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Energy Efficiency and a Nod to Midcentury Modernism
An architect designs a new home in Massachusetts to relate to the landscape and the area’s design heritage
The town of Lexington, Massachusetts, conjures up images of the Revolutionary War and Colonial architecture. But it is also a place midcentury modern architects from MIT and Harvard (including Bauhaus School founder Walter Gropius and his partners at The Architects Collaborative) chose as a laboratory for testing their midcentury modern home design ideas. The continued preservation of hundreds of midcentury modern designs in Lexington shows that they are still appreciated today.
When tasked with designing a new home there for a young family of four, architect Stephanie Horowitz looked to the past and the future. Incorporating elements like shiplapped wood cladding was a nod to Colonial style, while midcentury modern architecture inspired the home’s rectilinear forms, large windows and thoughtful relationship to the landscape around it. Modern-day technology came in through a focus on energy efficiency — the house uses only 19% of the energy a code-built home of the same size would have used.
When tasked with designing a new home there for a young family of four, architect Stephanie Horowitz looked to the past and the future. Incorporating elements like shiplapped wood cladding was a nod to Colonial style, while midcentury modern architecture inspired the home’s rectilinear forms, large windows and thoughtful relationship to the landscape around it. Modern-day technology came in through a focus on energy efficiency — the house uses only 19% of the energy a code-built home of the same size would have used.
Thoughtful Site Planning
Architect Stephanie Horowitz sited the house to create privacy from the street and neighboring homes. The property was fairly flat with a high water table. Collaborating with landscape designers at Soren deNiord Design Studio, she placed the house on a subtly sloped landscape surrounded by planes that appear flat to relate to the home’s rigid lines. “Rather than just mounding up the earth, we wanted the house to connect with the ground plane,” Horowitz says.
This aerial photo shows how the clean planes of the pathways, decks and patios and the board-formed concrete retaining walls and planter relate to the forms of the house and connect it with the ground.
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Architect Stephanie Horowitz sited the house to create privacy from the street and neighboring homes. The property was fairly flat with a high water table. Collaborating with landscape designers at Soren deNiord Design Studio, she placed the house on a subtly sloped landscape surrounded by planes that appear flat to relate to the home’s rigid lines. “Rather than just mounding up the earth, we wanted the house to connect with the ground plane,” Horowitz says.
This aerial photo shows how the clean planes of the pathways, decks and patios and the board-formed concrete retaining walls and planter relate to the forms of the house and connect it with the ground.
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Another important element was making the most of the south-facing side of the house and yard. This house opens up to the side yard the way most homes open up to a backyard. The attached garage and mudroom, the detached garage and a wall along the driveway form a courtyard-like space off the side of the home that provides privacy from the street.
Another interesting aspect of the site is that the lot was subdivided from the property belonging to the brick house next door. It formerly included a carriage house and a full tennis court. They cut the tennis court in half to turn it into a basketball court.
Another interesting aspect of the site is that the lot was subdivided from the property belonging to the brick house next door. It formerly included a carriage house and a full tennis court. They cut the tennis court in half to turn it into a basketball court.
Entering the Home
Both the formal entry (right) and casual entry off the garage (left) intentionally lead to the same spot — a landing spot that is open to the kitchen. The casual entry is part of a series of utilitarian rooms entered from the garage — the laundry room, storage area and a mudroom clad in beautiful walnut wood. The floors in both spaces are dark gray porcelain tile that can stand up to winter weather. The rest of the flooring throughout the house is rift-cut white oak.
Both the formal entry (right) and casual entry off the garage (left) intentionally lead to the same spot — a landing spot that is open to the kitchen. The casual entry is part of a series of utilitarian rooms entered from the garage — the laundry room, storage area and a mudroom clad in beautiful walnut wood. The floors in both spaces are dark gray porcelain tile that can stand up to winter weather. The rest of the flooring throughout the house is rift-cut white oak.
Horowitz installed frosted glass sliding doors so the homeowners can close off the formal entry area. When they want to see the foliage through their large glass front doors, they leave them open. When they want privacy from them, they close the frosted doors that let natural light through.
Strong Connections From Room to Room and the Yard
There are easy connections between the main living spaces on the first floor. The kitchen is open to the dining room and the family room beyond it. This view from the landing spot provides expansive outdoor vistas — through a 22-foot expanse of glass doors that lead out to the dining deck to the right and straight out the living room’s wall of windows at the back. A simple minimalist palette of wood and white complements these views of the landscape.
There are easy connections between the main living spaces on the first floor. The kitchen is open to the dining room and the family room beyond it. This view from the landing spot provides expansive outdoor vistas — through a 22-foot expanse of glass doors that lead out to the dining deck to the right and straight out the living room’s wall of windows at the back. A simple minimalist palette of wood and white complements these views of the landscape.
The range alcove is tucked to the side, keeping those outdoor vistas open. By balancing the wall ovens on one side and the panel-front refrigerator on the other, the alcove has pleasing symmetry.
Kitchen fabrication: Henrybuilt
Browse modern counter stools in the Houzz shop
Kitchen fabrication: Henrybuilt
Browse modern counter stools in the Houzz shop
A stepped deck edge creates an easy transition from the outdoor dining space to the backyard. Its terraced look relates to the terraces in the landscape. A retractable awning can provide shade when needed overhead.
Also worth noting here is that most of the space inside the house beneath the level of the deck is basement. The subtle slope of the ground from front to back, the deck’s stepped edge and the wood cladding that continues over the foundation allowed Horowitz to bump the basement sufficiently high enough above the water table without articulating its presence from the exterior.
