Penobscot Gable House

Sited dramatically on a bluff, this modern synthesis of Shingle Style and Arts and Crafts architecture gains interest from the way it bends and meanders to follow the contours of the land. The angled wings dynamically shift and overlap.

The plan is largely one room deep to encourage cross ventilation and to take advantage of water views to the north, while admitting sunlight from the south. The flavor is influenced by an informal rustic camp next door.

The first floor functions as a living room in the summer with French doors that open to the view. At the end of the season, the furniture is moved aside to make room for the pick-up truck. Lanterns suspended from the points of the roof are standard mooring balls fitted with light bulbs inside.

Over half the interior of the tiny house is a great lodge hall, extending to the full height of the roof and centered on a massive stone fireplace. Tree trunk porch columns give the entry façade something of the aspect of a primitive shrine.