Violet Hill Pool House
October 9 2023The Violet Hill Pool House is the capstone project at this ten-acre sanctuary. Once a working flower farm with greenhouses sited across the property, all that remained was the main house and a barn converted into an artist studio. Over time, AOB’s scope was to renovate the studio, build a 3-car garage, an in-ground swimming pool, and this pool house with its associated landscaping. Utilizing rustic materials and vernacular motifs, the intent was to suggest that these buildings were the restored remnants of the original farm.
The site for the pool house was chosen to maximize sun exposure while still providing privacy from the road. Set deep in the property, south facing multi-slide doors open completely to a view across the swimming pool and out to the meadow beyond. From the pool you can look back through the pool house to the marsh and wooded areas at the northern end of the property.
The 750 square foot structure functions as a guest cottage, summer entertaining space, yoga studio, and cozy winter retreat with comforts including a kitchenette, bar, gas fireplace, and recessed television. To the side and rear, the landscaped area includes a hot tub, grill, outdoor shower, and deck.
The exterior palette creates a weathered look with reclaimed barn siding, sun-aged oak, cedar, field stone, and copper. The interior combination of live sawn white oak flooring, reclaimed timbers, and an oversized iron and leather chandelier adds texture, age, and visual interest to the neutral color scheme.
Extensive landscaping provides shade and buffers the pool from the driveway and the other structures at the property. It also helps to define and unify the composition of the property’s outbuildings. With time to mature and supplemental plantings in future seasons, the landscape features will bring the site to its full potential, allowing it to provide both natural and constructed beauty.
Build: The Art of Building