This newly rebuilt cottage is quite the cosy concern. Located in New Haven Connecticut and serving as guest house on the property of retired couple Suzanne and Brooks Kelley, it was the second such building to stand on the site.
As the story goes, after drafting in Lisa Gray and Alan Organschi of the architecture firm Gray Organschi, to carry out some minor, cosmetic repairs to their larger home, the couple turned their gaze to a smaller cottage standing on their property.
Since it was found to be beyond repair, and after a relatively run-of-the-mill project on the main house, the architects took the opportunity to convince the couple to have it knocked down and rebuilt in a modern style.
The original idea was to have the old dilapidated cottage serve as a space for books (Suzanne is a former librarian and archivist) with a spare room for guests. This purpose was maintained, but the outcome is miles apart from their original vision.
It’s quite gratifying to consider how starkly the modernist design compares to what was previously a rather enclosed building. Whereas, according to the architects, the previous cottage was “very traditional and quite introverted,” entrance to the new house is through a glass door flanked by a wall of glass.
Glass continues the other side of the building, which opens out to the southwest view, with a wall of massive sliding glass doors opening outside onto a small deck, which has been made using the ipe (pron. “ee-pay”) wood. Durable outdoors and insect resistant, it has been used throughout the house.
Tan-coloured panelling is the overwhelming feature of the interior design, lending the house a lovely cool feel the almost entirely open-plan two-storey building.
For such a nice design, it’s no surprise the couple alternate between their main house and the cosy little cottage.
Photos via Gray Organschi
