Built to Blend In

摘要

For most of the year, Hot Springs, Ark., is a delightful place to live. But in the cruel heart of summer, when the hot, humid hammer comes down, it can be unbearable. That's when Hot Springs natives Isabel and John Ed Anthony head for Mount Desert Island on the naturally air-conditioned coast of Maine. They began this tradition years ago and eventually bought an old summer "camp." This run-down little house clung to the side of a steep, wooded cliff, overlooking one of the most beautiful harbors on the Atlantic coast. But as John Ed recalls, "The carpenter ants were defeating our attempts to save it." The Anthonys eventually decided to tear down what was left of the old camp, and they hired me to design a new home to take its place. Their top priority was to preserve as much of the existing landscape as possible. This was no mean feat.