A Lakefront Meredith Home Is a Timeless Haven
Careful consideration was given when selecting the materials for this home. The end result is a house that blends in with the natural beauty of the property.
This house on Winnipesaukee was built with both family and the natural beauty of the surrounding area in mind.
When Missy and Brian Lagarto began dreaming about their waterfront home in Meredith in the fall of 2018, one concept kept coming up: family.
“We wanted to make sure we had room for everyone in the family to gather,” Missy Lagarto says. “We have two sons, both of whom were recently married, so we wanted to make sure the home was generational—big enough for children and grandchildren—and a place where everybody could gather.”
By the following autumn, the Lagartos, who bought the property near Oak Island a number of years before building this home, achieved just that. The two-story lakefront home, with a fully furnished lower level and two-car garage, sits atop a dramatically landscaped sloping lawn, just yards from Winnipesaukee.
Interior designer Meghan Collins, owner of Bedford-based Creative Spaces, says that as a fun couple who enjoy life, the Lagartos wanted an open floor plan with ample space for gathering with family.
Top: The property features gorgeous views of the lake. Above: The kitchen, says designer Meghan Collins, was the “stepping-off point for the whole house.”
“They have a good size family, and they like to entertain,” Collins says. “It had to be homey, and they wanted to use every available space, but they didn’t want to oversize the house.”
Step one, then, was to come up with a way to create a new home that felt timeless. Collins approached the design with a plan for clean lines and open spaces, but not an overly modern feel. There would be conveniences, but it wouldn’t feel avant-garde or impersonal. And it would feel lived in.
The main floor of the house is one large open space with a kitchen, dining area, living room and sun room. The organic feel of the wood used throughout the home works with the fixtures and appliances to create an industrial take on a classic farmhouse. The posts and beams are made of reclaimed materials.
“The goal of the project was to keep it in a natural setting so it didn’t stand out,” she says. “They’re more interested in flying under the radar instead of having it looking like obvious new construction. The idea was to blend in with the landscape by using earthy colors. There are pops of color throughout, but the feel was to be earthy and organic. We used a lot of organic materials.”
Step into the house, which boasts a transitional flair that straddles several styles, and it instantly opens up. The main floor is essentially one large open space, with a living area, sunroom, dining area and kitchen, which became central to the entire project.
The industrial farmhouse theme continues with a hood made of reclaimed wood juxtaposed with dramatic pendant lights.
“Believe it or not, the kitchen was the stepping-off point for the whole house,” Lagarto says. “I had actually done a Pinterest search to look at color schemes, and I found a single photo that had everything I wanted. I said, ‘I need the kitchen to look like that photo.’” The posts and beams were crafted from reclaimed materials sourced from Sharps Lumber in Ashland by project builder Jason Keeney of Twin Oaks Construction in Plymouth. The organic feel of the wood worked with the appliances and fixtures to create an industrial take on a farmhouse feel. Pendant lights hang over the dining space, bringing yet another eye-catching element to the area.
“The pendant lights have a little bit of an industrial feel,” Collins says. “Not as a primary element, but there are other industrial elements in the house that tie it together.”
A custom medicine cabinet in the first-floor powder room, built by Keeney, fits that theme perfectly.
The home’s two fireplaces are among Collins’ favorite details. The stones were sourced from the property and the surrounding area.
“It’s a modern farmhouse sliding mirror with a medicine cabinet made from reclaimed wood behind it,” Collins says of her favorite detail in the home. “You wouldn’t know it moved if I didn’t tell you. It’s really unexpected.”
The cabinets are understated (“we weren’t trying to make a statement with the cabinets,” Collins says), but a flash of elegance in the form of a reclaimed wood mantelpiece over the range continues the “earthy/organic” theme repeated throughout the home.
“We carried that feel of being natural and transitional but not necessarily fully modern,” Collins says of the kitchen. “It has plenty of clean lines and isn’t overly ornate.”
The second floor, which looks out onto the lake, is home to a guest suite, a guest bedroom, an office, laundry room and a master bedroom that features striking ceiling details designed to retain an open, yet warm feeling.
The tongue-and-groove wood on the ceiling gives the master bedroom an intimate, cozy feeling.
Collins’ creative use of tongue-andgrove wood intersecting across a number of gables made for an interesting and dramatic approach.
“When you have all those gables and changes in height, you can lose the intimacy of a bedroom—or any room,” Collins says. “The architecture points just start to take over. We worked to bring the ceiling down without making the room feel smaller. We decided to treat it like a fifth wall and put some nice wood on there.”
The lower level is where the fun begins. A family room with a pool table area, guest bathroom with a shower, and a bar creates the ideal space for the Lagarto’s entertaining needs.
“Missy and Brian had gone on a cruise and saw a similar bar design on the cruise ship,” Collins says. “They knew that’s what they wanted in their home.”
Together, Lagarto and Collins came up with a design to recreate the angled shelving behind the bar and then backlit it with soft lighting, giving the space an edgy farmhouse industrial style by sheathing it in reclaimed wood. The bar itself is also treated with the same reclaimed wood, which was sourced directly from an old barn in New London.
“Working on the designs with Meghan was so easy and so much fun,” Lagarto says. “I felt like she and I were partners. Obviously, I deferred to her expertise, but we would get on our computers and search for things and share them with each other. It was a lot of fun. And we hit it off personally as well,” she adds. “It felt like we not only had a designer, but a friend. The four of us—my husband, Jason, Meghan and myself—we had developed friendships. It made building and designing that house so much easier.”
The patio and hot tub offer more entertaining space, and a gently sloping lawn leads to a retaining wall and the waterfront beyond—an enviable vista available from the entire house.
The Lagartos got the idea for this dramatic bar while on a cruise. The wood was sourced from an old barn in New London.
“The most dramatic element would be the views,” Collins says. “That drove everything—to try to get a view of the water from every room in the house.
And by the way, there’s a view of the water from every room in the house.”
Lagarto’s favorite detail? “All the reclaimed wood and the fireplaces,” she says. Crafted from stones sourced from the property and nearby, the mason crafted two fireplaces that embody the spirit of what the couple hoped to create in the home: welcoming spaces perfect for family gatherings.
“I feel that they’re the two grounding factors that made this style of home come to life,” Lagarto says.
Though the home was built on the site of the couple’s previous house, it feels as if it’s been a part of the area for some time. Careful consideration was given to creating a look that harmonizes perfectly with the picturesque lakefront setting. Multiple materials and textures on the exterior give it a unique feel. Collins worked with the Lagartos to blend horizontal siding, stone work, cedar shakes, stain and teak to create a classic impression with a natural feel.
Touches of wood can be found in all parts of the house, and the stairs are no exception.
“It’s such a nice mix of materials that if you stared at it long enough, you’d see the individual elements,” Collins says. “But it has such a cohesive feel that it really is something unique. We spent a lot of time working on that—more so than most other projects. It’s an interesting compilation of materials and colors, and we did spend a lot of time making sure it was aesthetically pleasing to their neighbors as well. They wanted it to blend in with the landscape and look timeless.”
There’s that word again. “This house, twenty to thirty years from now, is going to look just as nice, unique and beautiful as it does now. It will look timeless.” NHH
RESOURCES
Meghan Collins • Creative Spaces LLC (603) 801-2444
Miracle Farms • (603) 253-9292 miraclefarmslandscaping.com
Pinnacle Kitchens • (603) 744-2560 pinnaclekitchens.com
PRG Rugs • (603) 882-5604 • prgrugs.com
Sharps Lumber • (603) 968-7981 sharpslumber.com
Twin Oaks Construction • (603) 536-1051 twinoaksconstruction.com
