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Hobbit Home
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| Asked to design a fitting repository for a client’s
valuable collection of J.R.R. Tolkien manuscripts and artifacts, architect
Peter Archer went to the source—the fantasy novels that describe
the abodes of the diminutive Hobbits.
“I came back my client and said, ‘I’m not going to make this look like Hollywood,’” Archer recalled, choosing to focus instead on a finely-crafted structure embodying a sense of history and tradition. The site was critical too—and Archer found the perfect one a short walk away from his client’s main house, where an 18th-century dry-laid wall ran through the property. “I thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful to build the structure into the wall?” |
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Not only did the wall anchor the cottage, but stones from another section were used in the cottages construction. “It literally grew out of the site,” Archer said.
Perhaps stranger things have happened in Tolkien’s world, but few houses in this one go to such lengths to capture a fictional fantasy in the context of architecture. Here are some details.
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Inside the cottage, a bench
seat rests below the “butterfly” window, so called because
its center-hinged panes take on the appearance of the insect’s
wings when open. The divided-light look is created with gridwork affixed
to both sides of the insulated glass. Photo: David Thorngate
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Like the butterfly window, the
cottage’s round 3-inch-thick front door is made of Spanish cedar
by cabinetmaker David Thorngate of Newark, Del. Though the round door
is used as an entryway, a more conventionally shaped (and discreetly
concealed) 3-ft. x 7-ft. door in the back of the cottage conforms to
code and, Archer concedes, makes it easier to get in and out. To the
right of the round door, an electrical outlet is disguised under a metal
box.
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The round door is hung on a
single hinge designed by blacksmith Michael Coldren of North East, Md.
Designing hardware strong enough to handle the torque of the circular
door was one of the tougher challenges, according to the architect.
The walls are plywood, trimmed out with Douglas fir details and in-filled
with plaster. Above the plaster walls, the roof is supported with Douglas
fir rafters and a glue-lam ridge beam, also trimmed with Douglas fir.
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Situated in the main room of
the cottage, the stucco fireplace is embellished with slivers of the
tiles used on the roof. The cottage’s climate control includes
air conditioning and radiant heat beneath the 6/4 western white pine
floor.
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Half-walls and an arch create
a library in the rear of the main room.
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The architect intentionally
left space between the square windows and the curved arch above for
a bit of creative expression. The resulting pattern was created by the
builder, who cut slivers of roof tile on a wetsaw and embedded them
in stucco.
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Sources:
Architect: Builder: Custom doors and windows: Hardware: |
 A similar pattern surrounds the windows flanking the chimney and the lower edges of the round door. |
-- Photo credit: Courtesy of Peter Archer, except where noted.
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Original Source: HERE.
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