Harmony with the Land

“What if you had time to learn about your land before you built on it? That was the case for homeowners Henry Smedley and Kathy Chow. When they purchased 40 acres of land in upstate New York, they knew they needed to take some time to learn about the land. In fact, “some time” is an understatement; they spent five summers camping on their property before materializing their dream home. The couple embraced this period of pause and fell into perfect flow with the surrounding landscape. “The land is very friendly,” Kathy says. “All the critters are friendly. We really could live in concert with nature’ … Given their beginnings on the property, Henry and Kathy wanted an architectural firm that also cared about the symbiosis of nature and homestead. They hired JLF Architects, a Montana-based firm, for the build.”