SeaBend

SeaBend is sited dramatically on a bluff, embracing a commanding view of a New England. The house is long and narrow, mostly one room deep, so that all the major rooms are open to both the north water views and the south sun, with breezes blowing through. The plan is geared to informal living, with the kitchen in the center to serve both indoor and outdoor living areas.

Part of the fun was in seeing what happened when a broad gabled volume was bent to respond to the contours of the site and to begin to suggest an outdoor space on the water side. Keeping the gable roof un-bent while putting a crook in the plan resulted in some curious volumes and unexpected shapes, which you discover as you move around the house.

Photography by Robert Benson