Gale Goff — Architect
“I have become more confident in my abilities and more willing to take chances. That is also a function of experience, in that our clients are more willing to trust that we will create the home they imagined.”
The Lion Rock Farm house posed a unique challenge, as the owners purchased a south-facing parcel that projects out into the Atlantic Ocean. The site, with its own micro-climate, is buffeted by ocean winds and salt spray. The home needed to be built with durable materials, high-performing moisture barriers, and top-notch carpentry detailing.
Goff said the clients wanted a home that could accommodate four generations of their active, growing family. After consulting with the homeowners about how they wanted to move through the house and what views were important to them, she designed a residence that is a collection of volumes organized along a spine that begins and ends with an outdoor shower.
The garage has ample storage for bicycles, surfboards, and kayaks. The east owners’ wing extends toward the water and has a private study below and a suite/balcony above. The central great room incorporates a cook’s kitchen, pantry, dining, and living room with a wood-burning fireplace. A bronze and walnut staircase leads to the second-floor guest bedrooms. The west wing is a private guest retreat and terminates with a private outdoor shower. All the spaces have expansive views of the Atlantic through massive stainless-steel windows and sliding doors.
Interior details include floors that are a combination of quarter-sawn walnut and fossilized stone tiles with a narrow linear bronze threshold between. Bronze detailing was used throughout, including the fireplace mantel, stair railings, kitchen shelf detail, and hardware on the custom walnut doors and cabinets.
To help protect the home against the elements yet maintain the design intent, Goff used exterior materials that are both resilient and elegant. The exposed foundation is hand-selected granite lintels, while the patio is historic bluestone pavers. The exterior siding is tongue and groove Alaskan yellow cedar and an Accoya rain screen. The standing seam roof is zinc-coated copper.
“My job is to listen carefully and then create the house that my clients will be happy with,” Goff said. “It isn’t always what they think they want, but I try to read between the lines and expand their imagination to explore the possibilities and achieve a better house.”
— Excerpt from New View: A Curated Visual Gallery: Twenty Magnificent Homes by Northeast Architects
Photography by Warren Jagger
Photography by Warren Jagger
Photography by Warren Jagger