New contemporary home in Lawrenceville offers lots of nods to older buildings
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The exterior features a cut-out notch for the front door and frosted panels along the steps. -
The Moss family, from left, Michelle, Griffin, 13, Luka, 11 with her dog Harley. and Andrew. -
A bathroom in the master bedroom. -
The master bedroom. -
A view of the dining room and living room from the second floor. -
Tongue-and-groove decking in the stairwell was an idea of the owners' young son. -
The kitchen continues the metal and wood theme of the exterior.
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Lawrenceville's homes are as eclectic as the mix of artists, transplanted hipsters and life-long Pittsburghers who live in them. But there aren't many brand-new modern single-family homes among the rowhouses, grand Victorians and industrial lofts.
And none are like Andrew Moss and Michelle Yanefski's cool new residence on 38th Street.
Nestled on a corner lot high above the sidewalk, the two-story rectangular house swathed like a New Age baby in painted corrugated sheet metal stands in stark contrast to the 120-year-old white frame house next door. It's particularly stunning lit up at night, and passers-by can catch a glimpse of the two-story living room through a pair of 8-foot-by-8-foot multi-paned windows. Actually, you can only see the top of the room; you have to be inside to fully appreciate the 18-foot ceiling.
The glimpse from outside was so tantalizing that a stranger couldn't help herself -- she knocked on the door.
"It was about 10 p.m. and we heard someone pounding," recalled Ms. Yanefski, an electrical engineer. "And when we open the door, there's this woman and she's saying, 'This house is freakin' awesome! Where did it come from?'
"And her boyfriend, who was still on the sidewalk, was like, 'I'm so sorry!'"
Had their new home sat right off the sidewalk like most others on the street, Mr. Moss, founder of mossArchitects in East Liberty, might not have felt the liberty to break away with such a contemporary design. But he believes his corrugated metal siding perfectly suits its location.
"Two blocks away there's metal-clad warehouses," Mr. Moss, a Pittsburgh native, pointed out. "So to me, it speaks to the neighborhood and Lawrenceville as a whole. It makes reference to that heritage."
The couple was living in a traditional Victorian in Friendship when they decided they'd rather live closer to town. What they liked about Lawrenceville, besides it being within walking distance of a bustling business district, was that you actually see people on their front steps. The Allegheny River's developing trail system was another draw.
First Published July 2, 2011 12:00 am
