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THE MOREWOOD

A Tour Through Lutyens Legacy

THE MOREWOOD: A Tour Through Lutyens Legacy Not all great homes of the Gilded Age were dazzlingly opulent palatial homes glittering with gold, sparkling with crystal. When escaping the formality of their city lives, the nouveau riche would retreat to their country homes in the mountains or by the sea. Unlike the Newport “cottages,” one immediately senses the aura of an English country manor upon entering the Morewood. Most homes designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, England’s architect laureate of country homes, are located in England and Scotland. However, in the United States, the practical means for the dissemination of house plans was through popular magazines such as the Ladies’ Home Journal or more sophisticated publications like the Architectural Review, as was the case with the Morewood (per English architect Margaret Lewis, 1912-2015, former Pittsfield resident). Referring to the unsettling massive scale desired by many of his wealthy clients, Lutyens lamented, “…I wish he did not want a castle, but a delicious lovely house with plenty of good large rooms in it.” I think you will agree that the Morewood is delicious! The Morewood represents the design influence of the early work of Sir Edwin Lutyens, with architecture adapted from the Elizabethan period, and nestled into its incredible English gardens. While it is often ambiguous as to whether the house or the garden is the climax, Lutyens’ idea of the house as threshold to the garden seems the case at Morewood. As is typical of Lutyens’ country homes, there is emphasis on internal planning, especially the architectural importance of the horizontal circulation spaces and staircases, and the use of neo-Georgian detail on its interior. Rejecting overwrought style of the Victorian era, Lutyens embraced the constructional integrity of the Arts and Crafts style, which is evident throughout Morewood. The British Arts and Crafts movement derived from the Gothic Revival. The Morewood is a good example of how medieval vernacular ideas were simplified and clarified. Throughout your tour, you will notice these influences. Please come in! We welcome you through the arched door of the CARRIAGE ENTRANCE at the driveway. This is a country home in the Berkshires – there is no need to walk up the marble steps to the formal entrance. Lutyens purposely

designed the formal front entrance to be less direct. As you stand within the white-washed brick walls of the ENTRANCE VESTIBULE, you notice the massive Indiana limestone threshold and window sills, brickwork floor, and articulated hipped stucco ceiling with hand-carved period alabaster chandelier. Tudor leaded lights surround you. The Morewood is a masterpiece of historical restoration, and you are about to travel through each room of this National Historic Landmark home. Entering, you discover yourself on another threshold, the staircase landing. Often, several thresholds are arranged to reassure the visitor and provide a feeling of security on entering Lutyens’ houses. A few steps will take you to the MAIN CENTER HALL, a large area from which you can look into all the rooms on the main level of the home: the kitchen, dining room, living room, library, formal foyer entrance, and bath foyer can all be directly accessed from this hall. The ease with which movement flows throughout is reflective of Lutyens internal plan. With its rooms radiating from the central halls, horizontal movement and line-of-sight are unobstructed, essentially creating an open floor plan. Except in the domestics’ areas, hallways are virtually non-existent. As you look from room to room, you will notice gently restored honey oak quartersawn hardwood floors throughout. The Morewood’s historic color palette reflects the warm earthy colors of the Berkshires, and seamlessly transitions from room to room. Every room draws us in, but we will start in the KITCHEN, where guests are treated like family. The kitchen, of course, was originally part of the domestics wing, hence the bead board wainscoting, picture moulding, and flat stock window and door casings. Doorknobs are porcelain rather than crystal. These features will be seen throughout the various domestics’ areas. The renovation of the kitchen was dramatic. Encompassing three years and several evolutions in design, it was ultimately a blend of the original plan of our architect, Luigi Bianco Design Associates, with design influences by Latson & Latson, and work space allocation influenced by Johnny Gray, who began the “unfitted kitchen” movement for Smallbone in 1986:

Unlike “fitted” kitchens, in which standard cabinets run from wall to wall, the “unfitted” kitchen takes a less formal approach. It is home to a collection of hand-crafted pieces that stand alone…the overall effect is of individual elements with separate tasks, working together to create a smooth-running whole.

