“Equally, I think of the three dimensions in every room—walls, floors and ceilings. Each room should tell its own story that connects with the whole home,” Lauren says. Envisioning a union of timeless English architecture with modern design, she included the traditional asymmetrical exterior features plus modern natural materials and metal finishes into the Manor’s design. 

A soft, swooping roofline built with custom concrete tiles was a key exterior design element that required keen attention to detail early in the construction phase. Lauren’s crew worked with framers to test and perfect the swoop angles, building up the angle significantly more in the field to achieve the desired emphasis of the curves when viewing the home from the street.

“As we built up the angles, we tested samples of the concrete roof tiles to ensure they would effectively follow the curve,” she says. “The result was worth the extra effort.”

A shared center line for the fireplace and cooktop is a must when designing a kitchen and great room that neighbor one another. In this kitchen, however, that shared center line created an unideal asymmetrical layout that required design finesse to perfect.

“One thing I love in European kitchens is the use of real marble and wood countertops,” Lauren says. “Combining both at the island was just the solution we needed.”

The kitchen sink, centered with the marble counter and the cooktop, establishes symmetry while the large butcher block at the end creates a satisfying visual balance.

The finishes throughout reflect a long-established home—one with heart. The English manor inspiration carries throughout the interior of the home with abundant wainscoting, dormers at the entry and second floor and well-appointed room sizes that are spacious yet cozy. Myriad luxe finishes—European white-oak flooring, a mix of metals, imported handmade fixtures from England, Italian marble and lacquered cabinetry—uplevel the home’s grand interior. Whole-home automation makes the best of both worlds, seamlessly merging the timeless finishes of the Old World with the residing family’s modern needs.