The Nut House is a project designed by FLOWER. “We walked a lot, to start. Evocative details and the variety of the neighborhood became clear: juliet balconies, doily-fine gable filigree woodwork; simple gable roof forms; rail-less, welcoming front porches. We decided we could make a modern house in this place under the watchful eyes of a curmudgeonly landmarks board… we would simply pick our spots. In sketchbooks, we started with form and proportion – embracing the contextual patterns as important initial moves: a steep, single gable roof with a wide welcoming porch; modest width and height dimensions; and a classic juliet balcony. The low roof rafter spring point and one-and-a-half story form required creativity on the upper levels. Our strategy was to employ simple shed dormers toward the back half of the house, which would allow the purity of the street front elevation room to breath: a triangle on a rectangle. A corbeled-and-slanted chimney provides a vertical counterpoint from the sidewalk view (and allowed us to tuck another dormer north side). The clients requested to be together on one floor for sleeping – we tucked them all together below the gable.” Photography by Nicholas Fiore, Ryan Hughes, david lauer photography.

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