Last night while surfing the channels I ended up on HGTV (Home & Garden)
because I saw a house that caught my eye.  I think I'd seen it discussed or
toured before, perhaps by one of the "This Old House" shows.  It's called a
shingle style cottage (I think I have the style right) in CT designed by
none other than RAMS (owned and built by the Cromwells).  They even
interviewed him a bit and I was surprised to see him, the ogre that I've
heard described.

He seemed fairly decent though I didn't hear much of what he had to say.  My
recollection is he was dressed in a dark pin-stripe (three-piece?) suit and
looked a little like a gangster.  I could picture him being severe...


Here's the poop on it from the web site:

http://www.hgtv.com/village/villages/buildmore/shows/opn/millennium/trad.htm


With a builder's sensibility and a background in architecture, Walter
Cromwell of Country Club Homes knew what he appreciated in a home. So when
This Old House magazine approached him about building its millennium dream
house designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern, he decided to build it--and
to live in it. Cromwell and his wife, Julie, recently moved in.

"It's a perfect fit to live in a house Stern designed," says Cromwell, who
is inspired by the architect's ability to invoke America's rich
architectural heritage while designing for the way people live today. "Our
house is about harkening back to a historical style and incorporating a
modern lifestyle."

The shingle style used by Stern is versatile in that it utilizes elements
from different designing traditions.

An abundance of natural light and a strong relationship between indoor and
outdoor spaces are also important elements in the new millennium home.
Stern's octagonal-shaped living room has light pouring in from three
directions. The living room, dining room and library open onto an
8-foot-long covered porch across the back of the house.

A two-story tower rises like a lighthouse from the southwestern corner of
the Cromwell house, while the roof is Dutch gambrel. Because there are no
rules to the style, it allows the architect to respond to the times. "In
American affections, I think the shingle style always has--and always will
have--its place," says Stern.

The American shingle-style home in Wilton, Connecticut, is featured in
HGTV's Millennium Homes: Redesigning Tradition (Apr. 19, 10:30 p.m., 1:30
a.m. ET).