An Elegant Potting Greenhouse

A float on a floral sea, the room also serves as an apt terminus to the expansive house. It eases the transition from the upper terraces down to the lower green. It adds a bit of human-sized scale next to the stone stairway where you have to walk close to the house.

The unusual contour of the roof was designed to mimic the lines of the main house. The cupola is glass but the lower roof is clad with lead-coated copper on the outside and trimmed with mahogany bead board on the inside. Jim Davis AIA, the architect who designed the new home, had worked with Tanglewood on several previous projects and had come to value the role that an experienced specialist can play.

Inside this 175 square foot greenhouse there’s enough space for several small trees, rows of colorful begonias, a potting sink and a bistro table with chairs for two. Simple but well thought out details set the tone. He had chronicled his thoughts on our working together in an article published in Design Build magazine in which he speaks of “Collaboration: The Key Ingredient”.”The collaborative process developed by my firm and Tanglewood has evolved from that initial project…to one that, four conservatories later, begins at the earliest possible point when the design parameters and budgets are being developed.”

“To me, the collaboration with Tanglewood is analogous to commissioning a sculptor for a piece of art. I lay out the design generically and then rely on their specialized expertise. Because of the talent of their staff, Tanglewood can design a conservatory that is sympathetic with my own ideas.”

“In my years working with Tanglewood, I have come to use the relationship that Alan and I have built together as a model for I want a professional collaborative relationship to be.”

After only two meetings with Jim and his clients, a design was finalized to unanimous consensus.