Rolling hills, endless forests – the picturesque West Virginian landscape is truly breath-taking, and this stunning villa gives it the stage it deserves. With its hillside location with a view over the valley, large glazed surfaces and an interplay of wood and natural stone were an absolute must.
The panorama on show from this detached house in the middle of the West Virginian woodlands has to be seen to be believed. The hillside structure, which comprises three separate sections, complements its natural surroundings perfectly, the very epitome of a transparent and spacious living experience. Situated miles from the nearest town, the owners revel in their peaceful refuge from urban life.
In order to frame the view and give the house a wide opening to the outdoors, the central main section of the building – or the upstairs part of it, at least – is designed more or less as a single room, with floor-to-ceiling glazing. This space incorporates both the living room, the kitchen and the dining area. One element that plays a huge role in created this sense of openness is the monopitch roof, which reaches up to a good six metres above the ground floor at its highest point on the side facing the valley. This transfers the vast freedom of the countryside into the interior of the building, transforming the facade into a stage for the great outdoors.
The stunning glazing complements the architecture perfectly, really bringing out the genius of the building’s design. At around three metres in height the cero sliding windows provided by Solarlux allow the owners to open up a huge section of the house on the side facing the valley, with no pillars to block the view – even in the corner. And thanks to its incredibly slender profiles, the glazing – which provides excellent thermal insulation – offers an almost completely unobstructed view of the valley and the forests beyond even when it is closed.
The sliding windows are framed, in a sense, by stones in various shades of red, which echo the colours of the autumn leaves. These contrast beautifully with the sandy sections of the walls and the wooden facades of the two side panels, yet the colours never fail to complement one another. Due to its elevated position on the hillside, a balustrade has been installed in front of the sliding window on the ground floor, and flows neatly into a handrail as it reaches the steps to the patio.
This villa in West Virginia is the perfect embodiment of a desire to be close to nature. And thanks to the elegant interplay of the wood, stone and colour scheme with the spacious architecture and large glazed surfaces, this dream is now a reality.