%3Aformat(avif)&w=750&q=75){kind=logo}
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
%3Aformat(avif)&w=3840&q=75)
“We abstracted the traditional forms but didn’t replicate them,” Dalesio said. “It helps the home fit in with its setting but you can tell it’s not exactly the same as everything around it.”
With the outside design set, Halpern and Dalesio turned to their goals for the interior. The homeowner was very intentional in his desire to site the structures and place the windows in a way that would carry the light across the home, from room to room throughout the day. That meant inviting morning sunlight into spaces like the kitchen, while keeping calmer, more indirect light focused on places like the fitness room and primary bedroom.
"The windows absolutely had to correspond to the way the light changes during the day," Halpern said. "Making decisions like that is one of the most satisfying parts of designing a home."
To hear more from the homeowner and architect, including how the Connecticut countryside affected the design, how a German phrase influenced the project’s wood-and-trim choices, and how Marvin Ultimate collection windows were perfect for the project, check out this video from Dwell.
Case Study Video
Case Study Video Transcript
Michael Halpern, Interior Designer and Homeowner: My mother was an interior designer and I grew up with the idea that you can walk into an empty room and imagine it to be whatever you wanted it to be.
What I love about Litchfield County is the gentle beauty of it. The rolling hills, the denseness of trees. So, I’ve just always been very attracted to the natural environment here.
My realtor showed me this piece of property and I just fell in love with it. I saw this big, open, beautiful field set in this kind of valley — it’s called a hollow — and everywhere I looked every view was fantastic.
I started to develop a floor plan for what I wanted the house to be. And during that period, I saw an issue of Dwell magazine, and there was a story featuring the renovation [architect] Nate [Dalesio] had done of his house. And it just instantly struck me as the sensibility that I wanted for this house.
Nate Dalesio, Architect and Founder of Multitude Studio: Michael’s main objective was that he wanted a “modern barn,” I believe is the way he put it.
Because of the wetlands and the river and the water courses. There’s really a relatively small building area that you can use compared to the overall size of the lot, so it was very straightforward positioning the house to best take advantage of all those conditions.
Halpern: I also told him I wanted it to be a very clean, simple, tranquil environment with a lot of use of wood. When I was trying to decide which wood to use I consulted a friend of mine, a German friend and he said, “The German expression is, Aus einem Guss, ‘In one pour.’” And I thought, oh OK, that sounds right. So, it became all oak.
Dalesio: The wood tones are particularly important because they bring a lot of warmth into the house. But the simplicity of the palette lets the architecture really shine through. And, you know, Michael wanted it to be a serene, almost monastic kind of space, but not sacred. And I feel like it accentuates the quality of the windows and doors and the views that they provide.
We were drawn to the Marvin Ultimate collection for a few reasons, mainly the size of the glazing that we were looking for, the smaller sightlines, and then the ability to have a wood interior. We were able to get that matching white oak paint-grade finish of the interior of the windows and those were all finished on site, so it all matches perfectly.
Halpern: The windows are placed intentionally so my office and my fitness room face north, so I can be in those rooms all day long without having to close the shade. I wanted my bedroom and the great room to have the southern and western exposure to have the daytime light. I wanted the kitchen and the front of the house to have that eastern early morning light for breakfast. That’s one of the most satisfying parts of designing a house is that you can make those kind of big decisions about light.
Also, what I really liked about this property is that it’s sloped down and my concept was that I would have one floor where I would live and work and exercise and cook and entertain. There are two pocket doors on either end of the office to close off the office and bedroom from the rest of the house. So that was something that was important to me to be able to have guests, yet I could close off my own personal space when people were here.
And then a lower floor would be for guests. I wanted the downstairs to feel light and open. I’ve always loved polished concrete, so that’s the foundation of the house. I wanted it to be as light as possible, so everything down there is white. As you come downstairs, there is a studio down there where I do some design work.
I think the simplicity of the vintage designs is kind of my central inspiration, really. I think that living out in Los Angeles, I really became acquainted with the mid-century furniture. And so here, there are certain elements throughout that are vintage elements. I have Alvar Aalto barstools. Downstairs I have a Robsjohn-Gibbings desk. Saarinen. I love the mix of all those different elements together.
As you come downstairs there is a studio down there where I do some design work. I think the simplicity of the vintage designs is kind of my central inspiration, really. I think that living out in Los Angeles, I really became acquainted with the mid-century furniture. And so here, there are certain elements throughout that are vintage elements. I have Alvar Aalto barstools. Downstairs I have a Robsjohn-Gibbings desk. Saarinen. I love the mix of all those different elements together.
Coming to a piece of land and imagining what that could be was really thrilling to me and then I finally got the opportunity to do it.