WAYLAND RESIDENCE
Massachusetts

A 1940s New England cape located near Wayland's town center had been compromised by several previous additions and alterations. The kitchen and dining room were small and dark and there was little storage. Its best attribute was the setting: tucked against a mill brook at the rear with a mill pond at the front across the road and conservation land surrounding the wetlands. From the interior one was mostly unaware of this watery landscape.

The owners asked us to activate the relationship of the house to its surroundings. Our design response places a large projected window addition canted to the view up the mill brook. Described by the homeowners as a "camera bellows," the projected window frames the view and captures the light reflected off the mill brook. A rear deck swung off the addition adds a direct connection to the garden.

Throughout the house, the rooms are reconfigured into a more open and free-flowing interior. We created an informal living space, dining area, and kitchen around the new projected window.

Additional light is brought in through a skylight and two bay windows. A large millwork element built for storage and display between the kitchen and living space includes a breakfast counter oriented to the view.

A second millwork storage element in the main bedroom creates an interior gallery to the existing garage along the front of the house overlooking the mill pond. Two of the bathrooms are completely renovated. The fireplaces are rebuilt, with the hearth in the living space constructed from the same handmade raku tiles and soapstone used in the kitchen.

We relocated the front entry to the house to provide a direct connection through the house to the garden. A new, curved, bracketed entry canopy is designed to complement the bow curve of the main house roof. Aluminum siding is removed and the house is re-clad in natural finish, white cedar shingles. The house is re-roofed, the windows are replaced and the environmental systems are upgraded. Brick and stepping stone paths and a cobble edged parking area are added. The garden is replanted with native trees, shrubs, perennials, and groundcovers.