Awards
American Institute of Architects CT | 2007
Alice Washburn | Honorable Mention
American Institute of Architects CT | 2005
Award for Design Excellence
American Institute of Architects CT | 2005
Encompassing the Arts Award | Conduit Sconce
Harris Home
Situated on a spectacular site overlooking both the Long Island Sound and a nearby inlet, the owners asked for a new 7,000 square foot home that would embrace the many views and embody the casual air of a seaside vacation home.
This single-family residence was conceived as a grand seaside cottage, the architecture of which was informed by the “boathouses” of Lake Muskoka in Ontario. The underlying formal aspects of the architectural plan are endowed with warmth and whimsy through the use of rustic materials.
The result is a home with storybook charm. The entry façade is dominated by three symmetrical gables clad in cedar skurl siding and arched windows flanked by arched board and batten shutters. The wide skurl siding with its wavy profile and flared base adds to the exaggerated proportions of the house’s public face, while the sea-facing façade is decidedly open with expansive doors and windows that open onto a bluestone patio and the water beyond.
The interiors are clean and airy. Reclaimed barn wood, aged to driftwood gray, is used extensively throughout as flooring, ceilings and structural beams. Crisply painted white pilasters and capitals with a nautical spirit contrast with the ruggedness of the reclaimed timber and act as a unifying visual theme throughout the house. Architect-designed copper wall sconces crafted from plumbing materials that adorn the pilasters enhance the handcrafted feel of the interior. In keeping with the seaside theme, the owner furnished the house with “Seacloth”, beach-infused fabrics of her own design.