55 Bridge Road South WESTOn,CT.06883 (203)515-9989
This was a 1920’s Sears kit house cape with very little style. When we began the project, it had been unoccupied for years and was on the verge of being condemned. Rather than tear it down, we stripped it to the studs and reimagined it as a country cottage, perfect for its rural site. Rather than add on large, scaleless additions, we took advantage of the compact four square floor plan and added space with an expanded roofline and dormers. Then we added vintage charm with unique details. A hidden bookcase door, a drop-down stair, and adorable built-in kids’ bed with sleepover trundles and a shared secret window. The second floor master suite features a home office with a beautiful balcony connected to the master bedroom with a hidden bookcase door.
Nestled into a rocky, difficult site, it was hard to imagine how this home could be expanded. We worked with the terrain and the setbacks by designing the house as a series of linked spaces. We kept the original antique house, updating the interior only and added a new wing and a garage around a central courtyard. The addition features a family room, guest room and a new master suite with a vaulted ceiling. The garage roof was swept up to allow for a second-floor office and a game room in the found space above.
This new house was designed with the idea of achieving maximum style for minimum cost. This was done by keeping the footprint small, only 25’ x 35’, and packing the interior with clever design details. The lowest level opens out to a pool terrace, adding an additional living level and the attic has 2 bedrooms tucked into the eaves. The compact floor plan and southern site orientation makes this building an environmentally sensitive home perfectly suited to its woodland site.
This brick colonial needed an update. The client wanted more style and more room. We wanted to take advantage of a southern rear elevation to bring more sun and light in. We showed them sketches of several possible face-lifts; small exterior details that would lift their house from ordinary to something special. We settled on new dormers, a new entry that would break up the mass of the brick front and provide a new needed entry space, and an expanded kitchen wing. We opened up the center of the home by connecting the dining room and family room with built-in door with bookcases. The back of the house was opened up to the south, drenching the interior of the home with much-needed sunlight and bringing a warmth to the living spaces that had been missing.