FeedLight by the Lake
This fabulous Harold Tittman lakehouse features clean design and some pretty fabulous views of Lake Waramaug
Of the many natural features and resources that have attracted people to the Litchfield Hills since the time of the Native Americans, none is more prized than Lake Waramaug in Washington. The second largest natural lake in Connecticut and the state’s first designated Heritage Lake, Waramaug is the site of many fine homes—and one amazing lake house.
Over the centuries, Washington has also been blessed with talented designers and architects like Parisian-born, Gunnery School–educated architect Ehrick Rossiter. After graduating from Cornell at the end of the 19th century, Rossiter began working in New York and designing summer homes for his boarding-school chums in and around the Washington Green. Continuing the Rossiter tradition is young Harold Tittmann, a Brussels-born, Kent School–educated architectural designer, who, after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, began working in New York and designing weekend homes for his boarding-school chums in and around the five villages of Washington. Tittmann’s work includes the architectural jewel on the shores of Lake Waramaug featured on these pages and built for a young, active New York family.
The lake house is sandwiched in a very tight space between road and lake. The challenge for Tittmann was to keep the house as discreet as possible from the road, provide lake views from the house, and preserve the public’s view of the lake. The house is a wonderful mixture of modern and classical elements that create a cozy yet elegant home for every season.
“What I like most about design is when one thinks the wheel can’t be reinvented, every year new and innovative products find their way into the market place,” Tittmann says. “Many contribute to a more eco-friendly architecture. Every project I work on is unique with its own challenges, keeping me focused and stimulated.” One look at his website will attest to this.
Considering that Tittmann was raised in a classical setting, surrounded by antiques and master paintings, he manages to incorporate all types of materials—including new cutting edge materials with old antique beams—into his designs for architecture, furniture, and even the landscape.
“I don’t have a very academic approach to design,” he explains. “I like to design homes that are comfortable, welcoming, and fit well in their environment. Proportion and flow are important in my designs, as well as how light enters a space. I like to keep my projects crisp. Maybe the right way to describe my architecture is ‘modernist colonial style.’ I design with my clients in mind—not necessarily thinking how cool a picture of this project will look on the cover of an architectural magazine. And I like to keep an open and collaborative relationship with my clients,” Tittmann adds. “Ehrick Rossiter once said: ‘If you want to love your country, make it beautiful.’ This is the way I feel about our little town.”
Harold Tittmann continues to make his surroundings more beautiful as he carries on the Rossiter tradition in a very “cool” way for the 21st century.
