Located on farmland in McLean, Virginia, the American Farmhouse balances the expected comforts of a new home with the bucolic beauty of an old farmhouse. The final site plan still has evidence showing parallel courses of the barn’s destiny. The house mass is broken and lowered so that the home can remain secondary to the monolithic barn structure. Earthy and elemental materials are selected for the home that reference the barn without directly mimicking it. Wooden members found inside the barn and from other barns bridge ceilings and are used in floors along with rustic slate adding to a sense of simplicity to the farmhouse design. The age and patina of the barn is reflected in the house’s textural use of board and batten and field stone layered similar to stone foundations. The original development plan was to demolish the existing barn and construct three suburban homes. Part of an endangered breed, as one of the few remaining barns in the area, it was originally viewed as a challenge in a luxury home construction with several difficulties posed to the impending project: it would be expensive to renovate, vulnerable to demolition, and threatened by urban sprawl. However, instead of trying to alter or destroy the barn, the structure was fully embraced into the traditional architecture project as a centerpiece and was used as the inspiration for the home. The new house was sited parallel to the barn so that views to the barn gable were accessible.

Children's tub and built in shelves. Yorgos Efthymiadis
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GC: Osborne Construction Architect: C2 Architecture Design: Kole Made. Custom Woodwork + Cabinetry: Loubier Design. http://www.kolemade.com/ http://www.c2-architecture.com/ http://kirk-loubier.squarespace.com/ Photo Credit: http://www.samoberter.com/

Plastic benches held up by concrete block make a simple benching system. Wire closet shelving adds extra room for plants. 3/8" pea stone floor with drainage pipe beneath keeps the floor dry. Photo by Bob Trainor

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All Interior selections/finishes by Monique Varsames Furniture staged by Stage to Show Photos by Frank Ambrosiono
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Photo by Matthew Bolt Graphic Design
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