This approach is reminiscent of early kitchens. In restoring Morewood, it was critical to afford the amenities of our 21st century while not compromising its architecture and history. The kitchen exemplifies the success of this effort. With its separate “hearth” (Wolf 60” Dual Fuel Range), freestanding “ice box” (Subzero 640Pro), hand-crafted cabinetry (built-in Wolf warming drawer with Sabbath mode), wash stand with integrated stone sink, and large center work island. The legs and on the island and island side table were milled to match the legs on Lutyens’ kitchen island work table at Castle Drogo in Scotland, the first “island”

in kitchen design. All cabinetry and milled doors and windows in the kitchen are mahogany. To each side of the Wolf range, the breakfront drawers align with the control panel. The mantle above the cook top was designed to match the billiard room fireplace mantle, insuring a historically correct restoration. The German silver sink in the island, a reclaimed “flower sink” from a historic farm house in Newton, MA, pairs well with the existing sink in the Butler Pantry. The countertop choice was easy: soapstone has been quarried in the Northeast for at least 150 years and has been used as both dry and wet sinks for at least that long. Large 18” x 18” stone was selected for the floors. The reflective ceiling plan, with its coffers, beams, and center arch, was designed by Luigi Bianco. The beams were built with cherry wood that had been milled from trees harvested on the estate. When driving up to Morewood at night, one of the first things that can be seen are the massive beams, and the pair of Gothic slag glass period pendants glowing above. Leaded glass French doors, sidelights, and transoms consume the entire east wall, flooding the kitchen with light, and inviting us out to the terrace overlooking the gardens. Lighting from below below the glass brick floor of the terrace creates a spectacular effect at night. The railing was made with kiln-dried heart cypress, milled to match the existing railing leading up to the “service porch” to the left. Cypress was chosen because the teahouse and garden gate are cypress wood. From the kitchen, there is staircase leading down to the scullery, but we will instead walk in to the adjacent BUTLER PANTRY. The first thing you will notice here is the spectacular German Silver Sink, almost eleven feet long! Stainless steel does not even come close to comparing with the texture or look of this fine soft German Silver (copper, nickel, and zinc alloys). The soft grade metal of this unique handmade sink helps protect fine china and crystal. A pair of Fisher & Paykel dish drawers are below, and a Thermador warming drawer is integrated into the base cabinets on the opposite side. The upper cabinets, with their beautiful mullions and hardware, are original to the home. Indirect lighting floods the room from two huge antique pendants above, salvaged the Chicago Theatre. There is a door to the food pantry, with its wrap-around storage shelving, and a door leading us into the dining room. The DINING ROOM, with its spectacular views of the fountain, Tea House, gardens, and 8th green, is the singular exception to Morewood’s understated elegance. Wall-to-wall windows flood the room with sunlight by day, while at night its massive antique French crystal chandelier sparkles while the marble fireplace glows. The wall mural is the creation of master muralist Clifton Jaeger, known for his painted canvas murals based on Medieval and Renaissance designs. Using old master techniques, he applies natural earth pigments to linen canvas that has been laboriously layered with up to eight layers of handmade gesso, and finished with a sepia glaze made from the ink of cuttlefish. These will never fade, which was an important consideration in this bright sunny room. The custom pattern Jaeger crafted for Morewood uses elements from both Elizabethan and Tudor tapestries. Leaded glass French doors, with sidelights and transoms, entice you out to the SUN PORCH, with its vast view over the

