This timber house features a seamless blend of styles. Love the expansive sloping roof of a Swiss chalet, but also the open-rafters and large, roughly hewn logs that would feel at home in a contemporary North American house? This facade design combines the best of both worlds, and no wonder: both styles are examples of world-class country style. The charming outline of the sloping roofs looks right at home in the surrounding woods.
This home’s interior may look compact from the outside, but once you enter, it opens up in a palatial space with plenty of air and light. An effortless design logic unites seemingly diverse elements, resulting in a pioneering approach to building a country home.
Functional style is the defining quality of this home. It’s built for convenience, each style fulfilling a practical need. The strong rafters are a necessity during our snowy winters, and their sturdy design resonates with the window frames. A variety of windows provide abundant natural light, ranging from two types of dormers to light-filled, intricate craftsman doors, echoing their transom windows. Each part is “on point,” and the whole forms a harmonious ensemble.
The house has plenty of capacity, leaving room for creative interior décor. Different countries and diverse time periods color this house in vibrant hues. There is a Gothic living room, complete with tapestries; a classic kitchen; and the swimming pool interior finish in a contemporary, eco-friendly style. The other spaces share a modern take on classic design. This house shows design solutions for space and function based on standards of modern comfort.
The result is a home free of art history conventions—built, instead, with ease and comfort in mind for our times. Much to the surprise and delight for its creators, the original design has proven to be quite a hit, readily adaptable to accommodate different families with a variety of traditions and lifestyles. This design has been so successful, a whole village of houses modeled after it has been built, featuring floor plans with different number of stories and various interior design options. Still, the overall consistency in floor plans and structural layouts gives the streets the sense of a cohesive whole.
