Heron Point

A new, modern addition for a traditional New England Lake House

The clients for this project came to us with a challenge we loved right away – they wanted to preserve their existing lake house, filled with memories and local materials, but it needed an update. It was bit too small for their growing family, and it also didn’t support year-round living or have much-needed creative working spaces. And of course, it needed major updates to support modern life – storage, bigger kitchen, and a true master suite.

Working on this environmentally-sensitive site and within these practical constraints, we also wanted to respond appropriately to the existing massing, which is quite modest. Our challenge became how to double the size of the house, take advantage of lake views, fit all the required spaces, and respond gracefully [though not imitatively] to the existing house.

We did so with a few different massing options, all of which use a connector-circulation piece between the old volume and new volume to both set them apart and connect them, visually and practically. With a large new master suite, two studios/workshops, and an open view through the house immediately upon entering, we can imagine some beautiful new family memories being created in this special home.