“I believe that every space deserves beauty and purpose. For more than twenty years, our practice has sought to enrich the evolving conditions of daily life through meaningful design.”
Gleysteen said that when working with clients, he sees himself as more of a guide than a leader. “Our primary responsibility is to help our clients articulate what they want so that we can give it to them. We also endeavor to introduce them to concepts we know they are going to like that might initially be out of their comfort zone.”
In the case of the Lake Point House, the clients sought a permanent residence for their large family — a stunning and dynamic home that could accommodate day-to-dayliving as well as big parties and social events.
The Lake Point House is situated along the shore of the4,136-acre Lake Sunapee in western New Hampshire. “The site was so beautiful that the architecture had to get out of the way,” Gleysteen said. “The main approach was to make sure the house provided all its necessary functions while celebrating the site.”
Gleysteen said one design choice that helped organize the mass of the project was separating two-bedroom wings by a single-story volume flanked by double chimneys. This enabled the house to sit gracefully as part of the landscape without dominating it. Additionally, the home was designed with a tripartite plan that demarcates three separate zones, making the structure equally comfortable and appealing whether it’s used by two people or 20. The primary zone includes the kitchen, informal dining area, and master suite. The second is a private guest wing, while the third zone is a formal dining room and a great room for gathering and entertaining.
The expansive home employs a tectonic play of wood, stone, and steel, an homage to the rugged magnificence of New Hampshire. Unique interior touches include a massive fireplace in the great room which is composed ofhand-chiseled granite and boasts custom doors that roll out from pockets set within the stone.
Offering spectacular lake views, the home’s deep overhangs soar toward the sky while giving protection from the elements. Expanses of Vermont-quarried granite and layered columns establish an organic rhythm and ground the home in its woodland surroundings.
“For our firm, the beginning of the process is about really listening to our clients,” Gleysteen said. “It’s only after listening that we can apply our experience and skills, resulting in a project that exceeds their needs and desires.”
— Excerpt from New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Northeast Architects
Photography by Joshua McHugh
Photography by Joshua McHugh
Photography by Joshua McHugh