The Abraham Knowlton House (c. 1725) was nearly demolished to make room for the expansion of a nearby commercial building. Thankfully, this historic home was saved from that fate after surviving a long, drawn out battle. When we began the project, the building was in a lamentable state of disrepair due to long-term neglect. Before we could begin on the restoration and renovation of the house proper, we needed to raise the entire structure in order to repair and fortify the foundation. The design project was substantial, involving the transformation of this historic house into beautiful and yet highly functional condominiums. The final design brought this home back to its original, stately appearance while giving it a new lease on life as a home for multiple families. Winner, 2003 Mary P. Conley Award for historic home restoration and preservation Photo Credit: Cynthia August

http://www.stefaniedaugilis.com/

SMOOK Architecture | PhotoCredit: Benjamin Cheung

Batu and Bluestone

An awkward space in an urban lobby is transformed by the thoughtful use of furniture to maximize use and seating without making the space feel crowded. Monochromatic palette, beautiful but durable finishes, make this space classic and timeless. The windows are frosted for privacy and to create intimacy. David Hausman photographer

The custom built-in cubbies in this mudroom provide the perfect storage solution. Traditional curved drawer pulls complement the arch details on each cubby hole.

The Hamptons Collection Cove Hollow by Yankee Barn Homes Mudroom Entry Chris Foster Photography

This home is in a rural area. The client was wanting a home reminiscent of those built by the auto barons of Detroit decades before. The home focuses on a nature area enhanced and expanded as part of this property development. The water feature, with its surrounding woodland and wetland areas, supports wild life species and was a significant part of the focus for our design. We orientated all primary living areas to allow for sight lines to the water feature. This included developing an underground pool room where its only windows looked over the water while the room itself was depressed below grade, ensuring that it would not block the views from other areas of the home. The underground room for the pool was constructed of cast-in-place architectural grade concrete arches intended to become the decorative finish inside the room. An elevated exterior patio sits as an entertaining area above this room while the rear yard lawn conceals the remainder of its imposing size. A skylight through the grass is the only hint at what lies below. Great care was taken to locate the home on a small open space on the property overlooking the natural area and anticipated water feature. We nestled the home into the clearing between existing trees and along the edge of a natural slope which enhanced the design potential and functional options needed for the home. The style of the home not only fits the requirements of an owner with a desire for a very traditional mid-western estate house, but also its location amongst other rural estate lots. The development is in an area dotted with large homes amongst small orchards, small farms, and rolling woodlands. Materials for this home are a mixture of clay brick and limestone for the exterior walls. Both materials are readily available and sourced from the local area. We used locally sourced northern oak wood for the interior trim. The black cherry trees that were removed were utilized as hardwood flooring for the home we designed next door. Mechanical systems were carefully designed to obtain a high level of efficiency. The pool room has a separate, and rather unique, heating system. The heat recovered as part of the dehumidification and cooling process is re-directed to maintain the water temperature in the pool. This process allows what would have been wasted heat energy to be re-captured and utilized. We carefully designed this system as a negative pressure room to control both humidity and ensure that odors from the pool would not be detectable in the house. The underground character of the pool room also allowed it to be highly insulated and sealed for high energy efficiency. The disadvantage was a sacrifice on natural day lighting around the entire room. A commercial skylight, with reflective coatings, was added through the lawn-covered roof. The skylight added a lot of natural daylight and was a natural chase to recover warm humid air and supply new cooled and dehumidified air back into the enclosed space below. Landscaping was restored with primarily native plant and tree materials, which required little long term maintenance. The dedicated nature area is thriving with more wildlife than originally on site when the property was undeveloped. It is rare to be on site and to not see numerous wild turkey, white tail deer, waterfowl and small animals native to the area. This home provides a good example of how the needs of a luxury estate style home can nestle comfortably into an existing environment and ensure that the natural setting is not only maintained but protected for future generations.

