Bob. In general: something “less fussy” than their
old home in North Carolina.
With its galvanized-metal roof and generous
glass walls along its south side, the house gets ample
passive solar heat, with wood and propane systems as
backup. The main floor, the stage upon which the
Weirs live, is open and light; surprisingly warm in
winter, it’s also delightfully cool in summer. Along
the expansive south-facing wall of the wide-open
kitchen-dining-living room, bays of 11-foot-high
sliding-glass doors are baffled by curtains made from
white spinnaker sailcloth. The opposite wall has a
narrow band of eye-level windows with views of the
water and built-in storage beneath.
The sea-glass green of the lacquered kitchen
there is no lack of work space in the sea-glass
green kitchen (above), where the lacquered wood
cabinets match Corian countertops and sinks in the
two islands. The master bedroom (facing page) has
a 7-foot-square window that frames the view through
the forest landscape to a cove at the base of the lot.
design decision
Where’s All the Stuff?
Nature may abhor a vacuum, but
architect Carol A. Wilson abhors
clutter.
“Storage became part of the
architecture,” says Wilson of how
she managed to keep the elegant
house of Jane and Bob Weir so free
of the disorderly matter of everyday
life. “Jane is about stuff,” she says
of her client. “She’s a collector, a
craftsperson, a gardener, a cook, but
she decided she was comfortable not
having everything out at once. Objects
become more precious when they
have space.”
Storage, designed to discreetly
blend in with a structure is a Wilson
trademark, and this house is full
of good examples. A 43-foot-long
built-in credenza along the north wall
provides ample shelf space for display
and large pullout drawers for stowing
collections of glass and pottery.
CDs, DVDs, and the sound system
are hidden in a living room closet
behind what looks like a wall panel, an
illusion helped by pivoting hinges and
minimal hardware.
In the kitchen, the two islands,
one of which serves as a room
divider, are outfitted with shelves and
drawers that are, in Wilson’s words,
“the equivalent in storage to several
kitchens.”
The pantry and dressing room are
tightly clustered out of view of the
main living area, and, at first glance,
a walk-in food pantry appears to be
a hallway wall. “Visual ordering is
important in American households,”
says Wilson, “because we’ve got so
much stuff.”
