Halcyon Woods residence

The project scope included a complete interior renovation, including amongst others, some new external living spaces. The original colonial house was closed, dark, with an interior subdivided into many small rooms. The client wanted a weekend house where the family could spend time together, and connect with nature. The transformative solution was to provide a retreat of openness and light through a small number of powerful and precise interventions. The exterior brick was painted white to refresh the building and better correspond to the contemporary design of the interior renovation. Α number of spaces were added to the landscape: a second dining room sits within the garden, defined by the surrounding greenery, deck, and pergola; a sitting room is located within the pond, connected to the house by a boardwalk; and lower portion of the deck serves as a private area away from the common space. Shinberg.Levinas designed a contemporary wood table and a metal bench for this outdoor environment. A number of original interior walls and ceilings were removed, in order to create a spacious, light-filled central core that is nearly seamlessly connected with the exterior landscape, establishing a dialogue between indoors and outdoors. Throughout the house, emphasis is placed on the outside, with visual and physical connections to the surrounding garden landscape and the forest beyond. The custom fabricated kitchen includes a 19-ft island, a window and view to the main house entrance and the boardwalk with pond. An innovative design strategy forms the shower of light encapsulated in white glass in the center of the kitchen island. This design element defines the central core area and provides an optimal amount of natural light, presenting a soothing, healthy ambiance.