Looking for inspiration for your new country house? Well, you should find a lot of interesting details on this stunning Berkshire Residence, in Sheffield, Massachusetts. The construction of the 3,600 sq.ft. contemporary home was completed by Brooklyn-based architectural practice Vincent Appel — Of Possible and built with Kent Hicks Construction and Energy Efficiency Associates in Massachusetts. This home is a marriage of spatial poetry and building science.
The timeless craft of traditional New England construction is met with the most advanced building science principles and technologies resulting in a contemporary expression of rural American architecture that will last for generations.
The result is a home where every window and door is a floor to ceiling picture frame of the spaces of memory throughout the property. The architectural finishes are a sober palette chosen to enhance the effect of these frames against the ever-changing seasonal New England landscape. Moving through the home over the course of the day, one is drawn from the inside spaces to the outside landscape. Similarly, when one approaches the home from the outside, the large terraces create similar exterior frames of the landscape as well as into the interior. This is a home for creating new memories and honoring old ones.
A large chef’s kitchen anchors the 72’ long great room where the clients frequently entertain. The kitchen is engineered to the exacting standards of the client who trained at the Swiss Culinary Arts Academy. A large root cellar functions as a passive store room for their pantry and extensive wine collection.
The house is conceived as a one story pavilion in the landscape. Materials are selected locally and the detailing is inspired by the timeless craft of traditional New England construction.
Photography by Rory Gardiner