Coast Cottage

The plan is largely one room deep to encourage cross ventilation and to take advantage of water views to the north, while admitting sunlight from the south. The flavor is influenced by an informal rustic camp next door.

The house responds to the Greek Revival traditions of the neighborhood on the exterior with a wholly unexpected interior.  The house is organized around two courts:  first, an arrival court on the public side, and second, a garden court on the quiet private side.

This house draws on many sources, from the American Shingle Style to Japanese pavilions, to Frank Lloyd Wright, and unites them into something new. A Gothic entry arcade extends forty feet out from the house in a welcoming ceremonial gesture for the modest vacation house.

The flared hipped roof line, the house’s defining image, echoes and continues the slope of the hill. The first floor is filled with two large social rooms: a living room and kitchen/dining room, each with a bay window and a fireplace, sharing a central chimney.