New York studio Worrell Yeung has designed a Connecticut lake house worthy of home envy. Perched atop the leafy slopes surrounding Candlewood Lake, the home is a 4,900 sq ft family retreat defined by its strong shapes and stacked, linear volumes. The timber and concrete forms appear cascading towards the water, connecting the owners to the landscape and allowing them to take in nature at every corner.
‘The starting point for this weekend house in Connecticut was to provide a direct relationship with the lakeside landscape and a platform to experience space and nature,’ says practice co-principal Max Worrell. ‘Part of the goal of the project was to minimise the house’s presence and perceived size from the street. We ended up layering planes and stacking volumes to break up the mass of the house as it cascades down the hill,' adds his co-principal Jejon Yeung.
The generous home wraps around a large, old oak tree existing on the site, the preservation of which the clients and architects were keen to prioritise. Making views, trees and water the main focus of the design, the architects ensured each space opens up to long vistas through glazed expanses and openings of all kinds. The home's stepped character helps achieve that goal, allowing for a variety of views through and across the house.
‘We took advantage of the concrete structure – cantilevering roof planes in multiple directions is not as readily possible with wood or steel construction,' says Worrell. ‘Using its non-contiguous load bearing points, we were able to shift and cantilever the second-floor volume, opening up half of the first-floor roof for gardens and occupiable outdoor deck space.'
Natural materials and this openness towards nature help define this Connecticut lake house. At the same time, it remains a thoroughly contemporary home, placing comfort, refined aesthetics and convenience at the heart of its design too. ‘Despite the clients wanting a modern house, they still wanted to be contextual,' adds Worrell. And no doubt, this striking lake house ticks both boxes.
INFORMATION
-
Meet Malak Mattar, the Palestinian artist behind the 'Together for Palestine' concert at London's Wembley ArenaThe London-based artist curates a landmark concert of music and art in support of Gaza, alongside Brian Eno, James Blake, Jamie xx, Neneh Cherry and more
-
A new coffee table book proves that one designer’s trash is another’s treasureThe Rizzoli tome, launching today (16 September 2025), delves into the philosophy and process of Retrouvius, a design studio reclaiming salvaged materials in weird and wonderful ways
-
A carbon-emission-busting house, yeast-biomass building, and more ‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’‘Designs for a Cooler Planet’ returns to Aalto University in Finland as part of the annual Helsinki design and architecture week, highlighting buildings, materials and solutions towards a better future
-
Herzog & de Meuron and Piet Oudolf unveil Calder Gardens in PhiladelphiaThe new cultural landmark presents Alexander Calder’s work in dialogue with nature and architecture, alongside the release of Jacques Herzog’s 'Sketches & Notes'. Ellie Stathaki interviews Herzog about the project.
-
Meet Studio Zewde, the Harlem practice that's creating landscapes 'rooted in cultural narratives, ecology and memory'Ahead of a string of prestigious project openings, we check in with firm founder Sara Zewde
-
The best of California desert architecture, from midcentury gems to mirrored dwellingsWhile architecture has long employed strategies to cool buildings in arid environments, California desert architecture developed its own distinct identity –giving rise, notably, to a wave of iconic midcentury designs
-
A restored Eichler home is a peerless piece of West Coast midcentury modernismWe explore an Eichler home, and Californian developer Joseph Eichler’s legacy of design, as a fine example of his progressive house-building programme hits the market
-
How LA's Terremoto brings 'historic architecture into its next era through revitalising the landscapes around them'Terremoto, the Los Angeles and San Francisco collective landscape architecture studio, shakes up the industry through openness and design passion
-
Inside a Donald Wexler house so magical, its owner bought it twiceSo transfixed was Daniel Patrick Giles, founder of fragrance brand Perfumehead, he's even created a special scent devoted to it
-
The Pagani Residences is the latest ultra-luxe automotive apartment tower to reach MiamiRising up above Miami, branded apartment buildings are having a renaissance, as everyone from hypercar builders to crystal makers seeks to have a towering structure bearing their name
-
A modern cabin in Minnesota serves as a contemporary creative retreat from the citySnow Kreilich Architects' modern cabin and studio for an artist on a lakeside plot in Minnesota was designed to spark creativity and provide a refuge from the rat race
