House on Willow Hill is a family farm and residence in Vienna, Virginia. When the clients bought this 5-acre property, they had a desire to preserve the 1800s log cabin that was adjacent to a 1980s single family home. Upon commencement of design, their program was limited to a residence, pool, and sport court. Over the years, and in no small part due to the pandemic, their passion for the land and its agrarian ancestry deepened.

Horn & Co. worked with the client and associated design team on siting a greenhouse, vegetable garden, garden pavilion, chicken coop, small barn and paddocks for their alpaca, miniature cows and horses, goats, and sheep. Diagrammatic relationships among the structures create a timeline for the property – the historic shed is connected, axially, to the barn made of reclaimed wood. The main residence is on axis with the greenhouse garden, which includes a contemporary pavilion made with finishes that match the residence.

Careful management of stormwater on the site, which is adjacent to an RPA, was maintained throughout all spaces, incorporating rain gardens, infiltration trenches and soil remediation/decompaction. The plant palette is a mix of natives and heirloom species, providing pollinator habitat year-round, while also speaking to the site history.