in Nature

BY CATRIONA BRANCA | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MORTEN SMIDT

Situated on a bucolic property at the edge of a small lake, this home, built in the 1960s, is a magical retreat for nature lovers. But the 2,800-square-foot home with low ceilings and small windows didn’t fully embrace its natural surroundings and needed to provide more useable space for contemporary living. “We wanted to open up the house to the incredible land and nature all around,” explains Gisellah Harvey, a real estate agent who owns the home with husband Joseph Klotz, a film editor. “The main aim was to be able to see outside from almost any spot in the house.”

When it was time for the 1,800-square-foot addition and remodel, the couple enlisted the help of architectural designer Sarah Jefferys of Sarah Jefferys Architecture + Interiors, who had worked with them on a renovation and addition at another property. “Sarah brought her fabulous design skills and was able to translate what we were after into exactly the space we wanted,” says Harvey. For these clients—who split their time between Brooklyn and Litchfield County—Jefferys sought to modernize the home while emphasizing a minimalist rustic charm. “They wanted to expand the home to house a new eat-in kitchen, screened-in porch and bedroom,” says Jefferys. “The former kitchen became an editing studio for Joe to edit his movies—that space also has a large fireplace and now makes for a very cozy den/library/studio.”

Jefferys joined the original home to the addition by extending the existing gabled roofline. The exterior was updated with a darkstained cedar shiplap, while expansive floor-to-ceiling windows and doors were added to bring in abundant natural light. “The design is all about optimizing views, opening the house to the exterior, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior—the pond and views seep into the house,” notes Jefferys. “I love this about architecture—connecting buildings to their exterior environment. Let the site speak to you and help direct the design. We start projects by ‘feeling’ the site—the natural environment, the air, the sun, how the lights moves, reflects. It is a very organic process.”

A welcoming open-plan kitchen topped the homeowners list of must-haves. “We wanted a kitchen large enough for multiple people to cook and hang out,” says Harvey. “My feeling is that the kitchen is the living room of today—it’s the heart of the house. I cook all the time and wanted to make sure I wasn’t closed off in a separate space. I wanted a very functional, beautiful kitchen with no shelves or cabinets that I could not reach.”

The interior of the home strikes a balance of dark and light with an emphasis on wood details and a Scandinavian aesthetic. The kitchen cabinets are wire-brushed oak, while oak stools provide seating at the island. In the living room, furnishings include a walnut Organic Modernism credenza paired with an RH sofa and chairs. “Gisellah has amazing taste—this project was a real collaboration on the décor,” notes Jefferys. “She picked out all the furnishings herself, while we advised on materials and finishes.”

Large glass sliders open the kitchen/dining area to the exterior deck and screened-in porch, where a wall is finished with the same dark-stained cedar siding from the home’s facade. “The space is alive, breathing with the air, trees, pond outside,” says Jeffreys. Pops of color appear throughout the home, such as in the daughter’s bedroom, where the bed has colorful pillows from Jonathan Adler and a bright pink duvet that boldly contrasts with Farrow & Ball’s Railings, a soft black with blue undertones.

The whole project is an homage to effortless indoor-outdoor living, and these homeowners love being able to step outside from almost every room. “The deck is amazing: It’s like a live David Attenborough show sitting out there,” says Harvey. ✹