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pull towards the fresh, the contemporary,
and the expertly crafted. The house also
shares a robust indoor/outdoor living
connection that defines the California
residential ideal. But this is Berkshire,
where, despite its more suburban setting,
the house departs from the typical suburban
vernacular, which the studio's director,
Gregory Phillips, politely describes as void
of "basic detailing and construction that is
not unique or special." Bland.
Berkshire House II is the precise opposite,
allowing for entertaining and for guests
alike, but mainly functioning as an
intimate working home for a family of six.
Maximizing the benefits of its site, the
house is constructed in a succession of
solid forms: the street side, mostly built
with handmade brick, is dedicated to the
public family and living spaces, and the
other, its secluded garden side, contains
any of us remember, often with
fondness, our childhood homes,
the places where we came of age.
Some of us might even dream of
returning to those homes with a
grand remodel in mind. Still others might
find a kind of gospel in Thomas Wolfe's edict,
"You can't go home again." Berkshire House
II is a hybrid of these ideas, a modernist,
elaborately glassed house by London-
based studio Gregory Phillips Architects
for a client who had grown up in an existing
dwelling on the site and sought a new and
flawless alternative.
Gregory Phillips Architects approached this
project with craftsmanship and sensitivity
to design a physical manifestation of the
studio's broader cross-project aim: creating
contemporary yet timeless homes. This
one, a splendid and practical five-bedroom
abode, is a glowing example of the studio's
22 DIGS.NET | 4.21.23
