An impressive mansion, reminiscent of a Norman manor house, is tucked away in a secret part of Westchester

By lisa mcgee i photography By chi chi uBina

lakeside master piece

40 May2007

The façade, while impressive and large in its own right, is diminutive in comparison to the three levels facing the lake. It was important both to the architects and the

client that the façade was kept to a minimum as much as possible so as not to overpower the homes nearby. The client wanted a brick house so BPA had the bricks handmade along with matching mortar. Red windows and doors complement the red of the bricks to create an inviting entrance into this grand home. On either side of the front door, lead cages in a grid enclose lights and a series of aqua marble have been inset in the front door. These give the visitor an immediate glimpse at the signature design motifs echoed throughout the entire home.

Measuring out at almost 10,000 square feet, the home only contains five bedrooms and although it certainly has a tower-ing entryway and grand spaces, many of the smaller rooms feel surprisingly comfortable and intimate for a house of this size.

When you are given the challenge of fitting a

rather large home into a neighborhood of ma-

turing ranch homes, it takes a team like Roger

Bartels, Chris Pagliaro and Nicholas Sajda, of

Bartels-Pagliaro Architects (BPA) to achieve

success. When the clients purchased the site

there was a split ranch on the property with a

pool and spectacular views of a lake. Although

the ranch had to be removed to create space

for the new home, the pool area is now similar

to the original space and the house still em-

braces the views of the lake and soaks in the

magical light that reflected from it. The clients

were also particularly rare as they gave BPA

“carte blanche” with the design of the project.

Every architect dreams of having this kind

of opportunity and BPA used it to meld many

different design ideas into one space.

PREVIOUS PAGE LEFT: On the lakeside of the property, a stainless steel staircase descends to the pool area. The ground floor is com-pletely centered on the outside and outdoor activities.

PREVIOUS PAGE RIGHT: The warm brick façade welcomes the homeowners and guests alike. Small square dormers in the roof break the scale of the structure.

ABOVE LEFT: A plethora of aqua marbles is clearly illuminated by the light streaming through the open door. They have even been inset into the stainless steel cages at the top of the columns.

RIGHT: The entry foyer has a double story of windows looking right out onto the lake. A long stainless bench has the client’s favorite red on the cushions and a trio of marbles inset.

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In order to have the rooms all benefit from the views of the lake, single-depth planning has been used. This “French” plan-ning makes the house very long but it is well worth it as the views are captured in every room of the house.

The floor in the entry foyer is made of a Portuguese stone that is similar to limestone and the only other floor material used in the rest of the house is a clear maple with a water-based finish. “This creates a sandy color throughout which enhances the quality of light on the water,” says Chris Pagliano. A dra-matic staircase with stainless steel railings snakes up from the foyer. The aqua marbles, as seen in the front door, have been

LEFT: The stainless steel staircase snakes up from the entry foyer. Every third baluster has an aqua marble and below you can just get a glimpse of the dining room.

RIGHT: Geared for plenty of entertaining, the kitchen has two of everything except for the stove. Brushed granite countertops echo the warmth of the Douglas fir beams above.

incorporated into the balusters close to the handrails. “The client talked about adding a jewel to the house,” says Chris and so the use of these aqua marbles became prevalent throughout the house. Even at the very top of the staircase there is a giant aqua marble which is in fact a Chinese fishing float that the firm had custom made for the house.

Since the clients love to entertain, the kitchen and family room were created as one big space even though the living room is sunk lower than the kitchen. In the kitchen, the floor-ing is comprised of both the maple planks and Portuguese stone. Countertops are a wire-brushed granite and beams of Douglas fir give an aged patina and create scale on the ceil-ing. That same Douglas fir is used to plank the ceiling of the family room that effectively ties the two spaces together. A massive concrete fireplace has been given a stainless steel

LEFT: A cozy retreat in colder months, the more formal living room has a brick fireplace and a lush red carpet to emphasize warmth. The door had a large fishing float inset at the top, and then lines of marbles in the door itself. The architects ordered 23,000 marbles and there were still some leftover!

ABOVE: The infamous Chinese fishing float creates a finishing touch and wonderful focal point at the top of the upper staircase.

FairfieldCountyHome 45

hearth also inset with the aqua marbles. While this is a space where the family obviously settles in to watch television, the television has been discretely hidden in the wall separating the kitchen from the living room so it’s not the entire focus of the room and one can’t even see it from the kitchen. Huge pane windows line the lakeside of the room, each topped with a trio of smaller square panes.

The repetition of squares is a signature design for BPA, in fact their own logo is a four square motif. The use of squares appears throughout the house and is used by the firm as a scale device, and though not original to them, it has a dis-tinctive history and has been used throughout many phases of architecture. Significant architectural periods such as the Vienna Secession, English and American Arts & Crafts and Charles Rennie Mackintosh all used the square in their de-sign. It is a recognizable symbol of the Geometric Art Nou-veau movement and gives great insight into where BPA turns to for inspiration.

