Residential Design

Familiar Ground : Three suburban custom homes marry clever new construction with a comforting connection to context

The large, wooded lot that made this 1950s home so attractive to architect Risa Boyer’s clients had a hidden counterpart in the interior’s many partitions. Overbuilding the inside had crowded out the lovely views, still visible in a few privileged rooms. The original living room had plate glass windows and a vaulted tongue-in-groove ceiling, and it was Risa’s task to recover and refine this midcentury ideal throughout the house. Although the original plans were unavailable, it was clear that several dime-a-dozen indignities had been inflicted on this house over the years. A 1990s remodel produced pink paneled kitchen cabinetry, an awkward main bedroom addition, and an enclosed carport, none of it done well. Risa, AIA, took a judicious approach that roughly preserved most of the room locations in this 3,152-square-foot house, while creating visual connections to the trees. At the back of the wedge-shaped corner lot, she also added two small outbuildings—a workshop and a guest house.

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