The owner of this 1800s farmhouse, in rural Pennsylvania, grew up in the old farmhouse right across the street. Her mother still lives there, and like the creek that runs through both properties, family flows freely back and forth. This family bond was imagined as a physical force, like a gravitational field, acting on the structure and “pulling†it toward the owner’s childhood home; a sculptural expression of family connection. Twisting it in this way opened up new sight lines as well, allowing the owner to gaze upon her childhood home and the surrounding fields as it nods towards them.
The direction from the homeowner was simple; open space and lots of light. A suspended balcony draws the eye up the full height of the gently curving walls as sunlight washes down from above.
Family room, second floor. Original farmhouse wall planks, salvaged during demolition, are now custom window sills and random-width antique floor boards in the suspended balcony space.
Anodized aluminum porch columns match the addition siding, and stainless steel cables, virtually invisible, maximize the creek side views. Mahogany floors and bead board ceilings complement the farmhouse’s original clapboard siding.
Dining room, opening onto kitchen. Large expanses of glass frame views of the creek and surrounding fields.
In the kitchen, a 12’ wide window kisses the Carrara marble countertop, the marble apron sink custom made from the same slab. Original wide-plank floors were discovered beneath layers of linoleum and plywood and restored.
The twisting volume is glimpsed from the road as it peaks out beyond the deep covered porch.
Creekside view of old and new at dusk.
Quartz tile and original plank floors surround a 1920’s schoolhouse sink in the vaulted second floor bathroom. The sink’s original tap openings were enlarged to accommodate modern Jado faucets, and the entire sink was re-glazed. Old turquoise locker found in a barn in upstate NY.
A window wall of privacy glass illuminates the shower stall, which features a 16†square stainless steel shower head.
Salvaged hand hewn ceiling beams complement the original beams now exposed along the entire perimeter of the walls in the master bedroom. Haiku ceiling fan.
An anodized aluminum handrail and original exposed beams in the vaulted stairwell. The minimalist staircase is crafted from the farmhouse’s original wall planks.
Original wide plank floors and hand hewn beams, once hidden, are now exposed throughout.
Beneath the addition's gently bowing anodized aluminum siding stand the five towering, curvaceous columns that make up its skeleton and spine. A metalworks company in Chicago, specializing in roller coaster track, was tapped to achieve the columns' unusual shape.
Horizontal ribbons of anodized aluminum echo the farmhouse’s original clapboard siding, tying the drastically disparate architectures together.
The addition’s silvery skin at twilight.
"before" photo
