Animal House

It began as a place separate from the main estate house, a place for the owner to display his hunting “trophies” from around the world. During design, it transformed into the ultimate man-cave, suitable for masculine fellowship of the highest order. It is all about creating fun and memories with late night poker games and long discussions by the fireplace.

This “modern cabin” is strongly tied to rural, vernacular precedent. The traditional panelized barn siding has been recast as a modern rain screen exterior. The metal gable roof evokes the simplicity of a farm structure or outbuilding. The white frame of the double height space accentuates the connection to nature and the verticality of the trees.

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Sagamore House

Sagamore House updates the prototypical 60’s ranch house. Featured in Sarah Susanka’s “Inside the Not-So-Big-House” because it leverages the idea what is needed is better space, not more space. The public areas open and interconnect into a livable suite of spaces. The small addition at the rear provides a few critical square feet for the kitchen and gives the house its signature element. The hovering planes, expansive glass and bold color connect the house to nature; it is a garden folly embedded into the existing ranch house that anchors the rear landscape. The chartreuse color harmonizes with the natural greens of hostas, Japanese maple trees, ajuga, sweet potato vine and other plantings.

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Big Canoe 05

A modest three story tower house captures mountain living in a simple way. With bedrooms on the lower two floors, the top floor living space is open on all four sides with distant views across the valley or intimate views into the surrounding trees and mountain laurel.

Outdoor decks provide a variety of places to enjoy nature. The entry deck is close to sloping ground plane and in the shadows of sheltering trees. The master deck is small, intimate and shaded by the deck above as it hovers among the foliage. The living room desk is open to the sky and view to mountain ranges beyond.

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Ormewood House

Neighbors talking to neighbors make for vital community connections. A front porch and garden create the social link between the Ormewood House and neighborhood. “Neighboring” is a core value of this community, one of the first mixed income, infill urban neighborhoods in the country. Living spaces spill into the garden, bringing family activity to the street and engaging the neighbors.

The stair at the rear of the house is a dramatic two story space for such a modest structure. Its curve spatially “captures” the energy of the organizing axis running from front to rear of the entire property.

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The Capsule

Peace. Quiet. Solitude. The Capsule is hard-core escapism, providing a refuge and study for the homeowner. An open, airy library overlooks the lake with light filtering in from the clerestory windows above. A concrete encased study (the “capsule”) provides absolute isolation for high concentration work.

Sloped roofs and painted siding create continuity between the original house and addition when viewed from the street. Moving to the rear, the Capsule has the look and feel of a boathouse. The simple, symmetrical gable hovers above a base clad in naturally rusting Corten panels with a rich natural patina that harmonizes with the existing brick.

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Casa de Spira

Case de Spira fronts High Falls Lake, south of Atlanta. The design is a sophisticated vernacular building tied to the rural precedents of the region. The vernacular roots are updated with an asymmetric gable roof and layered, sculptural forms. The house is carefully positioned to minimize impact on the many trees on the site. The continuous row of deck, living spaces and screen porch create a delightful inside/outside series of spaces engaged with the woods and lake.

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