One of the people who built this summer house in l908 wanted a place at the shore; the other wanted a mountain retreat. The resulting compromise is this Adiron-dack-style lodge nestled among the trees on a bluff above Lake Como, at the north-em edge of Spring Lake. It’s a little out of the way, but it’s worth the effort.
Architect Mark Fessler and his wife, Linda, who loves crafts and collecting, bought Holbycroft in 1985 and maintained its North Country mood through-out. The house was constructed of white cedar and ironstone with a half-timbered stucco-and-stone exterior. Inside, exposed log-and-stone walls peek out here and there among the knotty pine, while beamed ceilings add a sturdy exclamation point. In the living room, a 16-foot ironstone fireplace between two stair-cases faces a sunken, brick-floored area, where guests can sip sherry while look-ing out a wall ofwindows at Lake Como. The breakfast buffet is set out in the ad-jacent dining area or in the glassed-in breakfast room. In warm weather, guests eat on the patio.
If the common areas haven’t completely won you over, the guest rooms will. They are individually decorated and all but one has a view of the lake. Most have iron and brass beds, though some are made of wood. Stenciling is everywhere, as is evidence of the Fesslers’ artful collecting.
|