Force of Nature

Nature has forever influenced design. And so it was that a 4-acre wooded lot in Chadds Ford, with a stream running through it and pastures as backdrop, was the inspiration behind the 9,200-square-foot home built upon it. Taking its cue from Mother Nature, the design team behind this year’s dream home blurred traditional boundaries between a home’s interior and exterior, creating a living space that feels expansive, airy, and natural.

“The house has angle and movement to it,” explains Jeffrey Dolan, co-founder of Period Architecture in Malvern, Pennsylvania and a leader on the team that designed the woodland residence. “The homeowners’ vision for the house was to create something that respected the character of the homes in the area yet was unique to them and the lifestyle that they live.”

To achieve the sense of place that the homeowners sought for their new home, Dolan and his team looked to the nearby Oberod Estate in Wilmington, Delaware. The designers combined sturdy synthetic materials in the home’s exterior with micah schist, a fieldstone common to the region and used prominently in Oberon. “That’s how we rooted the home in this area,” says Dolan.

But the similarities to existing structures, in large part, end there. Period Architecture’s designers walked away from the blocky floor plans of nearby, older homes and blew the living space wide open. Large windows and glass French doors flood the home with natural light. A soaring, two-story entry hall draws eyes skyward. Clean edges—free of window trim and crown molding—along with a neutral color palette make the walls recede into the background. These design features work in harmony to create an overall feeling of loftiness.

To soften the space and introduce more natural elements, the designers selected white oak for the home’s flooring and stair treads. The wood has a subtle stain that serves to draw out its earth tones. “What we were trying to achieve with the interior finishes was a house that felt comfortable and livable, yet still modern.” says Dolan.

The home’s design also emphasizes how sightlines can be an effective way to make a statement. From the home’s front entrance, an uninterrupted sightline offers a view of the leafy landscape that frames the back terrace. In this outdoor space, a pool with three waterfall features takes center stage. It is flanked by a greenhouse that gives shelter to the many plants and flowers the homeowners bring indoors throughout the year. And to extend backyard enjoyment through the seasons, two infratech heat lamps were built into the covered patio’s ceiling.

But for all the light, air and expansiveness that the home has to offer, it’s best to remember that appearances can be deceiving. The open-living space and sun-bathed rooms belie the dwelling’s inner strength… the home’s envelope—its bones, so to speak—is a force to be reckoned with.

“The structure of the house required a large amount of structural steel, which can be typical for a modern house with such large open living and tall exterior walls,” explains Scott Porter of Porter Construction in Chadds Ford, who served as the project’s builder. While steel may be typical for a home of this design, this particular build demanded a bit more. “It’s the most steel we’ve ever put into a house,” he adds.

There is perhaps no better example of the juxtaposition of light and strength than the home’s magnificent stair tower… an architectural wonder. The 3-story, steel tower is entirely floating, outside of several barely visible connecting points at the landings to offer stabilization. According to Dolan, it was the first time the firm ever attempted to design such a thing.

The team created a glass-enclosed tower that glows with interior light in the evenings, demanding immediate attention from anyone turning onto the property’s driveway. A multi-pendant chandelier, sourced from Shakuff in Brooklyn, NY, runs alongside the staircase, beginning at its highest point and plunging toward the first floor. The view from the tower looking outward is equally captivating. Its windows offer a commanding view of bucolic fields and dramatic sunsets.

With so much visual stimulation, it can be easy to overlook the practical side to a living space. But Period Architecture kept in mind the age-old rule that form must follow function. From the very first conversation with the homeowners about design, the team understood that the home needed to be a welcoming space to entertain guests and a comfortable home for their family to reside… now and for decades to come.

The open concept of the main floor—connecting, yet delineating, the kitchen, dining and living rooms—is the ideal layout for gathering friends and family. A lengthy balcony, with cable rails that mimic the stair tower, overlooks the entry hall and living space. In a sense, it is a bridge that connects the first and second floor. A series of fireplaces warm up the entry hall, dining and living rooms. Each heat source is framed with Canadian-sourced concrete that is imprinted with wood boards, creating the illusion of weathered wood.

At first glance, the kitchen suggests simplicity by way of unadulterated surfaces and understated design elements, but it is a serious space for cooking. Two side by side kitchen islands topped with Cambria Brittanica quartz (Petragnani Brothers Tile & Marble in Kennett Square) provide ample surface area for working, as well as a comfortable spot for guests to pull up a chair to chat near the action.

While wine, the often-lauded star of any special meal, is traditionally hidden away in a cellar or otherwise inconvenient location, this home’s temperature-controlled wine room puts the drink right where it should be, next to the food. Built to hold up to 300 bottles, the space is separated from the dining room by a glass wall, which, by exposing the room’s contents, adds a feeling of sophistication and elegance to the entire dining experience. As the tour continues with a peek into the master bath, the room reveals large format porcelain tile from Porcelanosa in King of Prussia that resembles wooden planks and pulls inside the brown tones from the surrounding landscape.

This bath, part of the master suite, is located on the first floor. With an eye towards the future, the homeowners requested that the design plan allowed for complete first floor living so they might age in place more easily. An elevator was also added in anticipation that stairs would become harder to navigate as they grow older. The overarching themes of creating a welcoming environment for guests, making a space accessible for decades to come, and bringing the outside in were all part of the initial meetings Dolan and his team had with their clients. As he explains, opening the door to fluid conversations at the start of the design process paved a smoother path to the home’s completion.

The woodland residence is an example of modern design and building practices in so many ways… every inch of the space gives testament to the thoughtfulness that was put into it. But what stands out the most, especially during this time, is the connectivity the home offers. To family and friends. To nature. To all the things we seek when a home becomes a safe haven and the outdoors becomes a place to revitalize the spirit.