Designer:
Jim Zegowitz
Project Type:
Custom Home
Location:
Wellesley, MA
Private Lakefront Residence in the Western suburbs of Boston
Working through the fast-paced daily grind of owning and operating two successful businesses, the owners of this property were looking for a home to call a getaway, without being away. As a newlywed couple, they were looking for a place to sink some roots and raise a family where they could enjoy a connection to the beauty and tranquility of the site and bond with their surroundings.
Initially the property existed as an ageing rough and rambling cottage set upon the hillside among towering trees lining the banks of a small lake in a very quiet neighborhood in a Western Suburb of Metro Boston. Renovation of the small existing cottage could provide a rustic retreat, but that was not really the driving dynamic of their family life. They questioned the challenges of instilling a greater appreciation of the natural world in a time where our lives are so dominated by the overbearing intrusion of electronic reality. Their hope was that this home could merge with the natural environment in a way that it could have a presence throughout their daily lives.
Finding this property on a lakeside was an immediate draw. The 35’ slope of the lot was a design challenge; however, it afforded multiple captivating viewpoints of the lake as we made our way from road to shore. This slope became the genesis of the home’s design. Entering from a short front walk into a functional and well-appointed foyer, the eye is drawn toward the light and the water view. Dropping down into the light and open space of the main living area reveals a richness of panoramic views and a subtly divided open living plan. A strong vertical space that feels welcoming and exhilarating, but not overwhelming. Generous spaces that make day to day activities easy and uncomplicated. The bedrooms on the second level feed off from the vertical space to make them a unified part of the home. And always, in all parts of the house, the connection to the rich sights, sounds and scents of the natural world outside.
An observation that made our efforts seem very successful is how one of the boys would much rather spend a few minutes fishing in the morning before heading to school rather than focusing on his smart phone. A house can be more than just a house.
