Prairie House

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A live-work carbon-smart house in rural Maine
This project felt like good fortune architecture Mad Libs. A photographer whose work we love and her partner, who works in solar energy, asked us to design a modestly sized, high-performance house & photography studio in rural Maine. 

The client’s charge, and a quality we aim for in all our work, was to create something timeless. Their words: “We don’t want it to look like it was built in the early 2020s.” Challenge accepted!

The design was inspired by equal parts New England vernacular—simple gable and shed forms, cedar shakes, and painted wood floors—and some of our favorite artists and architects: Andrew Wyeth’s paintings, Georgia O’Keefe and Louise Bourgeois’s apartments, Donald Judd’s studio spaces, and Luis Barragan’s stairs, to name a few.




A photo from construction. The project is finished and we’ll have more photos in the spring. ✨️



The house is strongly tied to Maine traditions: a simple buliding form, a gabled roof, cedar shake cladding, entry through a covered porch, and windows where they’re needed




The windows create a register of the spaces beyond. From the left: bathroom, stair, library (lower), & studio (upper)





Ground Floor Plan
From left to right:
  • Screened-In Porch: Cot-sized for summer napping
  • Living Room: With dining, kitchen, and large sliding doors to patio
  • Library: Convertible to an in-law bedroom
  • Bathroom
  • Mudroom
  • Entry porch



The ground floor strikes a balance between flexibility and specificity







The large window on the landing and the transom into the library space bring northern light to the living space





The library is sized to be converted into a bedroom in the future if need be.  We recommend this approach to Clients because it allows them to age in place (or accommodate an older relative)






Second Floor Plan
From left to right:
  • Photography Studio: With Storage
  • Landing: With sitting area below skylight and linen closet
  • Bathroom: With soaking tub & prairie views
  • Bedroom: With a walk-in closet




The Client’s bedroom: the garage is visible from the window on the left




From the Client’s bedroom to the photography studio. Pocket doors were used for doors that’ll typically be left open.  The landing is made into its own space via a skylight and a bench




The photography studio stretches the depth of the house, giving full expression to the gabled roof




Client

Private

Timeline

2021-2024

Status

Complete

Location

Hiram, Maine

Services

  • Architectural Design
  • Interior Design


Credits



Tags

High-Performance, House




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