Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
  We thought about the design ingredients that mattered to us. Though we loved our old colonial, we wanted the new house to be contemporary in its form and materials. At the same time, since our property is part of a historic farm district, we decided to use barnlike shapes to make our house fit with its surroundings. Larry wanted a cluster of buildings because it reminded him of his grandparents' farm in Illinois and because this kind of grouping creates an inviting, intimate space. We also wanted our house and property to be sensitive to its environment. Professionally, Larry is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, meaning he's an architect qualified in "green," sustainable architecture, and both of us were determined to conserve energy, water, and materials so that our land will be there for our children and their children.  For a continuous view, the master bedroom windows converge in a corner. A window near the ceiling lets in more light and exhausts hot air on warm summer days. One of our biggest requirements was that the house and gardens be fully integrated. The solution was to design a house where you could enjoy views of the gardens and the surrounding landscape from any spot in the house, effectively blurring the lines between indoors and out. Using Jack's favorite gardens -- those at Villa Lante in Bagnaia, Italy -- as our inspiration, we planned for the gardens to circle the house and flow out into the meadows. NEXT: Interior Rooms with Exterior Views BACK: Introduction |
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