❤️ Would you like to save this?
We'll email this article to you, so you can read it later!
By saving, we'll email this post to you for later. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tucked into a fern-carpeted hillside in Fayston, Vermont, this extraordinary modern farmhouse, known as the Elemental House, is a bold reimagining of the vanishing Vermont vernacular for the modern world. Designed by the award-winning Elizabeth Herrmann Architecture + Design and built by Red House Building, this 4,500-square-foot, five-bedroom, and four-and-a-half bath house sits at the edge of the forest with breathtaking views of the Green Mountains in every direction.
The owners, who had married in Vermont and returned each summer as their family grew, wanted a house deeply rooted in the landscape they loved, uncomplicated, elegant, and beautiful, yet rugged enough to withstand kids’ play and outdoor exploration. Low-maintenance construction and energy efficiency were central priorities from the start, shaping every design decision from the exterior cladding to the interior material palette.
DESIGN DETAILS
ARCHITECT Elizabeth Herrmann Architecture + Design
BUILDER Red House Building
The architects devised elemental architectural forms, set amidst a lightly edited landscape. Sited at the edge of the forest, this home could connect with the varied terrain, long views, and dense woods. Blending with the landscape, this home offers a subdued, low-profile entry and bedroom suite positioned near the woods. On the downhill side of the property, views and natural light are offered on all three levels.
Inspired by the variability of the land and forest, the architects employed shifting geometry to give the house a dynamic, natural feel. Living spaces are practical and functional, designed to create rich visual interest and unique, dramatic perspectives from each room.
A Dark Exterior Farmhouse House That Blends Into the Vermont Landscape
The most striking feature of this house is its dramatic exterior. Two gabled volumes clad in Japanese Shou Sugi Ban siding, a centuries-old charring technique that gives the facade its dramatic near-black appearance, wedge into the slope, while a third volume nestles uphill to form an L-shaped plan linked by a glassy entry node.
The Shou Sugi Ban siding, sourced from Nakamoto Forestry, is paired with board-form concrete and natural Hemlock ceilings that carry the warmth of the Vermont forest directly into the architecture. The result is a house that feels both boldly contemporary and completely at home in its natural surroundings, receding into the tree line rather than competing with it.
What We Love About This Home
This elegant farmhouse offers its inhabitants a minimally designed home that focuses on the beauty of the surrounding nature. Low-maintenance materials and design create a simple lifestyle for family living, while a spacious layout and indoor-outdoor connection make entertaining a breeze. We especially love the contrast between the dark exterior facade and the green backdrop.
Tell Us: What do you think of the overall design style of this home? Do you think it fits within its environment? Let us know in the Comments!
Note: Take a look at a couple of our favorite farmhouse style home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign: Absolutely stunning modern farmhouse-inspired residence in Idaho and Step inside a gorgeous North Carolina modern farmhouse of our dreams.
The owners were a New York City couple seeking a respite from city life in Vermont’s Mad River Valley, and when describing their connection to Vermont, the husband said: “When we got up there, we just breathed differently.”
Oversized Oak Pivot Entry Door and Slate Herringbone Floor
The interior palette is inspired by this home’s natural environment — a mix of textures that highlights the natural beauty and irregular imperfections of wood, handmade tile, blackened steel, concrete, and stone.
Custom Details That Make This House Extraordinary
A stunning steel and oak staircase, cantilevered concrete deck, locally crafted blackened steel cabinetry, oversized oak entry doors, and modern veneer cabinetry were all created in partnership with skilled New England craftspeople and engineers.
A Farmhouse Kitchen Designed for Gathering and Everyday Living
The kitchen is a warm, functional heart of the house, designed for the realities of busy family life. Natural wood cabinetry, concrete countertops, and blackened steel accents reflect the same honest material palette found throughout, while large windows keep the space connected to the surrounding woods. It is a kitchen that is as beautiful to cook in as it is to gather in.
A Modern Farmhouse Kitchen With Custom Blackened Steel Hood and Mountain Views
A Statement Steel Staircase That Connects All Three Levels
At the heart of this dwelling is an offset steel staircase that connects all three levels. “The rod balusters play on the beauty of imperfection—the irregular rail spacing evokes serene, gentle movement,” states the architects. It is at once a functional element and a piece of art, perfectly reflecting the house’s broader design philosophy of finding beauty in the natural and the elemental.
A Light-Filled Living Room With Floor-to-Ceiling Vermont Views
Large European windows and doors, paired with continuous wood ceilings that extend seamlessly from interior to exterior, dissolve the boundary between inside and out, creating a living experience that feels as open and expansive as the Green Mountain views beyond.
An Open Plan Dining Room With Sweeping Green Mountain Views
A Serene Owner’s Bedroom Suite Nestled Among the Trees
The bedroom suite overlooks the woods, offering a quiet, private retreat from the more open, view-focused living spaces below. Simple, natural materials and clean lines keep the focus on the beauty just outside the window.
A Custom Built-In Bunk Room Designed for Kids and Family Living
An Open Plan Lower Level Living Space With Concrete Floors
A Bright Music Room With Wood Slat Ceiling
A Modern Farmhouse Deck With Sweeping Vermont Views
The wooded site features a clean, modern landscape of bluestone, river birches, and grass plantings, with the lush fern undergrowth left to grow back naturally as a soft transition to the surrounding woods, a landscape as thoughtfully designed as the house itself.
PHOTOGRAPHER Lindsay Selin Photography
4 comments