Good architects listen as much to Mother Nature as to the client. Jonathan Monroe of Monroe and Crocker in Rappahannock County, Va., definitely was listening when he designed this home on an old cow pasture near Shenandoah National Park.
The house’s north side backs up to a hill that marks the edge of a valley trailing to the east and south. The eastern view looks onto an orchard while the south view takes in a pond. And the west side views the park. There’s also a flat roof atop the garage with a screened porch.
The west side features terraces and landings to capture the Shenandoah’s vistas, while to the east a massive flagstone terrace “is almost like a cloister; it’s meant to be an inward space,” Monroe says. “The idea of having different places to sit depending on the season was very important.”
Monroe likes bluestone, which is a local product, but the client also wanted a lot of color, so he imported red stone from the Rockies. Metal railings were made from powder-coated steel from the firm’s own design. Monroe also believes in using real wood cladding when popular, so cedar shingles and shakes were put onto one wing of the house.
