Living in Balance

Delphinium is a remarkable building comprising many uncommon but eminently practical features.

The water column—run periodically—grounds the house directly to the earth, generates negative ions and humidifies the air.

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Preconceptions and commonly held notions of house design and construction have met their match in Dale Bates, who believes it is time to discard the status quo and start thinking anew about what constitutes a home. Architects often experiment when building their own homes, and for Bates and his wife, Peggy, this is where the talk meets the walk, personally and professionally.

Delphinium is a remarkable building comprising many uncommon but eminently practical features—an amalgam of design that supports human health in the broadest possible manner. It also is a concrete and wood manifestation of the couple’s life philosophy. They selected the name not in relation to the plant, but as a derivation of Delphi, the Greek temple renowned for its oracle.

Nestled in an alley several blocks off Main Street, the house embodies the principles that Bates has long espoused, and for which his firm, Living Architecture, has become internationally recognized. In collaboration with Peggy, who operates her feng shui practice from their home, Bates takes the idea of sustainable living a step further than most people do. He expands it to include an attitude toward how one’s life is structured and organized, and an approach to reducing or eliminating materials that could have an adverse effect on health.

Off the alley in the middle of a downtown block, Delphinium is located in a surprisingly quiet, serene spot. While there is little that is traditional about the house, it is far from a modernist box. Unusual angles and curves swoop up toward the roofline, and many of the windows are modified by diagonals in the upper corners. The combination of these elements imbues the structure with visual solidity and grace.

Guided by the architect’s belief in “intent defining space,” the general layout of the house was designed to maximize daylight, control the interior climate, and take advantage of solar heating. A palpable serenity envelops visitors at the front door, which is approached through a courtyard that marks the transition from outside world to sanctuary. Just inside is an unusual column constructed of unglazed terracotta tile. Vitalized water is periodically run down the column, generating negative ions and humidifying the air before draining onto the ground, establishing a direct connection of the house with the earth.

Left: Curved lines, luminescent pigments, healthy plants and birdsong add serenity to the space. As the exterior courtyard landscaping matures, the dining room will be ensconced in nature. Right: Eliminating the right angle where wall meets ceiling in the hallway allows air and light to circulate more easily.

Shedding one’s shoes inside the entryway allows full appreciation of the smooth, warm feel of the radiantly heated concrete and the softer cork floor in the kitchen area. Purple and green architectural glass in the vertical panels of the door cast a soothing, glowing light into the first-floor interior, where there is an airy, open feel.

On an October morning, the entire space is filled with softly suffused light. Sounds, colors, and views unfold gently and slowly. Birds chirp in the old trees that ring the lot, and one warbles peacefully from the dining room. A small fountain babbles soothingly in the kitchen. An open stairway to the second floor is filled with a wondrous light.

The logic of the layout is striking in its simplicity and functionality. The dining area is immediately to the right, abutted by the kitchen; both receive southeast and southern light. Skylights over the kitchen sink and countertop allow herbs to grow in an integrated planter box. The living room is set back to the north, with a comfortable arrangement of cushioned seating. The colors of all woods and finishes were carefully selected: the kitchen cabinets are a warm, natural wood, the walls and ceilings a peaceful golden color. Dropped ceilings and curved lines sculpted into the walls and ceilings imbue the spaces with an organic, graceful, and comforting air.

The ascent to the second floor is a movement through luminous color, from ground into sky. Peggy and Dale commissioned John Stolfo for the stairwell’s Lazure painting, a technique used to create richly modulated tonalities on architectural surfaces by applying color in relation to the way light naturally fills the space. An unlikely rock garden—made up of found offerings from friends—is situated on the exterior ledge of the landing, visible through a window in the stairwell. >>>