grounds and fairways. Perhaps, if you were planning a day of golf or tennis, you’d walk through the private access to the Country Club of Pittsfield next door. But, on a particularly lazy summer day, you might just ride your golf cart over, especially if your plans included packing a lunch for an afternoon of boating or swimming at Morewood Lake with the children. But today, you will instead continue your tour through the mullioned glass French doors as you enter one of Morewood’s largest and most breathtaking rooms. The quiet beauty of the LIVING ROOM is quintessential English country. With its dusty rose chandelier and pendants, limestone fireplace, suede-like faux painted plaster walls and butternut mantle, doors, and woodwork, you will feel as if you are actually in Berkshire County, England. It is both timeless and livable, grand but welcoming. If you touch the soft suede-like walls, you will discover that they are faux painted plaster. Using a technique involving multiple layers of paints and glazes, Alyson Posella devoted three months to this task. The soft pink glow of the chandelier seems to be reflected in the colors near the crown, lightens as the eye moves downward, then gradually deepens to an earthy burnt umber below. Alyson, an accomplished artist, is best known for her work as a scenic artist in several films, including One Fine Day, Don’t Say a Word, Clockers, Beloved, and Picture Perfect. Butternut wood (a member of the walnut family) was used throughout Morewood, but in most areas it has been painted. In the living room, however, you can truly appreciate why it is one of our prettiest domestic hardwoods, even though most people have never seen it. The key to identification is the twin cathedral spires you’ll notice in the center of the grain (easily seen on the French doors that open to the Center Hall). Used by furniture makers and carvers for centuries, sadly today a deadly fungus is ravaging butternut trees, threatening extinction. Looking through the expanse of butternut encased leaded glass windows and transoms, you can watch foursomes tee off from the 9th tee box throughout the day, but now we shall continue your tour through those butternut French doors, and into the Center Hall. The last room you will enter from the Center Hall is the LIBRARY. Here, the butternut board and batten paneling has been darkly stained, which makes it nearly indistinguishable from black walnut. You, however, will recognize the twin cathedral spires, some almost jagged edged, in the grain. The intimate space of this room makes it the perfect retreat from the world. Whether reading by the fireplace, or enjoying a cup of tea with a dear friend, you will again feel transported back in time. You may notice the unique “Flying Ladies” chandelier above, and realize that all the chandeliers, pendants, and sconces at the Morewood are authentic period lighting. Returning to the Center Hall, you’ll see a large door which opens to the FORMAL FOYER. Curious, you walk into the small foyer, and open the Dutch door to the FRONT PORCH. From the low brick walls with limestone caps, you see massive arched timbers supporting the swailed roof, and an antique hand-carved Gothic chandelier above. Like the sun porch, the floor is 1” thick turn-of-

the-century quarry tile. Returning to the Center Hall, you may want to visit one more room… You will first pass through a small foyer before entering the Center Hall HALF BATH. You will immediately notice that antique vintage fixtures and hardware have been installed in the Morewood bathrooms. The corner sink is not unusual, but the toilet in this small bathroom may be like none you have seen before. As you tour through the remainder of the home, pay special attention to the various fixtures, hardware, sinks and marble vanities. Nearly all are rarely seen authentic examples of their period. A hand-carved amber alabaster stone and brass period pendant light hangs above the sink. Your tour will now continue up the formal staircase to the second level. Rest for a moment on the staircase landing to look out through the spectacular leaded glass windows overlooking the circular driveway. You can see the huge corbelled brick columns with antique wrought iron gates at the entrance. Now, look directly down at the roof below. It is the peak over the Carriage Entrance. Notice the thick Grand Canyon 100-year asphalt shingles. They were used on the main house as well as the Carriage Barn. Please refer to Bullet Point Infrastructure and Building Specs for further details. You are now at the top of the staircase, standing in the CENTER HALL of the second floor, and, like the Main Center Hall below, you are surrounded by doorways leading to each room. Directly before you hangs a massive antique Gothic brass gasolier, another departure from formality. Notice the incredible plaster tray ceiling – even the immense crown that surrounds it is plaster, a discovery made during the renovation when a worker carrying a ladder knocked a golf ball sized chunk off! Looking down (if you dare!), note the turns of the stair railing. As it winds down the three levels, each turn tightens ever so slightly, creating a perspective of greater distance, and consequently greater elevation. Now, turn to your left, and enter the first room. You are now standing in the AUGUSTINE ROOM, a sunny bedroom with hipped ceilings and banks of leaded glass windows on two walls. Children often enjoy staying in this playful room surrounded by small colorful birds flitting about on the wallpaper. The BATHROOM tub in the Augustine Room is one of the only original fixtures remaining in Morewood. Honed white carrara marble has been used throughout most of the bathrooms. The walls are tiled with 2” x 8” tiles, and 1 ¼” hexagonal mosaic tiles have been laid on the floors. The chair rails and baseboards are also marble.

