As custom homebuilder and developer, Carter Willson spends most of his days crafting homes, consulting his clients on the most efficient, cutting edge, and advanced building materials and technology, turning their intangible daydreams into brick-and-mortar dwellings. As the owner of an older cedar home, Willson also spent days spinning his own dreams of an up-to-date home where he could test for himself the latest and greatest offerings on the home market. “I wanted to upgrade to all of the new products in ceramic tile, kitchen cabinets and counters, flooring and windows, siding and shingles, plumbing fixtures and electrical,” he says. Easy enough, you say, for a man who makes a living in home construction.
The trick was, Carter and his wife, Stephanie, weren’t looking to build a “new” house—they wanted a new house disguised as a grand old farmhouse.The couple decided to build on a piece of land that Carter had purchased and subdivided a few years prior, opting for a 14-acre double lot to maintain a country view. Since the expansive property sat far from any neighboring houses that might dictate a particular style, the Willsons were able to design as they pleased and settled on a simple, straightforward, traditional architecture reflective of the Quaker community that was originally established in the surrounding locale.
Carter had worked with the architecture firm on past projects and was impressed by the company’s skill. And although the lot was wide open, plans were still tricky—all modern-day amenities would need to be carefully masked, and because the home site was steeply sloped, the team was also limited with the footprint of the house.
In trying to capture the look of a home that has existed for hundreds of years, the Willsons selected a local fieldstone for the façade of the “main house,” a colonial-style structure with 1900s farmhouse appeal, and Hardiplank siding for what would appear to be an addition to an existing home. The design also incorporates traditional features like dormer windows, true wooden shutters with wrought iron tiebacks, a wrap-around porch and formal veranda, and a detached garage reminiscent of a colonial-style outbuilding.
Like in most custom building projects, the homeowners and architects went around and around on the home’s design, especially its front elevation as they worked to keep the house from feeling too overwhelming, from looming in the distance. “One of the benefits to working with Carter,” says Studio Z associate Sean Mullin, “was that he was familiar with the building process—it was easy to get everything up and going.” Meeting on-site almost every day, the team, which also included Mark Giarraputo, a principal of Studio Z, looked hard at details for the home. When plans were altered along the way (as they often are), the architects didn’t need to redraw each modification, because Carter was able to interpret the changes easily. “We were all on the same wavelength,” Mullin says.
The large open foyer serves as the backbone for the home from which all other downstairs rooms radiate.
That’s not to say there weren’t contentions along the way, however. The two-story foyer, for instance, “was a big hot button,” says Carter. “Between my wife and the architect, things started to grow…[They] wanted the large foyer, but I wasn’t keen on it. I’m glad I listened to them, though.” This open space serves as the backbone of the home from which all other downstairs rooms radiate. Visitors are welcomed to the house by way of a small vestibule that steps up into the lavishly dressed foyer. “I love the look of an old chandelier and a round table adorned with urns,” says Stephanie, who decorated all of the interiors. The entranceway is hugged by a curving formal stair and looks into the dining room on the left; the living room on the right; and the kitchen, breakfast room, and family room to the rear.
The front formal spaces make use of furnishings from the couple’s previous home, although architectural details lend fresh feeling to the rooms. Carter applied intricate decorative molding to the ceiling in the dining room and to the mantle in the living room.The traditional décor also includes needlepoint rugs, oil paintings, and silk window treatments. “I love how silk falls, the softness of it, and how it changes color at different times of day,” says Stephanie, who sells decorative antiques and revamped older pieces in her shop space at Country School Antiques in Burtonsville, Maryland.
From the front rooms to the rear of the house, the interiors adopt a more relaxed, but still sophisticated, style. The kitchen, breakfast room, family room, and veranda all flow together, notes Mullin, taking advantage of the property’s vistas. “Openness and flow were important to Stephanie,” says Carter, “ and I like the symmetry of the design.”
The traditional decor includes needlepoint rugs, oil paintings, and silk window treatments.
Since the new house was much larger than the couple’s previous home, Stephanie selected four oversized pieces to anchor their existing furniture in the foyer and back rooms: an antique armoire for the foyer; a Habersham entertainment center for the family room that closes to hide the television; a reproduction hutch that houses Stephanie’s MacKenzie-Childs collection; and a reclaimed hutch that perfectly blends with the kitchen cabinetry. “I also got rid of some of our smaller pieces, because they looked dwarfed in the large rooms,” she says.
In the kitchen, warm, white cabinets and corbels with a brown glaze offer an aged look that fits with the older style. Working with his brother, Drew, owner of Willson Kitchen & Bath, Carter selected stainless steel appliances, opting for the top-of-the-line: a Thermador double oven, GE Monogram refrigerator, Dacor microwave, and Bosch dishwasher. The couple also incorporated an island with a rich wooden counter illuminated by two small chandeliers and contrasting honed marble countertops around the perimeter. “Every place I went told me not to get marble countertops because of the upkeep and their tendency to stain,” says Stephanie, who decided to go with the marble despite the warnings and doesn’t regret her decision. “I got them, and I love them,” she says.
The clean décor makes use of a white on taupe color palette with neutral paint, window treatment, and furniture fabrics; punches of color are found in soft accessories like pillows and throws. Stephanie dressed the breakfast room with floor-length slipcovers and silk balloon curtains. The family room, which is two steps down from the breakfast area, includes a marble fireplace surround that echoes the kitchen counters. Stephanie also employed durable linen curtain panels to create the illusion of a single window along the back wall. With the higher ceilings in this space, Studio Z capped the stretch of windows with transoms, allowing plenty of natural light in the room and broad views across the formal garden. At the back right corner of the home, where the family room is situated, the house settles deep into a ridge, giving anyone looking out of the family room windows the sensation of floating high above the ground.
In contrast to the airy and formal atmosphere of the first floor, the upstairs rooms, including the master suite, are divided to offer more privacy. The master bathroom includes a garden tub and corner vanity area with marble counters, plus a separate toilet and shower room. In the master bedroom, the carpenters replicated the traditional molding of the house in cornices from which silk drapes flow. A reproduction chandelier maintains the older aesthetic of the manor house style.
To accommodate the family’s need for informal living spaces, the project team included an upstairs laundry room and a second family room, which the kids use for homework, sleepovers, and relaxing. “This is the most used room in the house,” says Stephanie. “We had a similar room in our previous home, and I knew we needed another one like it in this house.”
This new “old” house serves the Willsons’ habits and lifestyle with both formal and informal spaces similar to those they were accustomed to, but it also makes use of the available technologies and materials that many older homes cannot. “The most important thing to do before building a new house is research,” says Stephanie. “We lived in our last house for 16 years, so there were a lot of new [products] that I didn’t even know about.” The Willsons did their legwork, visiting trade shows (even trekking to Las Vegas), home tours, and model homes to learn about new products. “I put more miles on my car in the three months of planning…,” jokes Stephanie. But the extra homework paid off—their 1900s-style farmhouse blends seamlessly into the rolling countryside, and its carefully crafted bones will hold up well into the 21st century and beyond.
For more photos of this Olney Estate CLICK HERE.
Lauren Brooks is a writer and editor living in Charleston, South Carolina.
Contacts:
Carter Inc.: carter-homes.com or 301-738-7717
Country School Antiques: 301-421-9871
Fine Earth Landscape, Inc.: fineearth.com or 301-983-0800
Studio Z Design Concepts: studiozdc.com or 301-951-4391
Willson Kitchen & Bath: 301-570-4276
