Farm Country, City Style

Marisa Bartolucci -- Interior Design, 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Seen from neighboring farms in bucolic Bucks County, Pennsylvania, this residence is self-effacingly rural, with a sod- covered roof and a zinc-sheathed tower that looks like a silo. Viewed from inside the property—a sloping meadow bordered by woods and the Delaware River—the cluster of four pavilions is a commanding architectural presence in glass and concrete. J. Robert Hillier of Hillier Architecture accomplished this sleight of hand for his clients, empty nesters Nancy and Bruce Kanter, simply by inserting the structure into a hillside on the 6-acre site.

If the exterior of the house has two distinct personalities, so does its interior, which is by turns imposing and intimate. The central pavilion, containing the living and dining areas as well as the kitchen, is 1,440 square feet, and full-height glass walls let the woods and river in, making a large space appear even larger. A dropped-frame ceiling of blond English sycamore—used for woodwork throughout the house—helps bring the prodigious volume back to human scale.

Further humanizing the pavilion's impressive dimensions, Hillier encircled the freestanding kitchen in a zinc-faced half wall. This doughnut-shape partition screens culinary activities while allowing the cook to converse with people in the living area and enjoy the pastoral view. The counter incorporates a sink and cooktop; twin ovens, dishwashers, and cabinets are tucked below. Prep work takes place at a kidney-shape center island equipped with a second sink.

The refrigerator, freezer, and large pantries are concealed by sycamore panels in an adjacent L-shape partition, behind which runs a passage to the guest wing. "The kitchen is like a cockpit. It's central to everything that's going on. And it's comfortable for guests to go there without disturbing anyone," says Nancy Kanter.

Since the Kanters' grandchildren are frequent visitors, Hillier put the couple's suite on the opposite side of the central pavilion, in a 2,240-square-foot wing. Running down the middle of this private space, a long skylit gallery leads to a paneled dressing area with generous closets and built-in drawers. An office and an indoor lap pool overlook the motor court; the master bedroom, sitting room, and bathroom face the river.

Concave in plan, with one wall fully glazed, the master bathroom features niches for the shower, whirlpool bath, and toilets. In the middle of the limestone floor stands a dramatic curved vanity of gray-painted plaster, which angles upward to a honed-limestone top. Twin sinks face the room's expanse of glass, allowing the Kanters to be at one with nature while brushing their teeth. "It's just phenomenal," Nancy Kanter says, "when you realize that design can make you feel good in the morning."

From top: The glass-and-concrete pavilions that make up this house are built into a hillside in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The central pavilion's freestanding kitchen features granite counters, English sycamore cabinets, and limestone floor tile.

From top: The kitchen's half wall is faced in zinc. In the center of the master bathroom's limestone floor, a limestone-topped plaster custom vanity faces the Delaware River.

From top: An English sycamore ceiling and a 9-foot-high partition create intimacy in the main pavilion's great room. In the master wing, sycamore cabinetry outfits the dressing area and gallery.

TOWER PANELS (EXTERIOR), WALL PANELS (KITCHEN): VM ZINC. SINKS, FITTINGS (KITCHEN): FRANKE. HOT-WATER DISPENSER: IN-SINK-ERATOR. PENDANT FIXTURE: ARTEMIDE. TRACK LIGHTING: TRANSLITE SONOMA. UNDER-COUNTER FIXTURES: HALO. CUSTOM TRASH, RECYCLING BINS: LUCIAN PEEBLES. WOODWORK: AMERICAN MILLWORK CABINETRY. CUSTOM PULLS (KITCHEN, DRESSING AREA): METCO MANUFACTURING COMPANY. SINK FITTINGS (BATHROOM): HANSGROHE. TOWEL RAILS: MONDOBRASS. CUSTOM MIRRORS: T JOHNSON DESIGN. CUSTOM DOOR, PARTITION (BATHROOM), CUSTOM WINDOWS, GLASS DOORS: BUCKS COUNTY GLASS CO. WOODWORK (GREAT ROOM, DRESSING AREA): ARCHITECTURAL WOODWORKING ASSOCIATES. WINDOW, GLASS-DOOR FRAMES: KAWNEER COMPANY. STONE SUPPLIER: MARBLE CONCEPTS. ENGINEERS: CARETSKY ASSOCIATES CONSULTING ENGINEERS (MEP); HARRISON-HAMNETT (STRUCTURAL); R.L. SHOWALTER ASSOCIATES (CIVIL). GENERAL CONTRACTOR: GORDON H. BAVER.