A 700 square foot space in the city gets a farmhouse makeover while preserving the clients’ love for all things colorfully eclectic and showcasing their favorite flea market finds! Featuring an entry way, living room, dining room and great room, the entire design and color scheme was inspired by the clients’ nostalgic painting of East Coast sunflower fields and a vintage console in bold colors. Shown in this Photo: color and pattern play that steps from the painting to the console and into the custom pillows all anchored by neutral shades in the custom Chesterfield sofa, chairs, area rug, dining banquette, paint color and vintage farmhouse lamps and accessories. | Photography Joshua Caldwell.

Striking and sophisticated, bold and exciting, and streets ahead in its quality and cutting edge design – Ullapool Road is a showcase of contemporary cool and classic function, and is perfectly at home in a modern urban setting. Ullapool Road brings an exciting and bold new look to the Atrium Homes collection. It is evident from the street front this is something different. The timber-lined ceiling has a distinctive stacked stone wall that continues inside to the impressive foyer, where the glass and stainless steel staircase takes off from its marble base to the upper floor. The quality of this home is evident at every turn – American Black Walnut is used extensively; 35-course ceilings are recessed and trough-lit; 2.4m high doorways create height and volume; and the stunning feature tiling in the bathrooms adds to the overall sense of style and sophistication. Deceptively spacious for its modern, narrow lot design, Ullapool Road is also a masterpiece of design. An inner courtyard floods the heart of the home with light, and provides an attractive and peaceful outdoor sitting area convenient to the guest suite. A lift well thoughtfully futureproofs the home while currently providing a glass-fronted wine cellar on the lower level, and a study nook upstairs. Even the deluxe-size laundry dazzles, with its two huge walk-in linen presses and iron station. Tailor-designed for easy entertaining, the big kitchen is a masterpiece with its creamy CaesarStone island bench and splashback, stainless steel appliances, and separate scullery with loads of built-in storage. Elegant dining and living spaces, separated by a modern, double-fronted gas fireplace, flow seamlessly outdoors to a big alfresco with built-in kitchen facilities.

Rustic entrance - Photography by Marty Paoletta

The beautiful, old barn on this Topsfield estate was at risk of being demolished. Before approaching Mathew Cummings, the homeowner had met with several architects about the structure, and they had all told her that it needed to be torn down. Thankfully, for the sake of the barn and the owner, Cummings Architects has a long and distinguished history of preserving some of the oldest timber framed homes and barns in the U.S. Once the homeowner realized that the barn was not only salvageable, but could be transformed into a new living space that was as utilitarian as it was stunning, the design ideas began flowing fast. In the end, the design came together in a way that met all the family’s needs with all the warmth and style you’d expect in such a venerable, old building. On the ground level of this 200-year old structure, a garage offers ample room for three cars, including one loaded up with kids and groceries. Just off the garage is the mudroom – a large but quaint space with an exposed wood ceiling, custom-built seat with period detailing, and a powder room. The vanity in the powder room features a vanity that was built using salvaged wood and reclaimed bluestone sourced right on the property. Original, exposed timbers frame an expansive, two-story family room that leads, through classic French doors, to a new deck adjacent to the large, open backyard. On the second floor, salvaged barn doors lead to the master suite which features a bright bedroom and bath as well as a custom walk-in closet with his and hers areas separated by a black walnut island. In the master bath, hand-beaded boards surround a claw-foot tub, the perfect place to relax after a long day. In addition, the newly restored and renovated barn features a mid-level exercise studio and a children’s playroom that connects to the main house. From a derelict relic that was slated for demolition to a warmly inviting and beautifully utilitarian living space, this barn has undergone an almost magical transformation to become a beautiful addition and asset to this stately home.

Praktisch ist es viel Stauraum zu haben, ihn aber nicht zeigen zu müssen. Hier versteckt er sich clever hinter der Schiebetür.

Our Ridgewood Estate project is a new build custom home located on acreage with a lake. It is filled with luxurious materials and family friendly details.

Frank Herfort