Also worth noting here is that most of the space inside the house beneath the level of the deck is basement. The subtle slope of the ground from front to back, the deck’s stepped edge and the wood cladding that continues over the foundation allowed Horowitz to bump the basement sufficiently high enough above the water table without articulating its presence from the exterior.
Here’s a look from the back corner of the property. The living room is on the right, with the master bedroom’s roof deck above it. From left to right you can see how the detached garage, attached garage and mudroom entry work with the side of the house to create a courtyard-like space in the side yard.
The dining area’s location lets it serve as eat-in space convenient to the kitchen as well as a formal dining room. Horowitz stepped the living room down from the rest of the house. “We did this to get higher ceilings in here and to make it different from the kitchen-dining area. While it’s visually connected to these rooms, it’s intentionally closer to the ground,” she says.
The architect designed a thick wall between the dining room and living room for the TV and media. “This placement keeps the TV hidden from the other spaces,” she says.
The architect designed a thick wall between the dining room and living room for the TV and media. “This placement keeps the TV hidden from the other spaces,” she says.
Windows wrap the corner of the space and look out to the mature trees around the edges of the property.
Shop for a modern sectional sofa
Shop for a modern sectional sofa
This bluestone patio is located off the family room and down the steps from the dining deck, enjoying views of both the side courtyard and the backyard. The planes they created in the yard and the way they relate to the architecture recall the relationships between iconic midwestern Prairie style and midcentury modern homes and their landscapes.
Light and Access
This hallway along the back of the kitchen provides extensive pantry storage and has a second refrigerator for overflow (concealed by panel fronts on the left). Horowitz provided a walnut-lined lighted niche for gathering food next to the refrigerator and to provide a visual break in the cabinetry.
“Because the basement was going to be a play space where their kids would be spending a lot of time, they didn’t want the basement to be a closed-off, dungeon-like, second-tier space,” she says. So she designed an open staircase with glass panel rails to let in the natural light. And she insulated it and waterproofed it in a way that would provide healthy air quality in a semi-subterranean space.
This hallway along the back of the kitchen provides extensive pantry storage and has a second refrigerator for overflow (concealed by panel fronts on the left). Horowitz provided a walnut-lined lighted niche for gathering food next to the refrigerator and to provide a visual break in the cabinetry.
“Because the basement was going to be a play space where their kids would be spending a lot of time, they didn’t want the basement to be a closed-off, dungeon-like, second-tier space,” she says. So she designed an open staircase with glass panel rails to let in the natural light. And she insulated it and waterproofed it in a way that would provide healthy air quality in a semi-subterranean space.
Horowitz also worked a high performance, 6-by-16-foot Passive House-certified skylight along the northern side of the house to provide the basement with lots of natural light.
And she designed a stairwell with a glass door to provide light and direct access to the backyard.
Privacy for Guests
On the other side of the stairwell on the main level, Horowitz designed a bedroom suite pavilion to accommodate guests who have mobility issues. It will also allow the homeowners to age in place here. Its placement away from the main living spaces and other bedrooms gives guests privacy, which makes it extra pleasant for those staying for extended periods.
On the other side of the stairwell on the main level, Horowitz designed a bedroom suite pavilion to accommodate guests who have mobility issues. It will also allow the homeowners to age in place here. Its placement away from the main living spaces and other bedrooms gives guests privacy, which makes it extra pleasant for those staying for extended periods.
The guest suite also has its own private patio, located on the north side of the house. The pavers used on the pathways and patios are bluestone.
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Hire a Landscape Architect
The guest bathroom’s universal design elements include a curbless shower stall with a wide opening. The line seen on the floor at the back of the shower is a linear drain.
Browse more stories about universal design
Browse more stories about universal design
There’s another master suite on the second level, which opens to a private roof deck. The bedroom is open to the bathroom, giving it a chic modern hotel feeling.
This photo also provides a good view of another detail seen throughout the house — the baseboards are set flush with the drywall for a clean look.
This photo also provides a good view of another detail seen throughout the house — the baseboards are set flush with the drywall for a clean look.
The tub and vanity continue the theme of blocky forms. The vanity’s wood warms up the mostly white color palette.
Behind the shower wall is a private toilet room, which is key when a bedroom is open to a bathroom.
Energy Efficiency
The house’s energy-efficient design includes a high-performance building envelope and high-efficiency mechanical systems. These include:
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Energy Efficiency
The house’s energy-efficient design includes a high-performance building envelope and high-efficiency mechanical systems. These include:
- High-performance triple-paned glass windows and doors with thermally broken aluminum frames.
- Wall insulation composed of dense-pack cellulose in the stud cavity, a continuous air barrier and 4 inches of exterior rigid foam insulation.
- Photovoltaic panels that harness renewable energy from the sun (hidden from view by a rooftop parapet).
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A young family of four
Location: Lexington, Massachusetts
Size: 4,400 square feet (409 square meters); four bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designer: Stephanie Horowitz of ZeroEnergy Design
Set back behind an existing hedge and brick retaining walls, the home is hidden from the street. It is composed of a series of blocky forms, clad in materials that reflect the interiors. The white stucco portion marks the garage, the wood siding indicates the main living space with bedrooms above, and the three dark blocks covered in fiber cement panels mark the guest suite (left), the mudroom (behind the garage) and the living room (on the back). The shiplapped wood siding nods to the clapboard seen on more traditional homes in the neighborhood.
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