This French provincial house designed by Douglas VanderHorn Architects offers an inviting waterfront sanctuary with views of Long Island Sound harbor in Connecticut. The siting of this home provides privacy from a lively avenue via a promenade through an allay of linden trees, a detached garage, and generator building.
The street side architecture follows French provincial examples: simple symmetrical geometries classically proportioned and unencumbered by embellishments. Cut limestone surrounds the windows and doors and forms the cornice in four-foot segments. Bound by the narrow lot, the first floor program is single-loaded in limbs framing a motor court and gardens.
What We Love: This French provincial house is exquisite in every way from the surrounding landscape to the architecture and interior design details. We are especially in awe of the exquisite great room, with its soaring ceilings, hand-hewn timber rafters and oak ceilings. Oversized arch-top French doors and casement windows provides this home’s inhabitants with sweeping views over the magnificent terrain.
Tell Us: What details in this home caught your eye and why in the Comments below, we love reading your feedback!
Note: Have a look at another home tour that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of the architects of this home, Douglas VanderHorn Architects: Tour inside this beautiful rustic entertainment barn in Greenwich, Connecticut.
The heart of this home is a living room/recital space and entrance hall with a curved staircase. The octagonal living room features full-height paneling, French doors, a French regency mantel, coved ceiling, and dramatic lighting.
The kitchen seems like a contemporary renovation to a 400-year-old French Normandy manor with wide-plank floors, heavy timbers and brick infill. The range backsplash is antique, but the custom hood conceals modern exhaust.
The first floor master suite includes an octagonal sitting room with a hidden kitchenette and sweeping views to the double-crescent stair, spa terrace, and parterre gardens.
An office occupies the top of the tower with an open oak ceiling supported by heavy-timber rafters and collar ties.
In romantic styles of Normandy, rustic barns were built adjoining living structures. Spectacular timber bents frame a hand-carved limestone mantelpiece and paneled chimney breast. Stairs from the barn lead to a recreation room with timber post-and-beam framework, bar, banquette, and bunk area.
Photos: Woodruff Brown Photography
1 comment