Kelley Shaw knew immediately when she saw the pictures of “The Dome” in Greenfield that she needed to live there.
Moving from Texas to be closer to family, Shaw began looking for a place to rent as she made her way to New England. And the unique characteristics, country living appeal and perennial gardens put the Forest Road property at the top of the list.
“I’m an artist, I paint, I’m a jewelry maker, a yoga teacher and an essential oils teacher,” Shaw said. “I saw the pictures and I immediately felt a connection. This place is just magical.”
Stephen Conley first saw the house as he was driving by to look at another potential property. On the way back, he stopped on the side of the road to take a closer look. It wasn’t for sale, but about a week later it went on the market.
“I pulled over and looked at the house and thought it looked cool,” Conley said. “You’re not really sure what you’re seeing right away.”
He was looking to buy an investment property and didn’t think he’d have any problem renting the five-acre property that would probably be filed under the other category for rental listings.
After completing the purchase last October, Conley spent about a year fixing the roof, rebuilding the staircase and renovating the bathroom. Shaw is his first tenant.
“The stairs were really rickety with one little railing supported by two metal rods,” Conley said.
The Dome was built in 1980 by, from what Conley heard, “a guy who wanted an unusual home.”
The front door actual leads guests into an airlock entryway to prevent heat loss. The teal door and purple trim to the actual dome tells you that what you’re about to see is different.
“I figured it would be a pretty easy rental,” Conley said.
The entire home is 935-square-feet and since it’s a dome, the only clearly defined room is the bathroom and a couple small closets. The main floor is the living space, kitchen, bathroom. In the center of the room is a woodstove (the only source of heat) and chimney and Shaw used a hutch as a way to create separation between the kitchen, which has an elevated floor, and the living area.
“It’s basically a big studio,” Shaw said. “It’s interesting because there’s no defined rooms so I had to create my own.”
The staircase leads to a loft that is about half the size of the dome floor plan. It’s where Shaw set up her bedroom and what will hopefully be a place where she can teach yoga classes. She painted the circular portion of the ceiling soft lavender and the rest of it was brightened up with a coat of white.
“There’s an energy about the place that’s very good,” Shaw said.
There are two window dormers upstairs, as well as a large pentagon-shaped window that lets in quite a bit of sun.
In order to accomplish the spherical shape, the traditional way of building walls could not be used. Instead, Conley said it’s a collection of hexagon-shaped framing that are connected by metal plates. And since all of the studs are at an angle, the outlets and light switches are a bit crooked in most of the house. And those are just the beginning of the quirks. One of the support beams for the loft makes it so one of the kitchen cabinets can barely be opened and the lower collection of cabinets have tiger posters stuck on the inside in what Shaw envisions was done to scare away mice.
While Shaw is only renting the property, she has plans for it. Of course, pending town approval, she wants to be able to host small yoga retreats and will turn the airlock into a studio for her jewelry making. She’s also writing a book, using her mother’s desk and father’s old typewriter, about the idea of starting over at 50.
Most of the outside of the home is roofing shingles with only six layers of siding needed from the foundation to the base of the shingles.
The outdoor area is mostly strategically placed rocks and flowers before reaching the wooded area.
“The whole yard is a perennial garden,” Shaw said. “And this is as close as you get to the Earth, the gardens, the stones, the air.”
So the next time you drive down Forest Road in Greenfield, keep an eye out. Just be forewarned, you’ll likely do a quick double-take for your eyes to believe what they’re seeing.