Beinfield Architecture PC

Old Lyme, Connecticut

The clients shared with the architect their vision of a seaside home nestled on the edge of a pine forest in Old Lyme, Connecticut. First, they respected the strong New England traditions of the community. Second, they wanted their home to express their great love for the ocean and sailing. The house represents the architect's attempt to embrace these desires and render them in a series of almost dreamlike images.

The cul-de-sac of a winding drive through the woods forms the center of a circular green to which the home is formally oriented. The image presented by the front façade is a pristine, almost austere, early Colonial dwelling. The scale and starkness of the façade are a slight exaggeration of the romantic notion of the New England home.

Upon entering the front door one is greeted not by a formal Colonial entryway, but by a ray of light pouring down from above and staircase beckoning upward. Having passed through this first layer one must penetrate others. The house is organized into a series of zones from front to back: a circulation zone, a service zone, and an activity zone. The different layers offer a variety of images that embody the central concept of the house.

The layers toward the south side of the house are open to magnificent water views and to the sun and wind. A series of decks cantilevered over a turquoise pool and looking out to the sea animates the south side and alludes to the dream of sailing. The owners relished the metaphor and wanted it to go even further so, the house operates much as a sailboat does. A passive solar system and a window system that maximize natural ventilation allow the owners to harness the incident energy, much as a sailor uses the elements.

The program required a guest wing with four bedrooms, an open living area containing the kitchen, living, dining, and music rooms, a master bedroom suite, and a study. These areas are arranged in vertical layers. The living layer in the center takes advantage of the water views offered by the site and provides a desired separation between the master suite and the guest suites below. All bedrooms and living areas allow direct access to exterior decks. Federal flood criteria required that the lowest level of the house be raised to seven feet above grade; this allows for covered parking under the structure.

Like the clients, the Old Lyme house has a public and private side: one more proper and staid, and the other playful and free. The house is, therefore, and expression of the client's dreams and of their personalities.

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Architecture