Inside, the stone serves another purpose, framing the broad view of the lake. “In bringing the weight of the stone indoors, we felt that it balanced the light pouring in from outside,” explains Gerndt.
In the living room, the duo crafted a space that could accommodate the occasional large crowd but also offer intimacy for two or three. The most notable architectural feature of the space—a dramatically curved paneled stair rail— came about by accident. “Initially we had a metal rail,” Gerndt says, “but we realized that from the living room you could see into the upstairs bedrooms. When we made the stair rail more sculptural, it brought great flow.”
With 19-foot ceilings and large arched windows, the dining area and generous seating space establish a grand scale. Adams deftly brought the room to human proportions with low-slung, deep sofas and strategic lighting in the form of floor lamps placed around the space, creating cozy pools of warmth at night.
