Ken Tate Architect

Norton

Glimpsed through stucco-and-stone entrance pillars, this 4,000 s.f. house resembles the modestly elegant maisons that 18th-century French nobility built as country getaways in the suburbs of Paris. The façade’s pristine natural white stucco, French doors with dark shutters, and steep hipped roof offer a distinctly northern European impression of discreet and measured charm. In contrast, the rear façade invokes the romantic spirit of a hillside villa in Provence or the Riviera. Built upon a slope that descends dramatically to a lake, the house has a multi-level rear façade with wide windows and glazed doors, several balconies, and a balustrade terrace that afford expansive views of the landscape. A diminutive pavilion with Tuscan columns and a cedar-shingled roof adds a touch of whimsy at the edge of the lake.