A grouping of four structures surrounded by meadows and beautifully designed mature gardens, the property had fantastic bones but needed updating. The main house, dating back to the early 1800’s had a first-floor layout that exiled the kitchen to a small space at the far eastern end of the house. This didn’t work for our clients who love to cook and entertain. We were tasked with holistically reworking the first floor to create a new kitchen, pantry, mudroom, bathroom, laundry room, and double parlors. This work included selective window replacement, restoration, or relocation, uncovering and refinishing existing historic flooring, relocating interior partition walls, new interior trim, paint, surfaces, and millwork along with all the behind-the scenes systems required to support these updates – new HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and insulation.
Unfortunately, when we began work, we also discovered severe structural damage that required careful and precise replacement of two-hundred-year-old framing members and stacked-stone foundation walls. We ended up re-siding the single-story eastern wing of the main house, building two new porches, pouring a new slab in the basement, building a cedar closet, and replacing several elements of the home’s existing infrastructure – a new propane combi-boiler, a new well pump, new radiator piping, a new generator, and a buried propane tank.
One of the great delights of this project was the opportunity our clients gave us to dive deep into the house’s interior design. We worked with them to select all the interior finishes and fixtures and designed the lighting and custom millwork. We also consulted on soft furnishings, art, and styling. Our design walks a careful line between respecting the historic character of the existing structure and celebrating the bold, eclectic, and colorful artwork and furnishings that bring our clients (and us!) so much delight. We emphasized historic proportions in our trim profiles, openings, and built-ins and injected fun with wild color and pattern mixing. We’re very proud of the comprehensive environments we created and think they’re a wonderful reflection of our clients’ personalities and sensibilities.
Although it is their primary residence, our clients have lovingly dubbed their home ‘Holiday House.’ We trust that they will soak up the celebratory ambiance for many years to come.