They found a meadow set on a hill with a tree line that creates a natural perimeter of privacy from a handful of neighbors. In the summer, butterflies drift by and sheep graze in swaying grass. It took about two years to obtain permits for this protected setting, and the owners didnât want to turn their backs on it once they did. âThe pool became a focal point that the home wraps around, so that most rooms of the home have a view of it,â Prime says. âThe other focal point is the screened-in porch on one end of the house, and how itâs next to the living room, which is right off the kitchen. If you notice, there isnât a TV anywhere to be found in these spaces. Thatâs the kind of connection they had in mind.â
As the JAM team built the structure, which includes four bedrooms and four bathrooms, they refined the details. They exchanged the initial fixed screens of the all-season space for sliding glass pocket doors and ensured the basement had a vibe that would encourage the grownups to venture downstairs (including a TV). The kitchen would balance its high ceilings with a snack-and-go profile, while its range hood would be impressive enough to stand in for a fireplaceâand a pantry on the back wall would be ready for larger feasts. After the family could technically move in during the fall of 2023, the next phase began: selecting the ideal interiors.
âWe like to move our clients in with essentials, and then continue to work with them on art and vintage pieces once they get to know their home a little better,â McGuier says. âItâs a unique approach, but it ends up giving them more ownership of the final project.â
This is where the friendship Prime and McGuier share with the owners was especially relevant. After looking at more than 50 different options for the entryway, for instance, they came up with the idea to install âglow ballsâ on the ceiling in the same configuration as the Orion constellation visible at night, beside a wall hanging from a Mexican artist that recalls the coupleâs early days. In the main living room, Prime asked McGuier for the angular vintage sofa he purchased for himselfâa generosity he even says was the right moveâand recovered it in a print thatâs as poppy as the one on the rounded wicker chair and ottoman in the all-season room. This penchant for sophisticated whimsy continues in the distinctive bedrooms and basement, and were all brought together by an undercurrent of fun.