Dissonant House is a project designed by M Gooden Design. A central aspect to creating a work of art that moves human emotion hinges on the opposing emotions of tension and resolution. Key components of this contrast are the concepts of dissonance and consonance. In music, composers often use dissonance to create tension and excitement, while consonance creates stability. A composer’s process of creating imbalance through dissonant chords and resolving the tension through consonance helps to create a deeply moving piece. Photography by Parrish Ruiz De Velasco.

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Dissonant House is a composition of many parts built around the central core, a 1,400 square foot masonry-clad farmhouse built in 1939. Two previous additions to the structure from the 1960s and 1980s were peeled away from the original house during the revisioning and restoration project. The renovation of a third “contemporary” addition, which was built in the early 2000s, transformed an under-utilized and inefficient studio space into a Primary Suite for the owners. Finally, a new two-story addition was built to accommodate a young family and to create harmony for the entire project.

The new addition is adorned in a highly textured and rigid expression of aluminum battens that sit upon a robust base of board-formed concrete walls. The battens create a strict rhythm across the facade that is briefly interrupted by a brise soleil expression that filters morning light into the dining space below. By vaulting the ceilings and adding northern-facing skylights into the original farmhouse A-frame roof structure, indirect natural light is brought into the living room and kitchen throughout the day.