Black and Tan House
Located in a suburban development, this residence uses the conventional construction methods of its McMansion neighbors, but focuses on reductive materials and detailing. Four gabled forms enclose a courtyard pool for this young family. Sited at the ridge of a hay field, the house recalls the agricultural forms of the region.
Two grades of cedar clad the house expressing its formal origins. Knotty, horizontal siding clads the exterior with a dark stain concealing the inexpensive material’s imperfections, while a finer grained vertical cedar is used where the forms are sliced, carved, separated, and rotated, revealing a more refined interior than the knotty cedar suggests.
The house is rigorously ordered to layer spaces and establish framed views through the house, allowing family members to connect, inside and out. Balancing the owner’s desire for a contemporary aesthetic with comforting warmth, the architecture fits its suburban neighborhood while surprising visitors upon closer inspection.
Photo Credit: Gayle Babcock, Architectural Imageworks LLC