A Coastal Residence Designed Around Sight Lines

Due for completion in winter of 2023, LR/Arc gave this residence massive reach to maximize water views

A sandy dirt road winding through a magical little forest on the coast brings visitors to the property. Glimpses of Casco Bay appear, then the site opens up, presenting nearly 180-degree views of the water. The house has an extensive reach to maximize views of the water. Large in scale yet reduced to smaller interconnected volumes, the gabled structures become a part of the rocky coast. Clad in vertical wood siding and cedar shingles with a cedar shake roof, the house will weather to a silvery gray, further blending into the landscape. The house was carefully detailed to ensure an energy-efficient and healthy home that requires little maintenance and is adaptable to fulfill the client’s needs.

Sight lines were one of the driving forces behind the home’s layout and are a strong feature of this house. The approach to the house offers views straight through it to Casco Bay. At every turn and even along the longest axes in the house, the view is to the outdoors, creating a strong connection with nature.

A limited and natural materials palette coupled with thoughtful and minimal detailing unifies the spaces and accentuates their simplistic forms. The modern yet timeless interiors have a sense of warmth and comfort.

Custom millwork throughout the house becomes part of the architecture. Walking through the house brings different experiences: compression and expansion, grounded and floating, light and shadow. This house is a thoughtful marriage of architecture, interiors, and landscape, of aesthetics and functionality, and of modernism and warmth.

Location: Harpswell
Architect: LR/Arc
Builder: Warren Construction Group
Landscape Designer: Carroll Associates; Landcrafters
Construction start: Late fall 2020
Construction complete: Winter 2023

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