“If houses could be heard, the Bergman home would resound with sighs of utter content. Tranquil and soothing, this fifties ranch seamlessly connects inner and exterior spaces to create a spa-like feel so peaceful it could double as a Zen retreat.”
“Early work was structural. They gutted everything, raising the ceiling and tearing down the walls to create an open floor plan out of five distinct rooms. The original house was multi-level, and the Bergman’s maintained that, adding levels to the outdoor space as well.”
“They’ve collected art, altered the plantscape, moved walls, and blew out windows. They reimagined, and completely redid, the mid-twentieth century oval in-ground pool, installing a natural stone terrace where tradition might have dictated a cedar-plank deck. They turned a three-car garage into a two-car shelter, with adjoining office space for RIchard. The back bedroom is now a master bedroom suite with a luxurious bath and steam shower, and his and her sinks on opposite walls, as opposed to the traditional side-by-side.”
“Outside in the tonal garden, the Bergman’s eschew vibrant color, opting instead for the whites and greens of dried hydrangea, grasses, and pyramidal boxwood.”
“Continuing the indoor-to-outdoor flow, and enhancing the four-season appeal, is a pergola of dimensional lumber, the perfect spot for warm-weather dining. A fountain just outside the master bedroom suite runs all winter long.”
“I can look out here on a gloomy forty-degree day and I can see something artistic,” Dorothy marvels. “I cannot imagine living in this house, or any other, that doesn’t have a specific thoughtfulness to what you view outside. [This house] is about art and friends. It’s very pleasing, and I feel completely blessed living here.”