Private Retreat

PRIVATE RETREAT NORTHWEST INDIANA 1999
After searching for several years, a semi-retired couple purchased a ten acre tract of land in northwest Indiana that was formerly remote farm fields. Conceived of as two elements, the project places a principle house adjacent to two service wings that create a protected courtyard between them. The main house accommodates an entry, library, living room, and two bedrooms on an upper floor. The living room, surrounded by windows, is situated to take part in a broad vista of the farm field. The massing and orientation of the house mirror the site’s agrarian roots, while the detailing moves toward more abstract ideas of frame and infill. By virtue of its formal arrangement, the project offers the occupants a rich experience of view toward landscapes of varying scales and formality. Photos by Alan Shortall.
Entry Entry to the main house with the two wings to the left. The service wing is in the foreground.
Courtyard A view of the courtyard during a late fall afternoon.
View from Below The house viewed from the valley below.
Master Bath View over the tub to the fields beyond.
East Elevation View from the fields to the east.
Main House The main house from the south.
Shop View of the shop wing from the courtyard
View from Field The silhouette of the main house as seen from the field to the west.

PRIVATE RETREAT NORTHWEST INDIANA 1999