Our client – a single female professional – purchased an old rambler on a hillside lot overlooking the Potomac River, but the house practically ignored the landscape. It made no attempt to take advantage of the extraordinary site – in fact, this house could have been in a subdivision just about anywhere.
In expanding and re-considering the design of this home, we took the opportunity to create a cottage that reaches out into the landscape and enfolds the homeowner in nature. Ample windows and/or doors on at least two sides of each room provide panoramic views at every turn, while the mass of the house is broken down into smaller components, ensuring that the house is “of” the hill rather than on it. It is a magical thing to float above the azaleas, among the trees.
Before & After:
