Hasta La Ideas

American studio Birdseye Design has created a rural guest house in Vermont with hipped roofs and distinctive cladding, which evokes the traditional board-and-batten siding commonly found across New England.

The project, called Board + Batten, is located in Plymouth Notch – a historic village in central Vermont. The guest house is situated at the edge of a mature forest that overlooks a private meadow.

The dwelling consists of two bars arranged in a T formation. One bar runs from east to west and contains the bedrooms, while the other stretches from north to south and serves as the public zone.

“Accessed by a narrow footpath, the secluded guest house is organised in a T-shaped symmetrical plan with bedrooms defining the edge of the forest and the living spaces projecting into the meadow,” said Birdseye Design, a design-build studio based in Richmond, Vermont.

For exterior walls, the team took cues from traditional board-and-batten siding, a highly durable type of cladding that is ubiquitous in the region. The team wrapped the dwelling in dark-painted boards and mirror-polished stainless steel panels, along with windows of various sizes.

“Ranging from opaque to translucent to reflective, the siding creates a rich and textured surface that meaningfully integrates the house into the landscape,” the studio said.

The home is topped with a standing-seam black metal roof that is hipped in all directions and has a “knife edge”, meaning it has no fascia or gutters. Warm-toned cedar was used for the soffits and exterior decking.

The dwelling is entered from the north, at the top of the “T”. To the east and west are private zones that each contain a master suite and a smaller bedroom.

The public area encompasses an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room. Floor-to-ceiling glass provides plentiful views of the scenic terrain.

Throughout the dwelling, the team used earthy colours and contemporary decor.

“The interior spaces are defined by a minimalist palette of finished concrete floors, painted walls, western red cedar details, and custom beds and cabinetry to compliment the mid-century furnishings,” the team said.

Birdseye Design’s other projects in its home state include a house in the forest clad in salvaged wooden boards, and a rural residence that consists of white volumes framing a central courtyard.

Photography is by Jim Westphalen unless stated otherwise.

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