The Dower House, Sheffield

The Dower House is a single-family home set in a wooded clearing in Sheffield, Massachusetts. The project was designed by DHD Architecture PC.

The layout is largely open plan, punctuated by large windows that connect the living spaces with the surrounding tree cover. Dark-toned joinery and metalwork stand out against the exterior cladding in Kebony Clear.

Kebony modified wood is produced by impregnating a softwood with a bio-based liquid: the process gives it durability and dimensional stability comparable to tropical species, with no finish to reapply. On exposed elevations it weathers to a silver-grey patina, an ageing sought here to bring the building closer to the trunks and vegetation around it. Construction was carried out by Cromwell Construction.