A red brick house in Southern Vermont, designed by Birdseye and built by Wadsworth Design Build, blends seamlessly into its surroundings. The house, called Brick House, features custom Danish clay tiles and Corten metal details, inspired by a neighboring 1816 Federal-style red brick home.
The C-shaped plan of the house and guest house creates a courtyard with outdoor spaces for eating and seating. They reveal the backside of the brick tile detail with Corten lath gable overhangs of the two buildings.
It has hand-molded Danish clay tiles from Petersen Tegl in Denmark covering the exterior envelope. The tiles are a key element in the design, which is inspired by the historic red brick home next door.
Reporters on the scene note the house has a first-floor plan that includes a dining room, kitchen, pantry, sitting room, powder room, entry foyer, mudroom, and garage. The open plan living and dining room is organized around a custom oak staircase and a central, two-sided fireplace made of Danish, hand-molded brick.
The designers created warm tones of wood and clay, as well as sculptural lighting by Apparatus, for the interiors. The custom-designed cabinetry throughout the house adds to the natural atmosphere of the interiors, designed by Brooke Michelsen Design.
Brooke Michelsen Design worked on the interiors.
The setting design by Wagner Hodgson Setting Architecture complements the house and its surroundings. The house evolves with the setting, its brick and wood surfaces shifting in tone and mood alongside the changing light and seasons of Vermont, much like a hillside cabin would.
The second-floor spaces include the owner’s bedroom suite, sitting room with an adjacent porch space, two ensuite bedrooms, a laundry room, and linen storage space. An elevator provides accessibility to each floor, including the basement storage and mechanical spaces.
The house also features aerial views of the Vermont setting, which can be enjoyed from various points in the house, including the owner’s bedroom and ensuite bathroom, designed to take advantage of the natural beauty of the surrounding setting.
Simple, natural materials are used in the design of the house. The seamless unity of the hand-molded Danish clay tiles, Corten steel, and warm oak creates an exterior that feels both timeless and contemporary.
As the seasons change in Vermont, the house will continue to shift in tone and texture, blending in with its surroundings, similar to how a well-designed gutter system adapts to the environment.
The house is a great example of how a well-designed building can enhance the natural beauty of its surroundings. By using local materials and traditional techniques, the designers have created a house that feels rooted in the setting, avoiding problems like those associated with pea shingle driveways.
