Orchard Keeper's House
This unique double lot in Somerville, MA came with a beautiful orchard filled with fruit trees and flowers. The new design seeks to unify the home with its landscape through a contemporary, single story addition attached to the rear of the original house and reaching out into the orchard. The original gabled house is preserved at the front of the lot, and used as private bedrooms, with a portion of the first floor set aside for entry. A generous covered deck connects inside to out, letting living spaces flow seamlessly to the home's rich garden and small urban orchard of apple trees. Living, dining and kitchen spaces were re-located to the large and open addition, letting the original home house more private spaces: bedrooms, bathrooms, a study. The entry sequence to the house is re-orchestrated to guide visitors up a stone walkway and under a cherry tree which marks the entry to the home strategically placed at the intersection of the public spaces in the new wing and private spaces which are contained within the original gable-roofed house.
PHOTOGRAPHY Jane Messinger