wawaset road residence

marshalton, chester county, pennsylvania

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single family residential

 

The Wawaset Road residence is perhaps the quintessential characterization of our firm’s long-standing involvement in the contemporary expression of the vernacular architecture of our surrounding region and local area. The project works with a clean palette of open fields and makes a complete reference to the precedent building types and accessory structural components of historical architectural precedents, including ruins expressive of their most dominant forms.  The design scope addressed site selection, site design and landscaping, and all buildings and interior design.

 

interior design

 

In conjunction with the design of this residence a limited amount of interior rooms required unique attention vis-à-vis the owner’s lifestyle and identity as a canoe-racing enthusiast.  They included a kitchen layout for a bachelor, a room to accommodate family (when family was present) and entertain friends, and the formal living room that is the most public space upon entering the building.  The minimalist design for the living room—which is somewhat introverted except for its relationship to an adjacent courtyard garden—features a custom carpet designed by Cee Jay Frederick Associates that shows the owner’s canoe race training run along the nearby Brandywine Creek.  In addition, a back stair, providing discreet access to the guest quarters, features a custom-designed riser/tread and railing assembly adjacent to a glass curtain wall also overlooking the courtyard garden and rolling fields beyond.  Besides being part of the house and garden as a sculptural element unto itself, the stairway’s components allow for visual access to the garden from the adjacent first and second floor corridors.