Sited at the edge of a pristine creek, with a waterfall cascading over an ancient dam of hand-laid stone, the Floating Farmhouse was a sinking ship when first discovered. After a design and rebuild process spanning four years, the 1820 manor home is now a study in contrasts: fully restored to its period grandeur while featuring purely modernist elements, including a curtain wall of skyscraper glass in the kitchen, polished concrete and steel finishes, minimalist interiors, and a cantilevered porch "floating" on the surface of the water.
Kitchen light mingles with moonlight in the new addition.
Glass wall in kitchen, 22' tall, facing water, gazebo, apple trees, and barn.
Cor-Ten steel panel tower, acid-oxodized and weathered over three years, contains a wood-burning pizza oven at its base.
Opposites attract: a vintage concrete sink, rusted steel elements, and ancient ceiling beams mix with modern lacquered cabinetry, minimalist chrome fixtures, commercial glass panels, and polished concrete floors.
The covered porch, cantilevered over the creek. All the woodwork throughout the home, including the covered porch ceiling, was created from towering pines felled and milled on the property.
Summertime at the Floating Farmhouse.
The Floating Farmhouse, as found, March 2007.
In the master bedroom, a vaulted ceiling is anchored by a pair of centuries-old hand hewn beams. An oversized wood burning fireplace, faced with a panel of oxidized Cor-Ten steel, warms the space.
An 18th century Italian marble sink and 19th-century wood and zinc tub, wrapped in stainless steel, mix modern minimalism with antiquity.
Angle irons concealed within the wall make the ancient Italian marble sink appear weightless, floating effortlessly above the floor.
1800's wood and zinc soaking tub, salvaged from an old tenement building on Manhattan's Lower East Side and wrapped in stainless steel, guest bath.
The original cedar roof shingles, exposed and restored in the master bedroom.
The former living, dining, and family rooms have been merged into a single open-floor plan. The wood burning fireplace is faced with oxidized Cor-Ten steel. Original wide plank floors were recovered and restored. Ceiling coffers and wainscoting created from pine trees felled and milled on the property.
Double vessel sinks, jacuzzi tub, and wall-to-wall shower stall in master bathroom. Tub wrapped in salvaged planks. Counter top is made from pine trees cut and milled on the property.
Intended as a an underlying surface for finer materials,the primitive plank wall in the side stairwell, painted gloss white, is now a finish element itself.
Front facade. Original clapboard siding and wavy-glass windows restored. A grand circular driveway leads to the original 1820 manor home and its bright red front door.
Matching roof lines integrate the original 1820's home with it's modern glass, steel, and concrete addition. The glass wall's brushed aluminum frames echo the divided-light pattern of the original wavy glass windows.
"before" photo
