Tucked into the hills of Stowe, the site is sheltered by a mix of deciduous trees and conifers without feeling closed off. Stone steps lead visitors up to the front door. A stone path runs beneath the deck to a side entry for the owners. The mountain is present beyond the treeline, visible without being the whole story.
Only the foundation of the original home remained, informed by the structural engineer hired to assess the existing structure. Working with the remaining concrete foundation was the central constraint of the project, and in many ways, the generative one. The boulder retaining walls added along the sides weren't purely functional, they were meant to give the house the feeling of having settled in over time, roots finding their way into the hillside.
The material decisions were made in close conversation with schedule and budget. Hemlock replaced Douglas fir which was a substitution that could have compromised the result and instead became the right answer for this project. The exterior reads as a dialogue between corrugated metal and western red cedar: the wood softens the metal, the metal gives the wood its modernity. Horizontal siding elongates; vertical metal adds height. Neither element would read the same without the other.
Inside, the kitchen and dining space were designed to feel like a European vacation: unhurried, generous, simple, made for gathering. Two deck levels reach into the tree canopy, one for sharing morning coffee and one for more privacy. There's a quiet room for working from home, perched high above the ground, private and outward looking, this setting feels less like an office and more like a reason to stay an extra day.
Architecture & Landscape Volansky Studio
Interior Design Volansky Studio in collaboration with Embellish Designs
Builder Genung Construction
Structural Engineer Harris Structural Engineering
Furnishings & Décor Galen Arnot Interiors (engaged directly by client)
Landscape Installation Loomis (in collaboration with Volansky Studio)
Photography Lindsay Raymondjack
