54 DIGS.NET
| 4.2.2021
summer months, when the sun is much
higher and when you want the home to
remain cooler, the concrete floor is well
shaded, remains slightly cool and, in the
evenings, it absorbs excess heat in the
house." Among the few components that
were not sourced locally are the custom
insulated window frames, imported from
Slovakia with custom glass from France
—glass that is among the clearest in the
world, which has a unique treatment that
controls the amount of solar radiation and
heat gain transmitted into the home and
released back out. "At one point during
the design process we were even studying
the local bee species," Appel remembers.
"We designed a custom metal drip edge
that separates the bottom of the cedar
siding from the plaster soffit ceilings.
That drip edge is only 1-inch wide and
we perforated it with holes smaller than
the local juvenile bees so it would provide
ventilation for the roof but not become a
home for uninvited guests."
Placed 17 inches off the ground, the
house appears to rest gently on the site.
"This height was chosen so the edges of
every terrace could be used as seating
out onto their adjacent courtyards,"
Appel says. "The entire home becomes as
intimate in scale as a chair." Inside a mix
of folk art, midcentury and contemporary
pieces offer a perfect balance between
clean lines and organic curves, including
a large flat weave rug by Warp & Weft
that anchors the living room; two Harvey
Probber side tables found at George
Champion Modern Shop in Woodbury,
Connecticut; floor-standing decoy birds
from the Splendid Peasant's Folk Art
collection; 12 original teak PP501 chairs
by Hans Wegner from the 1950s; and 2017
John Birch-designed split bamboo dining
table. "The home is like a modest friend
that can really party," Appel says. "The
project feels humble and familiar but has
an atmosphere and mood that moves you.
It's subtle but behaves differently. The
spaces can be incredibly tranquil and calm
for just one or two people, or they can be
the stage for great large [gatherings]. It's
rare to be able to do a project that is on the
one hand so rooted in high performance
sustainability and on the other hand so
uncompromisingly about the poetry and
performance of spaces." ofpossible.com
P R O F I L E | O F P O S S I B L E / V I N C E N T A P P E L
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GYROFOCUS FIREPLACE BY DOMINIQUE IMBERT ADORNS THE EAST TERRACE.
PHOTOGRAPHS:
RORY
GARDINER
