RALEIGH -- The three-quarter acre lot on the banks of Crabtree Creek presented a challenge: The steeply sloping site has its lower portions in a flood plain.
But architects Brett Hautop and Chad Parker of Vernacular Studio Architecture and Interiors found a solution by creating the Bridge House, which has a dramatic entry boardwalk elevated above the sloping ground to allow easy access to the home.
The main entry level accommodates the kitchen, dining and living rooms, master bedroom and a large elevated balcony that extends the interior living space outside and into the tree canopy.
The lower level provides most of the bedrooms, a large family room, laundry room and sleeping porch.
Meanwhile, an upper-level loft space covering only a small portion of the overall plan accommodates the owner's studio and exercise equipment. "It is the space you don't have to clean up when people come over," the architect said.
Rooms and spaces are generous in size, but it is the attention to detail, modulated light, careful combination of materials and responsiveness to the clients' needs that make this house so successful.
The owners are artists and art collectors, so the architects provided display niches and wall space to accommodate their growing collection.
The owners frequently host large family and social gatherings where collective cooking is a primary activity. The kitchen accommodates multiple cooks and cooking activities by providing ample counterspace at different heights and configurations.
Large and small spaces on the main living level allow for several social groupings. The large outdoor deck off the living room, elevated well above ground level, provides a perch from which to view the forest and creek beyond. The spaces and details of this home accommodate its owners' needs beautifully. When asked her favorite thing about her new house, the owner simply answered, "It feels like home."
Wendy Redfield is an associate professor in the School of Architecture at N.C. State University.
