Main residence's yard with revealed shale ledge.
Welcome to Homestead, a Birdseye design project originally completed in 2021 and recently revisited after a new wellness cabin was added to the landscape. Following a day spent on site documenting the projects, Vermont photographer Daniel J. Cardon shared his written reflection.
Homestead is a place to pause, gather your thoughts, and become attuned to the gentle rhythms of nature. The islands of Lake Champlain are bathed in a unique light, with big skies overhead and the sun casting an exquisite illumination from dawn until dusk. Homestead and its wellness cabin are rooted in the land’s history. Their pastoral forms are a gentle nod to the agrarian structures that have long shaped this place. The newly completed cabin stands as a quiet sanctuary, its presence both subtle and intentional, a retreat within a retreat.
Looking up at the main residence from the lake path.
Newly completed wellness cabin seen from the shoreline.
Wellness cabin with a sauna and fitness room.
Throughout the day, the cabin’s metal cladding transforms with the sky, taking on new tones as the light shifts. The entrance, a golden glowing oak door, beckons you inside. Beyond, the cedar-clad sauna welcomes you with gentle heat and a sense that the world is beginning to slow. Here you sit before an extra-large square glazing, letting the warmth envelop you as you gaze east across the water. Outside, the sound of waves on the shoreline mixes with birdsongs drifting through the trees, creating a soundtrack for reflection and presence.
The wellness cabin shares a utilitarian design language with the main residence.
An oak door creates contrast and warmth.
Lake Champlain provides a natural cold plunge, just a short walk from the sauna.
Hard lines of the cabin exterior and a soft landscape create visual balance.
Handmade door pull that leads into the sauna.
Cedar planks are meticulously detailed to align, creating continuity between benches and walls.
This is a curious space; each area seems to unfold in quiet vignettes. You are invited to slowly explore and linger in the ongoing dialogue between structure and land. As day ends, what remains is a sense of ease and connection. Through the gentle rhythm of these spaces, you may just find what it means to feel at home.
Words by Daniel J. Cardon
Photography by Daniel J. Cardon
Terracotta tiled entry.
Sauna overlooking the eastern view of Lake Champlain.
Under-bench lighting provides a warm evening glow in the sauna.
