ARROW WOOD HOME

Original house

The Arrow Wood House project began with the clients’ love of the property they were buying. They were attracted to the older portions of the existing home, built in the early

1900s, particularly the back porch with the three dormers above, and to the large amount of urban land that came with the house. However, multiple additions accreted to the original house over the years did little to enhance the original character and the land was wildly overgrown.

The goal of the project was to salvage the charming character of the oldest portion of the original house and rebuild the rest from the foundations up in a way that would harmonize and reinforce the elements the client loved. That meant the removal of roughly three quarters of the original structure, leaving only the office, living room, dining room and back porch as extant spaces.

All that was left…

In the course of the project, while their basic form stayed intact, even those were completely rebuilt after all siding, roofing, windows and doors, and interior finishes were removed.

On the main floor, the original southern portion of the house contained a library/office space that fit the owners’ needs well but needed updating. Adjacent to this, and leading to the porch they loved, was the living room. This space was well-sized for formal entertaining but needed to be updated and refinished. The formal dining room was small, but the intimate character and views to the back yard meant that it would stay. The second floor bedrooms over these spaces were sufficient, but the bathrooms needed to be redone. 

Beyond those few original rooms, we designed a new, larger, entry with wainscot paneling and open staircase replacing the original understated and cramped space that came with the house. To the north is a wide hallway, with a discreet closet and powder room, leading to the new kitchen and family room space. The larger size of both the kitchen and family room accommodates larger gatherings and provides a more direct connection to both the front and back yards. The new garage maintains the scale of the original but with higher ceilings to accommodate car lifts. Transom windows over the overhead doors help fill the space with diffuse daylight. 

By raising the garage ceiling we could also set the second floor at a single level. This enabled us to connect the second floor spaces with a graceful hallway punctuated by the east facing dormers. The new bedroom set along this hallway features an exterior porch looking over the pool and pool house as well as the rest of the estate gardens.

From the beginning, it was a goal for the project to make the renovations feel as though any changes and additions were original. To that end, molding profiles and arrangements were replicated to match the oldest portions of the home. Careful attention was paid to the proportion of the elements and details all while being constrained to the old foundation layout.

On the grounds, more than forty trees were logged to create today’s parklike setting for the new pool and pool house as well as a pickle ball court, raised bed gardens, and a series of three garden sheds all designed by the architect to blend with the house.

The pool house (see it here Arrow Wood Pool House) was conceived as a simple open structure that bordered the property. It became more complex as the client added functions — a bathroom, a kitchenette, and storage — to the original scheme. We took advantage of the slope created by leveling the yard to place the pool equipment in a basement under the visible structure. We tucked the bathroom behind the fireplace and entered through a deep passageway to the left of the fireplace. The kitchenette and storage are accessed via a mirroring passage on the right hand side.  While the columns and white beveled siding on the outside mimic the forms and materials seen in the house, the interior is more rustic and suited to its location in the landscape, with exposed cedar rafters and cross members and indigenous basalt stone fireplace.  A gas lantern helps bring a cozy atmosphere, while gas heaters make the space usable through three seasons of the year. 

The pickle ball court, raised garden beds and sheds are located as a group at the northern end of the property. The end sheds provide storage space for garden and maintenance equipment while the middle shed hold supplies for yard games and entertaining. The court itself is positioned atop a large stormwater infiltration and detention system designed to manage the large amount of water coming off the house roofs and foundation drains. The game and garden area form another bracket to the yard overall and invigorate the use of the entire property.