On the Boards

Arts & Crafts Inspired Country Estate

When our clients requested a fantastical and theatrically themed house, we immediately referenced Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957), an inspiring California based Architect whose work contributed to the diversity of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century.

Our schematic design sketches envision steeply pitched roofs and dormers, turret forms and a programmatic combination of light-drenched / view-filled rooms with darker cave like rooms for introspection and refuge.

 

Lakeside Camp in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom

We were commissioned to design a new, two story, two bedroom dwelling for our client's property on a beautiful lake in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. It has been sited set back from the lakeshore to create privacy and to meet shore-land permitting regulations. The proposed dwelling will be connected to a barn, designed by our client's timber framer, by a segmented covered walkway, creating a summer garden courtyard for outdoor social gathering around a stone fire pit.

 

An Entry and Outdoor Living Space Designed for Entertaining

Our clients designed and built their VT home years before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, they live there full time and have commissioned CDG to design an entry connection between the main house and the existing detached garage. We used 3D modeling and sketching to creatively illustrate the aesthetic qualities of our design solutions, and to resolve the interior headroom ergonomics where the volumes intersect.

At the other end of the house, we have designed a sun-drenched interior dining space that intuitively moves into a generous screened porch anchored by a stone fireplace and outdoor grilling area. When it's again safe to gather with friends and family, our clients will have quite the setting for entertaining!

 

Sculptural Steel Stair

After developing the basic house plans with a more conventional stairway, the owners came back to the design table with a request for a modern, sculptural staircase that explored the use of steel stringers, open risers, and a horizontal steel bare railing system. We developed a 3D model to explore and present the stair concept to our clients and collaborating general contractor Travis Cutler, Vice-President of Donald P. Blake, Jr., Inc.