During the 60’s, the Morewood bathrooms were stripped of their original fixtures and hardware. They were replaced with standard fixtures, formica countertops, linoleum flooring, and even 4 x 4 plastic tiles on the walls. While redesigning and restoring the bathrooms, Luigi Bianco presented several design options for the bathrooms, but recommended that the tile selected be used in every bathroom. This consistency, he advised, was historically correct. It was also more cost-

effective to purchase thousands of square feet of tile. To complete the English look, Perrin & Rowe Edwardian polished nickel hardware, with exposed thermostatic controls, was used throughout.

Return to the Center Hall, and as you turn to the right you will enter the LAUNDRY ROOM. Conveniently located on the second floor, you will be awed by the huge antique porcelain laundry sink, fitted with a Perrin & Rowe surface-mounted tub filler and shower spray. As in the kitchen and elsewhere, the solid cherry shelving, door casing and baseboards were made from the rough sawn cherry harvested from the estate, then planed and finished. The floor is tiled with mosaic marble hex tile.

As you leave the laundry room, you will see a small foyer to your right, with a beautiful gasolier above. You will now walk into the MOREWOOD ROOM. With two walls of windows, this spacious sunny room, with its imported English wallpaper, fireplace, and carved amber alabaster chandelier, is a favorite guest bedroom. In the walk-in closet, you see original built-in drawers and cabinets. Walk in to the BATHROOM, and notice that the grain of the marble in the antique vanity sink deck follows seamlessly along its apron. Italian carrara marble surrounds you. The exposed Perrin & Rowe polished nickel thermostatic control, rainhead, and adjustable handshower are features you’ll see in every shower. This bath is fitted with a Porcher Lutezia elongated toilet and bidet. As in every bathroom, the thermostats control the radiant heat under the floor, for barefoot comfort. Let’s now leave the serenity of the Morewood Room, and return to the Center Hall, where the highlight of your tour is about to begin.

You are about to enter Morewood’s inner santum: the MASTER SUITE. Designed by Luigi Bianco, its space was created through the demolition of several rooms. Although every effort was made to maintain the integrity of the original architecture, this deviation was necessary in order to provide the amenities expected today. Crowns, casings, mouldings, etc. were milled to match the original trim.

Let’s begin your tour in the MASTER SITTING ROOM, where you will be immediately overwhelmed by the craftsmanship of the extraordinary wet bar. You may recall seeing similar paneled stanchions and lintel details on the mantle in the Living Room. It certainly looks original to the home. The period Tiffany sconces add more weight to that impression. The Arts and Crafts influence is seen in the board and batten detail and hardware selections. You open the large drawers with antique brass pulls and discover that they are Subzero refrigerator and freezer drawers. The chocolate marble deck was salvaged from a period antique chest of drawers. You might guess this was an existing fireplace mantle, converted to a wet bar, but you would be wrong. It is an entirely new addition to the suite, with details designed to match original features of the home in order to appear to have always been there. Now, walk toward the bank of leaded glass windows, toward the French doors. You will see another example of matching new to existing: the details of this passage, with its hidden side closets, and

paneled dropped ceiling, are details mirroring the dramatic entrance to the Living Room, adding drama as you enter the next room.

You are now in the MASTER BEDROOM. You are stunned by the panoramic views of the sunken garden, manicured lawns, trees and distant mountains from the bay window. Multi-story bay windows are typical in Lutyens’ architecture, and a prominent feature of Morewood’s east wall vertical elevation, which was designed in perfect line with the central axis of the sunken garden. Three important rooms share this vertical bay with its sensational views: the Billiard Room, Dining Room, and Master Bedroom. Turning from the windows, you see the fireplace, and imagine it glowing at night, as you lie on the Recamier reading A Room with a View or Howard’s End, which express the poignancy of the historic period in which you are now immersed. Since you’ll want to put on something more comfortable, walk into the room opposite the windows. This CLOSET was built using many of the original drawers, shoe shelves, and cabinets. It is an L-shaped room with multiple racks at various heights and an antique floor-to-ceiling mirror at the opposite end.

