Editor’s note: Pamela Sandler is the founder of Pamela Sandler Architect, LLC, based in Stockbridge, MA. She has worked throughout the Berkshires and beyond, transforming homes and commercial spaces into spaces with joy that reflect their owners’ lives.
When I first pulled up the driveway to this home on Onota Lake, it was a literal sea of asphalt and the house itself looked like a barge, emerging from the ground. It was immediately clear that the project was going to be about more than just a cosmetic renovation. It needed to be a reclamation of memory and place—a way for a family to reconnect with their summers past while creating a space for generations to come.
The house, once the residence of former MLB relief pitcher (and local legend) Jeff Reardon, had good bones but a complex interior that felt disconnected from the beauty of the lake just outside. My clients had spent their childhood summers on Onota Lake and came to me with an emotional connection to the site. Our goal was to preserve that legacy, while opening up the home to light, movement, and, most importantly, to the lake itself.
We kept the original footprint, but nearly everything else inside needed to breathe. The interior was originally a bit of a maze—narrow hallways and segmented rooms that blocked both natural light and lake views. The first step was to take down those divisions and allow the core living spaces to unfold in one continuous, open plan: kitchen, dining, and living room all flowing together in a way that invites both family connection and a sense of spaciousness.
One of my favorite features is the living room “wall” of angled Pella windows, which creates the look and feel of being aboard a yacht drifting over the lake. Supporting wood posts and beams bring warmth and texture into the room while also echoing the surrounding landscape. The kitchen, fully open to this space, features a center island with the sink built in, and a full-height window that stretches from countertop to ceiling—another invitation for natural light to pour in.
The dining area sits at the convergence of the sloping ceiling, surrounded by windows on all sides. It’s an anchor point in the house where everyone naturally gathers. From the living room, you can see straight through to another wall of windows in the kitchen and the custom cabinetry we designed to house the oven and drawers.
Upstairs, the primary suite is an elegant contrast to the openness of the common areas. While generously sized and complete with a private deck overlooking the lake, we kept the ceiling low on purpose, creating a cozy, intimate feel that allows the views—and the experience of staying there—to take center stage.
The primary bath is a showstopper. A massive concrete tub anchors the space, surrounded by an array of hand-selected tiles. The client admits to being tile obsessed, and it shows! Every bathroom in the house became an exploration of tile: one with floor-to-ceiling subway tile and warm bronze fixtures, another with a full-surround tile design that tested both patience and creativity to get it just right. Each one tells its own story.
One of the more practical—but no less important—spaces is the mudroom. It’s long and hardworking, outfitted with built-in (tiled) cubbies and tons of storage for fishing rods, boating gear, and all the joyful chaos that comes with lake life. This house isn’t just meant to be beautiful—it’s meant to be lived in and enjoyed by all generations.
The sun porch, a new addition to the original footprint, offers dining and seating areas that blur the lines between indoors and out. And outside, the transformation continues: we created a true entryway where there had been none (remember: asphalt), complete with a new garage, ample parking, stone walls, and thoughtful landscaping. Green shakes, metal roofing, cable railing, and those ever-present Pella windows all work in concert to unify the house and connect it to the natural slope of the land and water.
Staircases gently wind through the home, guiding guests with clear sightlines to the lake and into the heart of the space. That was one of the biggest design challenges—bringing cohesion to the multiple levels while keeping the flow open and intuitive. In the end, it was about creating movement that feels natural and effortless, very much like waves rolling in and out.
As shown in the three photos below, brackets, huge Pella windows, green shakers, metal roofing, and cable railing flow in equal measure around the entire exterior, unifying the design and connecting the home to the sloping ground.
Finally, the front view of the fully renovated and landscaped house.