The master suite looks down onto the family room through a rectangular window with multiple square panes. Much of the furniture throughout the house was custom made by BPA and in this room the television lifts out of the bench at the end of the bed. Two stainless steel beams cross the space, each with five marbles lined up in a gentle curved motif. The master bath has fixtures from Waterworks and white cabinets have been inset with a series of marbles. A dressing room lies adjacent to that with additional custom-made furniture.

Furnishings throughout the entire house are simple and comfortable and complement the architecture well. Nothing competes with the overall design. New York designer Mere-dith Carter worked closely with the wife and the architects to achieve this subtle yet compatible relationship between all the elements in the house. The client loves red, so Meredith kept most of the furnishings very neutral and then uses red in the accessories to bring her passion to light. Red appears in the rugs, pillows, kitchen accessories and, of course, around the windows and doors on the exterior of the house.

Elements such as the red brick have been brought inside where they appear in the living room as the brick fireplace. That too has a stainless steel hearth and marbles that the light of the fire illuminates. The large fishing lures are anchored at the top of the doors that actually close around them, creating yet another surprising element to enjoy. Located just off the entry foyer, the living room acts as an obvious additional space

LEFT: The grand master suite is filled with light and warm colors. A custom bench at the foot of the bed hides the television which lifts out for viewing.

TOP RIGHT: Punchy colors like the carpet and bright orange pillow create a nice balance with the otherwise neutral furnishings in a corner of the master suite.

BOTTOM RIGHT: The dressing room is adjacent to the master bath and features addi-tional custom made furniture by BPA.

48 May2007 FairfieldCountyHome 49

for entertaining as it also includes a grand piano and those amazing views of the lake.

On the other side of the entry foyer is the dining room that has French doors inset with marbles. The dining room table and chairs have a simple design that gives the space a calm re-laxed feeling. The surprising addition of the two orange chairs at each end adds just the right amount of color. Tucked away at the bottom of a spiral staircase in the lower level is the wine

LEFT: Simple and elegant, the master bath’s only color is the marbles delicately set into the cabinetry. Fixtures throughout are from Waterworks.

ABOVE: It’s hard not to feel like a princess when your bedroom is located in a turret! Warm inviting bright colors on the bed and window treatments make it easy to stay put.

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resourcesarchitectsBARTELS-PAGLIARO ARCHITECTS27 Elizabeth StreetSouth Norwalk, CT 06854203-838-5517www.bartels-pagliaro.comRoger BartelsChris PagliaroNicholas Sajda BuilderBRINDISI & YAROSCAK CUSTOM BUILDERS397 Post Road (Suite 102)Darien, CT 06820203-656-1948www.brindisiandyaroscak.comJon BrindisiBill Lubbers, Project Manager interior decoratorMC + MC DESIGN33 Union Square WestNew York, NY 10003646-610-2804meredidth@mcplusmc.comMeredith Carter tile and plumBing FixturesWATERWORKSWestport, CT 203-227-5008 a/V, lighting systems and technologyINTEGRATED CONCEPTS868 Mill Plain Rd.Fairfield, CT 06430203-259-7729Rich Babcock metalsCREATIVE METAL FABStamford, CT203-323-4090Jon Pompea landscape architectINVITING ENVIRONMENTS36 West Putnam AvenueGreenwich, CT 06830203-625-9801Sean Jancski

LEFT: A lush neutral carpet fills the dining room and compliments the dark wood of the furniture. Marbles fill the double doors that lead out to the hallway and the delicate light fixture echoes the simplicity of the staircase nearby.

ABOVE: A cavernous wine cellar is located in the lower level of the house. The floors, ceilings and even the shelving within all have a warm sandy color to keep it from being too dark.

cellar. Massive iron gates guard each entrance and once again that sandy-colored Portuguese stone reappears.

The lakeside exterior of the home has its three stories exposed. Stainless steels rails run along the covered terraces, and stairs lead down to the pool. A large ex-pansive lawn stretches down to the lake. The lower level is completely geared to the outdoors and pool area. There is a bar, pool table, showers and a gym so in the warmer month the family and their guests use this as their main access to the house. In the roof are little square dormers with glass block that break the scale of the structure. At night they can be illuminated to give the house a magical sparkle.

Not surprisingly, this entire home is fully automated. The cobbled driveway is fully heated so there is no need to plow in the winter. To make it convenient when one runs out the door, all it takes is the simple touch of one button to turn off every single light in the house. The clients can even change everything from lighting and music to the temperature inside the house from their cell phones.

Each part of the team must work together to help write the score and play their different instruments. After a year and a half of working together on this amazing piece of art, the extensive team involved achieved notable success. ”

Lisa McGee, stylist can be reached at 914-548-5193, or by email at stylistmcgee@gmail. .