Glass Tree

Glass Tree is one of our favorite Big Houses.  It was built in the early 1980's and the picture here was taken during construction.  Looking at the photo, it is obvious why we called it "Glass Tree."  The mullion pattern in the big living room window reminds us of the trunk and branches of a tree, stylized to be sure, abstract, but a tree of glass with wood branches and trunk.  The wood is cedar and the glass is quarter-inch plate that is very heavy and strong.  The masonry is split-face block.  

The wooded landscape surrounding Glass Tree
 is reflected in the living room window.

The house is situated on a large lot in a country development and surrounded by mature trees.  It was designed for friends of ours, a very good engineer and his wife, a gifted pianist. One room, on the opposite side of the house from this window, was dedicated to house the grand piano.  We remember it as a grand room also, with a grand view as well.

The house has had several owners since it was built and we are pleased that the current owner has done the house justice with landscaping that takes advantage of the beautiful terrain.

Although we have designed many houses--large and small--since this one, we still find this particular window to be one to be one of the most evocative and romantic house elevations to have made the transition from our design on paper to actual glass, wood and masonry.