Camp in the Trees

Within this beautiful site, shedding walls and touching lightly would be true to our modernist values of function and simplicity. The master bedroom could wander away from the house and a walkway for bare feet and cover from the rain was all we needed. So, we slid the master bedroom out of the house to make it its own retreat. Our design became a lifestyle choice the owners completely embraced. A covered walkway with views of the lake lightly tethers the kitchen, living room and dining to the bedroom. Its torrefied wood decking flows between trees and through screen doors into each piece of the house.

Siting the house respected an oak grove, which has long stood in the site. The entry to the house cantilevers to respect tree roots and the house’s footprint shifts and dances between the tress. In this house inspired by openness and connectivity, soft angles carve out cozy places to sit, read, listen to waves against the shoreline and gather together as a family.

The house’s materiality and character connect it to the place in which it is built and the family that loves to spend the summer playing in Maine. Even in the shower, Cedar shakes and modern brass fixtures celebrate the context and the owner’s love for beautifully designed fittings and fixtures. Each space is a true reflection of this family. A love to cook and to entertain inspired the engaging relationship between the kitchen and screen porch, which is 20% of the building’s footprint. Large double hung windows open to the kitchen counter, with a sink especially slated for chilling refreshments on ice. Slide up the windows from the screen porch to serve a meal or for cook and kids to spend time together.

This home is inspired by its site, a love for beauty in design and a family’s embrace of their summers surrounded by cedar shakes and old oaks.