Georgian Style House
New Construction in Washington, CT
Touchingly named “Litchfield,” the house is deceptively small (less than 3,500 sq. ft.), low in maintenance, and economical to run. It is equipped with a geothermal system for heating, gains from maximum passive solar energy, and has a high level of insulation.
The ruggedness of the site led us to look at Scottish precedent in establishing the character of the design. Much of the detailing and proportioning is inspired by the Scottish Palladian architect William Adam, author of Vitruvius Scotticus and father of his more famous sons. The robust, late baroque flourishes found in Adam’s work allow the house to establish its presence in the landscape while providing an expression of the owner’s own knowledgeable interest in the Classical language of architecture. The materials were chosen for their texture: handmade brick with burned headers contrasting with substantially detailed stone cornices, chimney caps, and finials. Inside, paneled rooms have far-reaching views across the landscape.
Georgian Style House
Process
Litchfield’s compact plan source is Robert Morris’s pattern book “Rural Architecture” of 1750. The main block – divided by that hallmark of the New England house, the great central chimney stack – is logically organized to accommodate the entrance hall, staircase, and powder room on one side of the hearth, the living room on the south, with the dining room and kitchen in the west wing and a guest bedroom and bathroom in the east.
