This custom home is being designed for a couple as they plan their transition from Chicago to a peaceful retirement in Bluemont, Virginia. The 28-acre site is open, covered in wild grasses and flowers, and bordered on all sides by large walnut trees. The house will be situated at the back of the property facing South with views towards the rolling Blue Ridge Mountains and spectacular sunsets.
When approaching this design, the expansive site and its grand views led us into an exploration of experiencing natural light within varying spatial dimensions. We focused on capturing the journey of natural light as it traverses the sky throughout the course of the day and embracing the synchronicity between natural light and time. The light each morning is small, soft, and intimate in scale, creating a focus on the “self” starting a new day. As the day matures, its lighting changes the experience to an outward focus, vibrantly engaging the environment and highlighting the breadth of the surrounding natural beauty.
The architectural experience starts at the entrance of the property. Virginia is lined with historic dry-stack stone walls that border its many country roads and private properties. This local characteristic resonated deeply with our clients, and we wanted to incorporate the humble stone as a feature of the home design. Dry-stack stone walls begin at the main entrance and line the long, dramatic drive up to the house. A neat formation of tall Italian Cypress borders the drive and cast shadows to accentuate the passing of time. As the entry procession continues, there is a point at which the house is blurred by an intersection with the landscape, as the stone wall slowly grows into the home and nestles under one side of the thin gabled roof. The landscape element is transformed into a centerpiece attraction as you turn the corner to address the front of the home; a sliced rhythm that emulates the tree-lined procession as it presents the main entrance. This prominent feature wall forges a connection with the Virginia countryside.
Walking into the home requires passing through the feature wall – an intentional micro level experience designed to seamlessly blend the interior and exterior spaces. From the interior looking Southeast, the cradled form of the stone wall envelopes a Zen Garden that is viewed directly from the living room. This exterior feature invites the outdoors in and further harmonizes with Bluemont’s natural charm.
Each morning natural light will crawl up the exterior wall, presenting itself in pieces through a series of rhythmic openings – granting residents the pleasure of waking up slowly, naturally in-tune with their surroundings. As the sun reaches higher and breaches the façade, the exterior Zen Garden is celebrated in a wash of light. The morning passes and the sun delicately pierces through the larger apertures in the façade, energizing the expansive living, dining, and kitchen spaces. Continuing its daily path, the sun illuminates the exterior recreation spaces. At the end of the day, the sun sets behind the distant Blue Ridge Mountains, the stunning view is architecturally framed by the flanking wings of the home.
The home is an elegant blend of traditional forms and modern detailing, creating a timeless expression of the client’s high-energy lifestyle. Steel, glass, and natural wood-siding create a sophisticated composition that blends the home with its natural surroundings. We call the home “Sundial” because of its lightness of form, the sharpness of the thin triangular gables, and the way many forms of the home track the sun to create varying scales of exterior space for the occupant and an ever-changing living experience.
