Seneca Hilltop

A five-acre field captured the owners’ imagination for working with the land, keeping bees, and living more simply in their retirement. Richardson & Associates joined the project team early, which permitted site planning to emerge in tandem with the finely detailed new house by Thomson Cooke Architects.

From its hilltop vantage, the house is sited to enhance the arrival sequence and frame vistas across the property. A forest of apex hardwood species thrive along the perimeter while the small orchard and kitchen garden define the spaces closer to the house. The gravel entry drive lined with Freeman maples (Acer x freemanii), reinforces the rustic formality of the home and gardens.

The rear garden is a sequence of terraces and plantings; a reflecting pool offers sound from the sunken patio courtyard. Traditionally planted with boxwood and ferns, the patio is enclosed by a stone wall that steps up to the perennial garden. An outdoor pavilion rises beyond the formal terrace and is set among a native array of grasses and flowering shrubs, which blends into the woodland edge. Entirely new, the composition of house and landscape offers a sense of place and fulfills the lifestyle desired by the owners.

  • Architect: Thomson Cooke Architects
  • Interior Design: Melissa Colgan Interiors
  • General Contractor: Thorsen Construction
  • Landscape Contractor: Lucas and Clark
  • Photographer: Stacy Zarin Goldberg
A stone estate sits atop a gently sloping grassy hill, approached by a long gravel driveway. A dark wooden fence encloses the front lawn, and a stone pillar marks the entrance to the property.
A multi-gabled stone house with a dark shingle roof and black window frames. A circular flower bed sits in the center of a gravel driveway in front of the arched front entryway.
A stone house with a large window and a dark-colored connecting wing. A gravel driveway leads to the structure, which is framed by flower beds and green trees under a blue sky.
A stone house with multiple gabled roofs, dark window shutters, and a slate-colored roof. A stone walkway leads to the entrance, flanked by flower beds filled with tall green grasses, purple spikes, and white flowers.
A stone house with a large, black-framed grid window set under a dark shingled roof. A garden bed filled with white daisies and tall green grass sits in front of the window.
The gable end of a stone house features a large, multi-paned window centered above a garden bed with purple flowers. A gravel driveway framed by stone pavers leads to the house, which is set against a bright blue sky.
A stone house with a dark shingle roof and matching garage doors. The exterior features gray shutters, a dormer window above, and tall ornamental grasses planted along the gravel driveway.
A stone house with a dark gabled roof sits next to a lush lawn. In the background, a small outdoor pavilion stands near tiered stone garden walls and mature trees with autumn foliage.
A large stone and dark-sided house with multiple gables and a black roof. A tiered stone garden wall winds through the grassy lawn in the foreground.
A dark-sided home features a stone-faced gable roof behind a dark horizontal-plank facade. A bright red Japanese maple tree stands in front of the house, centered between two tall windows in a garden bed.
A rectangular stone water feature with a central fountain sits on a patio next to a dark wood building. Lush green landscaping and a stone wall surround the courtyard, with trees in the background.
A wooden dining table with six chairs is set for a meal on a stone patio outside a house. The table features a centerpiece of blue hydrangeas and tall taper candles. The house exterior combines dark siding and stone masonry under a dark roof.
A stone house with a large chimney features a matching stone wall and a wooden arbor gate. Behind the wall, a separate wooden structure with a shingled roof stands nestled among green trees.
A stone path leads through a lush garden between a wooden porch and a stone building. The path passes a low stone wall toward a dark shed surrounded by green trees.
A gravel path leads through a garden toward a wooden arched gate in a stone wall. Raised garden beds filled with various plants and trellises line the path, next to a stone house on the left.
A wooden pavilion with a stone fireplace stands in a garden with raised planting beds. To the right is a stone house with a window, and to the left is a tree-lined yard with a white fence.
Three stacked wooden beehives sit on a low platform in a field of tall, dry grass. The hives are situated in front of a rustic wooden fence and dense green trees.

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