Plan
One of the original buildings in the town of Somerset, a small incorporated area in Chevy Chase, MD, the historic log cabin was constructed in 1918 with cedar logs and lumberjacks from Quebec, Canada. Later in the life of the structure, locally harvested stone from the surrounding area was applied to the front façade.
The client’s program sought to modernize the existing house and the addition of a master suite and new kitchen, all while respecting her childhood home.
Our intervention respects and enhances the existing structure by creating strong axial relationships between new and existing spaces that set up visual connections between the levels and throughout the length of the house while orienting the views outward to take advantage of views to the expansive front yard. An extended plinth helps ground the building on the gently sloping site, while creating outdoor dining and living area.
The resulting product creates order and openness throughout the house, and uses modern interpretations of exterior massing and materiality to marry old and new.
