Stone Barn Addition-Featured Recent Project

We always love it when our former clients call us back for additional work on their homes. In this case the owners wanted an open room which would be a place to play pool, entertain, and gather with family and friends. They wanted the addition to feel like a stone barn to which the main house was added, and we all agree, it really does feel like the stone addition has always been there. [...]

4 Kitchens Before and After Renovation(Updated)

A new kitchen can be one of the most dramatic changes to a home and a homeowner’s lifestyle.  When my wife and I renovated our kitchen, we went from wincing every time we cooked a meal to really loving to spend time there.  The new kitchen is the heart of our home.  It is where our family eats breakfast, does homework, gathers with friends and of course cooks. The layout of a kitchen is critical to [...]

3 Breakfast Bays

I have always loved sitting in a bright alcove eating breakfast and reading the paper.  These days the object in front of me is often an ipad or other electronics, but the wonderful feeling of a breakfast nook is always the same.  Of course bays which have windows on three sides are going to be the brightest.  Depending on the orientation of the house, the sunlight streaming in can be dramatic. If there are some interesting views, that [...]

Modern Farmhouse Design (Revisited)

There is no absolute prototype for a farmhouse, but most of us can recognize one when we see it. By definition the originals were located on farms and were integral to the life and work of those farm families who lived there. Depending on when and where those homes were built, they could be made of stone, brick, shingles or clapboard. Most farmhouses had porches since there was no air conditioning and many farm and family chores were [...]

By |2012-06-16T06:41:39-04:00June 16th, 2012|Categories: Design, Miscellaneous, New Homes, Porches|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

5 Before and Afters

One of the pleasures of working with a great photographer(Rob Karosis), is the thrill of seeing new photos of one of our projects for the first time.  After spending months and sometimes years, on a renovation project it is always gratifying to go back and see what the space looked like before anything was done.  It is easy to forget how far from the original house a design has come. We hope you enjoy some of our favorite [...]

Surprise Below the Porch(You Have to Crack Some Eggs…#3)

You never know what you will find while renovating an old house.  As we continue to follow the progress on the renovation of an eighteenth century farm house, the point is driven home even deeper. The contractors removed the rotting floor boards from the back porch and got a big surprise.  I too was startled when I almost steped into the 30 foot deep hand dug well while on a site visit.  We were amazed at the beauty of the [...]

You Have to Crack Some Eggs…

We will be checking in periodically with the progress made on the renovation of an eighteenth century farm house(actually an Inn) which was saved from slow deterioration by a young family who wanted to bring it back to life.  They are both artists and plan to include a painting studio in the master plan of the property.   Moving from Brooklyn to an old farmhouse took a great leap of faith.  Luckily for us, we were asked to help them through [...]

Farmhouse Renovations

Most American homes built in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries were farmhouses.  We were predominantly an agrarian society living on family farms.  Today’s suburbs were once pastures.  Quite a few modern subdivisions include an old farmhouse, which at one time was the only house in sight. When the farm families grew and their circumstances improved, it was natural to expand the homestead.  It is rare to find an old house today that has not been renovated and added onto over [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:27:34-04:00January 23rd, 2010|Categories: Renovations|Tags: , , |0 Comments

Modern Farmhouse Design

There is no absolute prototype for a farmhouse, but most of us can recognize one when we see it. By definition the originals were located on farms and were integral to the life and work of those farm families who lived there. Depending on when and where those homes were built, they could be made of stone, brick, shingles or clapboard. Most farmhouses had porches since there was no air conditioning and many farm and family chores were undertaken there. [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:55:12-04:00March 30th, 2009|Categories: Additions, Design, New Homes|Tags: , , |5 Comments

Farmhouse Modern

Many of our clients own old farm houses and love the way they fit into the countryside of the Northeast. These same clients want the interior of their homes to be brighter and more modern than the original farm house. Recently we renovated a large kitchen and added a bright sun room to an 1800s farm house in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The kitchen cabinets were frameless and painted white with simple but elegant details offsetting the extra thick Carrara marble [...]

By |2010-06-03T13:59:04-04:00December 31st, 2008|Categories: Design, Renovations|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments