanted a contemporary home with warmth, texture, and craft.”

The wife notes that the pattern on the concrete reminds her of a floor she once saw in Nepal.

“Friends can use the screened porch for the day, like a cabana,” the wife says. The couple are also planning for teachers from High Meadow Farm to hold practices here. “People will be able to use the porch and have access to the lake while our family is also using the house,” the husband adds.

The tile backsplash matches the wall color, though it differs in texture, and the countertop is made from local granite. The light-colored wood screen set at the back of the darkly stained cabinetry mirrors the dark outside and light inside of the exterior facade.

Interior designer Heidi Lachapelle chose unfussy furnishings with clean lines. “Nothing should feel decorative or unnecessary,” she says. “We looked for things that would age beautifully to speak to the wabi-sabi concept.” The oak daybed is by Bautier, the indoor/outdoor rug is by Dash & Albert, and the trapezoidal cushions on the concrete bench nod to similar ones that the wife saw at Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio. The Scandinavian-inspired fireplace throws heat from two sides.

DiNiord collaborated with craftsman Ken Hood to design the concrete bench with firewood storage and detachable wood back. Douglas fir columns along the walkway creates a colonnade. The mono-sloped roof is a nod to the long roofline of the original house that stood on the property. “Reducing the angles also reflects the strictness to budget,” the wife says.

Lane also designed a detached screen porch for the property. Its orientation captures the view of a small mountain across the lake. “A New Hampshire lake house always has a screened porch,” he says. “This one allows for a separate experience that connects you to nature.”

The concrete wall behind the porch provides a backdrop for the wood stove and privacy from the road.

There’s a one-foot level change down to the primary bedroom, which is Shaker in spirit. Instead of closets, each bedroom has a set of deep, built-in drawers. “The architects kept us to our word that the house is meant for short-term stays,” the husband says. Lachapelle sourced the Ethnicraft bed and side table from Fiore Home in Portland, Maine, and the vintage velvet Ligne Roset chair from the Brimfield Antique Market.

In the primary bath, which includes the home’s only indoor shower, Lachapelle used plumbing fixtures and hardware with an oil-rubbed bronze finish that relate to the touches of black in the living space. The wood dowel and leather triangle towel holders are from Schoolhouse.