Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography

With the goal of crafting a tranquil weekend retreat in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, a couple, both former Metropolitan Opera performers, looked to New York City–based boutique firm PJCArchitecture. Having previously worked with the firm’s founder, Philip J. Consalvo, at the opera and on a previous home renovation, the clients knew he and his team would design the lakeside getaway of their dreams.

“We had an architecture working relationship and sort of an artistic working relationship,” Consalvo says. “It was nice to translate that to this site.”

The shou sugi ban siding helps the home cohere with its exterior surroundings, while the white wood shiplap walls provide contrast and brightness inside.
Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography The shou sugi ban siding helps the home cohere with its exterior surroundings, while the white wood shiplap walls provide contrast and brightness inside.

Although a bungalow existed on the steep site originally, the home “was sort of slowly falling down the hill,” according to Consalvo. “So, they decided to rebuild.”

As artists themselves, the singer and dancer came to the project with a deep appreciation for the arts and strong design visions for what the new home should be. While they both desired a comfortable home that engages with its surroundings and provides plenty of space for entertaining, the couple had different ideas for the overall design. One favored the clean lines and simple detailing of a Japanese tea house, and the other preferred a more cottage-type feel reminiscent of the home in the film “On Golden Pond.”

Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography

The site’s steep slope and local zoning parameters also influenced the home’s end result. By designing the house vertically, PJCA created three stories of habitable space, along with a dumbwaiter for transporting items up and down. The final product includes 1,910 square feet with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms, as well as a separate 158-square-foot boathouse with a third bedroom.

“We ended up with a very small footprint and a taller structure, as opposed to something that was tinier and spread out,” adds Consalvo. “It worked to everyone’s advantage because they wanted something that was contextual and that fit in with the area, but wasn’t super pretentious.”

Entering the home on the top level, the space opens into a main living area and kitchen.
Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography Entering the home on the top level, the space opens into a main living area and kitchen.

Unlike more typical three-story, single- family residences, the form of the Indian Lake House varies dramatically depending upon the viewer’s direction. When approaching from the street, the home appears as a modest, one-level, gable-roof home. Upon crossing the bridge to the front entrance, visitors are intrigued to find that they are on the top level of the home, with two more levels below. When approaching from the lake, the home appears as a tall form that grows with the surrounding trees and hill. Plus, the glass and wood cube of the southeast corner appears to be extracted from the massing of the main house.

On the exterior, the team decided to clad the house in shou sugi ban, an eco-friendly, charred wood siding that the couple had seen in their travels to Japan. Not only does the material help the home mix with its surroundings, but it meets the clean, minimalistic aesthetic desired by one of the clients.

Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography

The requested cottage feel comes to life inside. Entering the home on the third level, the space opens into a main living area and kitchen. The large cathedral ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows illuminate the more traditional details sprinkled throughout, including the powder blue kitchen cabinetry, white wood shiplap walls with tongue-and-groove planks, and wrought-iron stair railings.

“Everyone is kind of flabbergasted when they enter the house because they come in and think they’re going to see this little house,” Consalvo says. “Then, they walk in, and it opens up to this bright area that is really tied directly to the lake.”

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the primary bedroom give some of the best views of the lake.
Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography Floor-to-ceiling windows in the primary bedroom give some of the best views of the lake.

Down the stairs on the second level is the primary bedroom. This room seems to extend to the exterior with the addition of the adjacent screened-in porch. A floor-to-ceiling pocket door leads to the primary bathroom with a stone-floor shower, which also connects to the outdoor patio, allowing easy access from outside as well.

On the lowest level, visitors will find the family or guest room, as well as a bathroom, a laundry area, and a mechanical room. A custom stone fireplace crafted by a local mason grounds the space, topped by a custom mantle handcrafted by a local woodworker.

On the lowest level, the owners have a family room, as well as a bathroom and laundry space.
Tom Stock of Stock Studios Photography On the lowest level, the owners have a family room, as well as a bathroom and laundry space.

Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors connect this level with the lake and provide access to the adjacent boathouse, which serves as an additional bedroom, a guest house, or simply a peaceful studio.

“The project was a true collaboration, not only with the clients but even with the workers because it was a very atypical type of design for up there,” concludes Consalvo. “As we went through the process, everybody kind of embraced it, and that was pretty special.”

Project Details
Location: Indian Lake, New York
Architect: PJCArchitecture
Engineer: Winchip Engineering
Contractors: Walter’s Construction, GB Construction, J Moore Construction, and Blue Line Electrical
Project Size: 1,910 square feet