Leaving the closet, you’ll now walk through the mullioned glass French doors into the marble MASTER BATH SUITE. Notice the antique marble double-sink vanity from southern France, with its marble grain flowing seamlessly from its deck to its apron. In order to add height to the vanity, the ball and claw feet were welded to the legs and re-nickeled. The plaster arch above, designed to match the Morewood’s existing arches, was tiled with marble and framed with hand-worked plaster. In the adjacent SHOWER ROOM, you will see Perrin & Rowe polished nickel hardware has been installed, consistent with the other bathrooms. There is also a “Steam Mist” steam shower installed. Through the opaque glass mullioned doors, you will enter the WATER CLOSET, which is fitted with a Porcher Lutezia elongated toilet and bidet with window overlooking the garden. Leaving the water closet, turn to the left and pass through the leaded glass French doors. This was originally the SLEEP PORCH, where cool breezes could be enjoyed at night through the two walls of windows overlooking the grounds and golf course. The 60” circular “Riverbath,” Kohler’s flagship whirlpool waterfall tub, can be controlled directly or remotely controlled. The floor is reclaimed antique Grey Barr limestone. At night, the carved alabaster stone sconces softly illuminate the turbulence.

Your tour will now take you into the domestics’ quarters. Return to the Center Hall outside the Master Suite, and enter the doorway directly ahead. You immediately notice the transition to narrow halls and staircases, bead board wainscoting, heavy unadorned baseboard, flat stock door and window casings, and simple picture moulding crowns. There are sash windows rather than casement windows. The floors are fir instead of quarter sawn oak flooring.

At the end of the short hallway, you will enter the DOGWOOD ROOM, aptly named for its flowering dogwood wallpaper. You may be surprised by the large size of this domestics’ bedroom. Originally, it was two small rooms, unsuited for

today’s needs. The jog in the back wall, as well as the change in direction of the flooring, preserve its history. This charming room, with its hipped ceiling and sash windows to the east and west, is sunny all day. A pair of closets afford ample storage. Like the bedroom, the BATHROOM was originally two baths. The four windows together offer an excellent view over the grounds. The unusual antique marble top sink was originally not plumbed. There is a cistern built into the back which servants would have filled daily, and a container below that would be emptied. The antique Victorian quarter sawn oak Crane toilet (1907) was totally restored, and the original copper insert was replaced with a welded stainless steel liner. As in the other baths, you will see carrara marble floors, walls, and shower, with Perrin & Rowe polished nickel hardware. As you leave this bedroom, turn at the end of the hallway and walk up the winding stairs to Morewood’s upper level.

The hipped ceilings, dormered windows, and winding hallways are beautifully restored. At the end of the hall, you will enter a room that feels rather large for a domestic’s BEDROOM. It was more likely used by the servants to care for children while the owners were entertaining below, far from their sounds of play and laughter. The view from the dormered windows high above the grounds is dramatic. As you leave this room, turn and enter the doorway to your left.

You are now in the largest of Morewood’s rooms, the HOME THEATRE/RECREATION ROOM. Whether you want to blast music, watch 3-D movies with surround sound, enjoy gaming, play ping pong, board games, backgammon, chess, and bumper pool, its remote location is ideal. Even with the dark mahogany walls, the sunlight pours through the massive skylight above, beautifully illuminating this expansive room. Light also enters through the casement windows on each end of the room. Massive columns and beams add to the grand scale. The floors are antique pitch pine. A “Whole House” evacuation fan is installed in the ceiling.

As you return to the narrow hallway, walk into the small room on the right overlooking the garden. This was the sewing room, converted to a HALF BATH during the renovation. Fitted with period fixtures, you would not have known it wasn’t original to the home.

Before you descend the staircase, open the door directly in front of you. Even blindfolded, your nose would tell you this is the CEDAR CLOSET ROOM. No restoration of any kind was required in this area.

Please walk all the way down the staircases to the lower level, and enter the large doorway to the BILLIARD ROOM. This expansive room is every man’s dream, with a massive granite fireplace and hearth, bar, and exterior doorway to the brick patio, since cigars are forbidden indoors. Butternut board and batten paneling surrounds the room, with arched inset panels above the fireplace, the inspiration for the kitchen mantle over the stove. The floor appears to be deep burgundy quarry tile, but no – it is an early example of etched concrete. Indestructible. A THREE-QUARTER BATH is accessed from this room, with

a marble shower and Perrin & Rowe hardware. As you leave this room, please walk to the left.

You are now entering the CHAUFFER’S LOUNGE. Here, with its window looking out over the driveway, you can see all arrivals and departures. In its restoration, the paneling milled to match the formal halls and staircases was used rather than bead board, since this room more likely to be used by guests than servants. The floor is stained and sealed etched concrete.

