Bachelor Beach House
In the dead of winter most homes — even those with incredible lawns and hardscapes — lie sleeping under melting snow and gray skies.
But after setting up my visit with Scott Rothenberger, I look for a ray of sunshine in Barto, where he lives and conducts his decorating business.
Upon arriving at his residential property, I’m greeted by Scott, who is blonde-haired and blue-eyed. He steps outside of his home with a chocolate-spotted Dalmatian straining at the end of its leash. He tells me that the dog’s name is Godiva and that her sister, CC, also a Dalmatian, is in the house waiting for us. Inside, I take off my long black coat and throw it over the back of a white kitchen chair at a round glass top table adorned with a vase of white roses and greens.
SCOTT ROTHENBERGER'S BACHELOR PAD
We are standing in a stark white room glowing in natural light coming in through three glass sliding doors along the south wall. It is a picture as heavenly as a young virgin bride dressed in lace and taffeta on her wedding day, but I’m a little naïve. The space, Scott tells me, was designed for entertaining clients and friends into the wee hours of the night. It looks fresh and untouched. The open layout of this 1700-square-foot contemporary farmhouse caters to both its indoor and outdoor living spaces for harmony. As Scott says, “It’s designed for how we live today—we don’t live in little compartments.” Continuity is everywhere—from the indoor horizontal slats on the back of the dining room chairs and downstairs railing to the outdoor deck and fence railing. This kind of room ecstasy, not left to chance, is a result of Scott’s artistic eye, experience and education. A loaded gun, he used all the ammunition he had as an architect, landscaper, party planner, designer and artist to complete the job, having done the work in phases over the years, but not without having a master plan.
IT ALL BEGAN
Four years ago, Scott quit his landscaping job at an architectural firm in Allentown to start his own design business. Since then, he has been creating one-of-a-kind gardens and rooms, including bathrooms and kitchens, for a large and growing number of local and out-of-state clients. “I have been given a gift that I pass on to create really wonderful spaces,” he says. “I feel so fortunate to be able to do that.”
Architecturally, the room we are in reveals high structural ceilings above an intimate sitting area, a small fireplace and 1950s-styled furniture. Two glass doors on either side of the fireplace lead out to a screened porch. Beyond it is a dining and kitchen area with a granite-top island.
In the kitchen, two vertical skylights and a small square window (that can be seen from the master bedroom) provide a delicate geometric touch of natural light. Exterior light bounces off wall-to-wall Pergo flooring the color of golden sand, creating the illusion of space. The focal point, Scott says, is a wall covered from floor to ceiling with an array of pictures and paintings of trees. The collection, dubbed “The Tree Wall,” began when Scott was studying marketing and architecture at Arizona State University.
A HOUSE BUILT FOR HOW A MAN LIVES
Scott has lived here for 11 years. He picked the lot (when it was nothing more than a dirt road) for its scenic views and privacy (it has a retention pond on one side and a neighbor on the other). He also chose it for how the house would sit on the property. “I like the master bedroom on the east side for the warmth of the sun and the dining room on the southwest so you get a gorgeous sunset view when you sit down for dinner,” says Scott about his choices.
On the left, two rooms: a guest bedroom and a study (that also functions as a TV room and extra bedroom) share a Jack and Jill bathroom with pocket doors for privacy. “I like the versatility of rooms that can double as other rooms just by opening and closing doors,” says Scott about the study, which offers guests access to the ambiance of the living room and its working fireplace.
The master bedroom, the last room on the left, features a private bathroom with vessel sink, whirlpool tub, shower, skylight and glass sliding doors that lead out to a wraparound deck. All of the rooms have built-in display ledges and cathedral ceilings.
MULTI-PURPOSE POOL ROOM
A downstairs family room and bar equipped with a sink, refrigerator, microwave and toaster oven attracts large crowds for cocktails and snacks served by the bar or outdoors. “It’s where everyone hangs out,” Scott says. A stack of stainless steel martini glasses (cocktails by the pool, anyone?) are displayed on the bar’s laminate counter top.
The 16-by-36-foot, in-ground pool has a diving platform, spa and waterfall. Lush tall trees and more than 100 garden containers are carefully staged around the area for visual appeal and to define spaces. Back inside, a tiled entrance-way with a multi-purpose bench station provides hideaway space for party accessories.
Next to it, an over-sized, two-car garage features custom cabinetry, a sink and a refrigerator for caterers to work out of the way of guests. In the middle of the room, a bluish-gray chair (a family heirloom recently reupholstered), chocolate-brown love seat, TV and drafting table make up Scott’s work area. A nearby wall is covered with industry recognition awards. A washer and dryer (under the stairway) and a powder room with shower stall are directly across from one another so that Scott, after all the yard work is done for the day, can clean up before heading upstairs.
“I designed it around how I live versus changing how I live to fit the house,” he notes.
A GARDEN IN BLOOM
A landscape, he points out, is always changing. For instance, the spring landscape here will be in pinks and yellows and then fade into blues, purples and whites in the summer (to cool the space) and then to various shades of red, rust and orange in the fall.
That color, when everything is in bloom, can be seen from the two busiest spaces in the house. “You get all the colors inside and it makes the artwork pop,” says Scott, who utilizes the white walls and glass sliding doors upstairs to his advantage.
All of the greens and grasses stay where they are in containers or in the ground year round. “I love the winter texture,” he says. “You’re missing a whole beautiful season when the snow lays on everything.”
When he is working with a client, a master conceptual plan is made up for the entire property. The work is sometimes done in stages. A colored rendering of the landscape helps clients visualize what their space will look like.
“You have to see it in composition because each flower or plant is like a different paint color or texture,” he says. Finally, he will suggest bringing some architecture into the garden. “You can have a gorgeous collection of plant material, but if you don’t have some structure – art or stone wall or fence – it just looks like a pretty (or messy) perennial garden,” he says. “Now you have the softness playing off the hard elements, contrasting each other. That’s how you create the WOW!”
No matter how you look at it, Scott Rothenberger’s PLACE has a special way of making everyone who enters through its door feel special and very much at home. Unfortunately, you have to leave at some point, and that is the art of a true bachelor.
LIVING IN STYLE SCOTT'S TOP 10 DESIGN TIPS
- A neutral color palette keeps it masculine.
- Use furniture and area rugs to define space in an open floor plan.
- Have a bar or designated entertaining area for when guests are over.
- Pick a meaningful art theme for one room and go with it.
- Select clean-line décor and furniture with simple shapes.
- Use easy to clean materials like laminate for floors, counter tops and bathrooms. Pick fabrics that are stain resistant and can be machine washed.
- Select classic design elements with a contemporary flair to keep it current.
- Have lots of storage room and keep everything in its place.
- Use built in electronic equipment. Also, invest in a multiple room sound system for parties.
- Build an outdoor living room with kitchen, fireplace and fire pit for that backyard get together.
Originally published in Berks County Living June 2013
