Project Description
The owners of this house were initially looking to buy a new modern
home but soon realized there was a shortage of contemporary houses in
their area and that they were unlikely to find one in a location as
great as their current neighborhood, so they stayed put.
The
existing 1940s house — an unusual combination of Tudor and French
country — was pushed tight to the street with a cavern-like entry set
between two separate courtyards. The team at Griffin Enright Architects
sought to simplify the space and connect the living areas to the
outdoors. Two 8-foot walls were removed to create one unified courtyard
space and architect Margaret Griffin specified telescoping doors for the
living room to help tie the living space to the outdoors.
The
design team reinterpreted the bay windows on either side of the house as
cubes, which “create a dynamic new front,” Griffin says. The large
windows of each cube are frosted on the lower half for privacy, and the
contractor refaced existing walls with a clean white stucco finish.
On the interior, the original stairs were a significant obstacle to an
open floor plan, so Griffin moved them to the rear of the house. One
short set of steps now leads to a landing and the back door; another set
of steps wraps around and leads to the upstairs bedrooms.
The
owners now have a view from the front courtyard to the back patio. A
300-square-foot addition to the rear contains a small library on the
main floor and a guest room on the upper level. “Doing a modest
expansion preserved the quality of the outdoor space,” Griffin says. The
judges commented that the design is sparse but strong: “Minimalist can
be sterile, but this feels casual and comfortable,” said one judge.