Because this new home is located in a historic district, we were very sensitive to prevailing architectural aesthetics as we worked to make a subtle but distinctive design statement. We placed the house and a detached garage/guest house at the outer edges of the lot, connecting them with a meandering brick wall. Doing this maintains the full functions of a large house, but at a kinder scale—instead of a single towering, two-story structure fronting the street, a pair of bungalow-sized buildings face the neighborhood. Inside the home, design constraints were loosened and we were free to create an exuberant expression of individualism. From the bold material and color palettes to the sculpturally contoured ceiling, the environment reflects the taste and spirit of the homeowners. We carefully orchestrated the placement of windows and walls to ensure a pleasing variety of vistas—of the garden, living spaces, or artwork—would be enjoyed by visitors from every point in the home. (Dillon Kyle Architects)