This weekend getaway in upstate New York is no arthritic farmhouse or creaking saltbox. It was recently born, rather, almost as a kit, brought to this rocky, wooded plot in prefabricated parts, bolted together and, once finally assembled, clad in an envelope of soft wood panels so that modern and rustic were at one.

The daring double-footprint project consists of a garage connected by a sculptural bridge to the main, three-level structure built to accommodate a large, boisterous family. As well as utility rooms, the basement includes an art studio and children’s playroom. A mostly open-plan ground floor offers a kitchen, dining and living area and an office. A wall of folding doors can be opened entirely onto the tantalising indoor pool with woodland views to create a single merged space as inviting in winter as it is in summer. Upstairs in a building suffused with natural light thanks to oversized windows, there are three bedrooms and three bathrooms as well as a study and a sweeping terrace with mountain views. The two-car garage also offers a top floor which is a studio for meditation, yoga and is complemented by a terrace. With ecological responsibility in mind, the pool eschews chlorine and other chemical cleansers in favor of an ozone filtration system.

Linking the terraces of each of the two structures is the bridge, which commands attention all of its own. Consisting of a single tilted stanchion and cables that suspend the walkway, it takes its inspiration from the angles, orientation and axis of the main building to which it leads.