Our clients, Gibby and Buz, came to us with a rather strange request. First, they wanted a Craftsman-inspired, private retreat for two that could be expanded into a full-time residence in the future. But foremost, the house had to be able to handle gatherings of 50 or more guests. In short, they needed a cozy, intimate house that also would be a great place for parties.

Starting with the idea that any successful large party is really a collection of small, intimate conversations, we set out to create a variety of settings for social interaction, both indoors and out. We really needed to design two houses: one large, open, and social; the other small and private. The two would have to merge, swapping and sharing characteristics.

A lake and a showy, old tree focus the views

Everyone agreed that the best place on the site for the house would be on a hill that overlooks a small lake with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. A notch in the treeline to the west catches the sunset. Next to the lake, a mature serviceberry tree, known locally as a sarvisberry tree, shows off its snow-white blossoms in the spring against a background of surrounding woodland. We maximized these views and opened up the house along the hilltop by merging the two functionally different volumes of the house at a 30° angle. With this angled floor plan, all the major rooms could face the lake, the sunset, and the sentinel sarvisberry.

We oriented the entry side of the house away from the view, giving this side a lowslung, modest façade. At the top of the entry steps, the windows align to provide a framed glimpse of the sarvisberry through the center of the house. Taking advantage of the sloping site, we…