| Originally built in 1959, the Thompson Mosley House serves as an exquisite example of Buff Straub and Hensman’s early “post and beam” residences. Sited on a gently sloping property of slightly over one acre, the house is organized around a central linear volume which spans the width of the site, while the living, sleeping, and family room programs bridge perpendicularly into different segments of the front and rear landscape. Large pitched roofs appear to hover over the building walls providing much needed shade for the abundance of floor to ceiling glass found in the more public family living areas.
The exterior renovation strategy is underpinned by a mindful restoration of the perimeter envelope of the original wood post and beam structure. Large roof overhangs allow the glazing envelope to be upgraded to current energy standards, while maintaining the meticulous millwork detailing of the original architects. On the interior more liberties are taken, allowing the core elements which bridge the central spine of the house to be intensively reconfigured and reappointed. Within this zone several new “functional fragments” operate between the scales of the architectural envelope and decorative furnishing. These custom built elements (typically constructed from dovetailed white oak) are spatially deployed to stitch the various programs of the house together and encourage visual connections from one room to the next.
A warm material palate of white oak and light grey stone enhance the public areas of the central core, while reclaimed “end block” oak flooring occupies the living and family room areas and recalls the wooded environment of the surrounding landscape beyond. As one enters from the entry foyer, the main living room volume unfolds as a layered basilican section flooded with natural light from a clerestory above. An newly integrated wood seating and display fixture separates this space from the the dining room which is marked by a skylit aperture and accented with a cast ceramic pendant cluster designed by Matt Gagnon. As one of the new owners is a chef, and enjoys entertaining, the kitchen area has been expanded and upgraded from its original utilitarian footprint into a linear gathering space which is punctuated by natural light from new skylights above.
As one enters the master suite a wood clad dressing vestibule creates a zone of privacy between the main circulation gallery and the bathing areas which lie on its opposite side. This zone is allowed to visually open to the exterior landscape while privacy is maintained by a translucent glass courtyard enclosure. Frameless glass of varying transparencies enhance the enclosure of the shower and water closet spaces while still allowing them to be flooded with natural light. The master bedroom is newly re-oriented along the main axis of the house via a continuous custom built in fixture which functions as bed platform, night stands, credenza and writing desk, as it wraps around the perimeter of the suite, framing the picturesque landscape outside. |