Cross the hall, and go through the facing door. You are again in the domestics’ area. The narrow staircase on the left would return you to the kitchen. At the end of the short hallway, also on your left, is a HALF BATH fitted with period fixtures and hardware. The floor is stained and sealed etched concrete.

As you leave the bathroom, turn to your left at the end of the hallway, and go through the double-mullioned servants door. This was originally the SCULLERY. In the old days, maids cleaned dishes and utensils — and sometimes clothing — in the scullery, out of sight of their wealthy employers. In some parts of Britain, the word scullery is still used to mean kitchen. During the restoration, the dumbwaiter elevator from the kitchen to the scullery was removed. Dumbwaiter Lifts in London were extremely popular in the houses of the rich and privileged. Maids would use them to deliver laundry to the laundry room. This negated the need to carry handfuls of dirty washing through the house. A huge three-bay soapstone sink was also removed from the scullery and placed in the carriage barn. Based upon this information, it is more likely that Morewood’s scullery was used as a “laundry room,” rather than a scullery kitchen. In order to truly appreciate the renovation of the scullery, you must see an early picture. As in the Chauffer’s Lounge, the paneling milled to match the formal halls was used here, since it is presently used as a STUDY. However, with a bow to the past, the crown is simple picture moulding. The three vintage vegetable botanical prints demonstrate its practicality. The bookcases are original, but refinished, as were all the doors, trim, and casement windows. The hydronic radiator under the window makes this a very cozy room in winter months. The radiator cover was custom built, with salvaged antique iron grates.

As you walk through the study, continue out the opposite door, and walk down the pitch pine steps. Except for the painted brick windowed walls, the entire hallway is bead boarded with mahogany, and darkly stained to match the existing casements and doors. The antique stained glass window was salvaged from an old Loews Theater in Connecticut. The room to your left is the COAL ROOM. The sloping floor allowed coal being delivered through the outside coal chute to roll toward the coal burning boiler. The chute door still remains on the outside of the wall. This room is now the MECHANICAL ROOM. Please refer to Bullet Point Infrastructure and Building Specs for details regarding mechanical systerms. Leaving the mechanical room, turn left toward the leaded glass door. It was the Service Entrance to Morewood, as the original sign above the door states.

As you pass through this door, you will enter the BREEZEWAY to the garage. The greatest threat to homes at the turn of the century was fire, and many grand homes of the past burned to ground. It was undesirable for one to have the garage close to the house. The Carriage Barn was built far from the house to keep the combustibles, grease and dirt of the automobile at a safe distance. With the disappearance of those risks, the breezeway and garage were added during the 60’s. The breezeway is bead boarded with darkly stained mahogany. The floor of the breezeway is reclaimed antique Grey Barr limestone. The opposing mullioned double-doors can swing open to create an airy drive-through for your golf cart. As you continue into the two-car garage, you’ll see that walls here are also bead boarded from floor to ceiling. The drop-down ladder access to the attic storage over the garage remains. A ceiling mounted heater was added. Return now to the breezeway, and step outside through the door on your right. Walk along the bluestone path and down the winding drive past the walled gardens.

You can now see the CARRIAGE BARN. With its new roof and completed exterior restoration, the interior is a blank canvas, its future use limited only by your imagination. Most original architectural elements remain, with the notable exception being the green house lost years ago, and now replaced with the bluestone patio overlooking the grounds and fairways. Walk up to the patio, and open the Dutch door. This spacious room, with its vaulted ceiling, is separated from the automobile garage by a sliding barn door, with its vintage roller hardware. The staircase to the right leads down to what remains of the horse stalls, tack room, and chicken house below. Outside is second bluestone patio with a 6’ diameter dry-laid bluestone fire pit, where you may enjoy a digestif by the fire with friends after dinner.

We hope the allure of the Lutenesque architecture has piqued your interest in visiting The Morewood. Lutyens himself savored the “deliciousness” of the English country home over the palaces and castles he designed. While others are obsessed with space simply in terms of size, Lutyens understood the fact that “quality derives from experience, contrast, and theatre,” all of which you have appreciated during your tour of The Morewood, an architectural jewel.