The New York Times once referred to Bedford as, “New England in New York.” With its low, dry-stacked, unchiseled stone walls, rolling hills, and Colonial-era architecture, it certainly has the undeveloped arcadian feeling of a faraway countryside, yet it’s less than 50 miles from the hustle and bustle of Times Square. That connection of old and new leaves many homeowners wanting to respect the landscape and architecture of the area, while incorporating modern-day conveniences and amenities in a seamless manner. For one family, a new pool house had to be imagined without disrupting views of a nearby river and bucolic horse fields beyond.
“The brief to me was to create an open pavilion that is very modest in its approach, but the detailing had to be very well executed,” says Craig Intinarelli of Katonah-based Kroeger | Intinarelli Architects. “We took advantage of a natural grade and an existing stone retaining wall against which we built the pool house. With a very shallow shed roof, we wouldn’t obscure their view.”
The angular lines of the trellis echo the structure’s form, as well as its furnishings.
Sconces from Justice Design Group surround the gathering area, which features an abundance of built-in seating to accommodate a duo or dynamic crowd.
The pool and surrounding landscape are perfectly framed though one of the pavilion’s windows.
A custom table and dining chairs are set in the outdoor dining area.
Also, Tim Paterson, principal and owner of Highland Design, Inc., created space for a billowing cloud of boxwood planted at the higher grade to further obscure views of the pavilion’s roof from the house.
“What you have, what God has given us, and nature has created, are some of the rarest things in this area, which are beautiful, open fields with mature trees bounding the fields with dry stone walls, all dating from the Revolutionary War onwards,” says Paterson. “So that’s the point that you want to focus on.” Collaboration with the architect and homeowner created a seamless result.
“As a designer, you’re part listener, and then you look to what it is that really makes this person happy,” says Paterson. “And then you show them a pathway to it and even take it further. The saying that I was taught as a young person was bones, muscle, skin, and makeup. Bones is the grading, and the muscle is the structure and maybe some of the larger trees, and then the skin is the shrubs, and the makeup is the flowers, and you’ve got to work in that order always, and don’t get distracted.” Needless to say, neither Intinarelli nor Paterson was distracted along the way, and created a design for the property that’s both uber-stylish and highly sensible.
