From a Flood Emerged a State-of-the-Art Home
By Zachary Schwartz
Photos by Ryan Lavine
“From our bedroom, it feels like you’re floating on a jutting-out glass box,” the homeowner says from an ethereally sunlit bedroom. You would never know that just a few years prior, the home’s ceiling was caving in from a burst pipe.
Situated atop a forested ridge in Kent, and overlooking the resplendent hills surrounding Lake Waramaug, lies a special tucked-away home shaded by white birch trees. Purchased as a weekend getaway for a New York City family, this abode is all about its unparalleled views. From the moment one enters the house, a scenic panorama is framed centrally at eye level. It is the home’s pièce de résistance.
The landscape is what drew the homeowners: “The view, the view, and the view. And the peace that comes with it. It really was that simple. When we saw the house, we had already seen about five houses in another town, none of which we could truly imagine ourselves in. We walked in and were greeted by a beautiful, serene view that immediately put us at ease.”
“The closest sensation I’ve experienced is when you walk up stadium stairs and enter a baseball stadium,” says architect Daniel Frisch. “You cannot recreate, photographically, the extraordinary moment of walking in that front door.”
The homeowners purchased the shingle-style house a few years ago, but calamity struck soon after when a burst pipe caused the ceilings to cave in. Daniel Frisch Architecture, an architecture and design firm specializing in private high-end residential projects, was hired to rebuild and decorate the home.
Key aspects of the renovation included an overall expansion of the footprint and kitchen, reorientation of rooms to take in the surroundings, and introduction of an open floor plan. Thoughtful fenestration and the addition of an outdoor balcony were crucial to making the scenery the focal point. “Bringing in the modern windows and opening up the lakeside view with much larger openings and glass is the real difference from the original fairly traditional home that we replaced,” explains Frisch.
From the sun-kissed screened-in porch to the entryway’s floating staircase to the revamped basement with gym and playroom, the house is a breath of fresh air. The upstairs primary bedroom resembles a detached oasis due to its floor-to-ceiling windows, bump-out construction, and shifting light throughout the day. “Each detail is obsessively worked through and resolved, but never in a way that the architecture or interior design would compete with that view,” says Frisch. The home remodel, completed in partnership with T & S Builders in Kent, is fresh, sleek, and livable.
Daniel Frisch Architecture also decorated the home’s interiors, opting for modern and artistic furnishings that never detract from the vista. “The style is as timeless as can be. It doesn’t look like it belongs to a particular moment in time. It will really be something that lasts generations,” says Frisch. Furniture with clean lines, strong silhouettes, and neutral colors was selected for the living spaces. The great room is perhaps the most breathtaking space, equipped with a dramatic black Arteriors lighting pendant, Yabu Pushelberg dining room table, and custom Martha Leone credenza. As a playful and personal touch, the homeowners also accentuated choice walls with ebullient wallpapers.
Following the renovation, the homeowners have found renewed tranquility. “We can breathe in the peace and quiet that comes with Litchfield County. We get our fill of city life during the week, then unwind in the beauty and calm of South Kent.”
The old aphorism says: “Everything happens for a reason.” This state-of-the-art home overlooking Kent Hollow is one such example, a silver lining of a flood that transformed a residence into a modern manse that maximizes the view.—danielfrisch.com
