A large stone addition brings a unique Pennsylvania bank barn feel to the exteior of this home.
When a young family moved out of a townhouse in eastern Pennsylvania in 1997 and cast their lot on a rectangular, center-hall, two-story contemporary, they were more smitten with the site than the house. “We love the neighborhood, and love the property which is right in the heart of Chester County.” — the homeowner
The house is located on a four-acre site that backs up to Valley Forge National Park. In addition to the appeal of the natural beauty afforded by the immediate surroundings, the location is also just a short drive from the bustle of Center City, Philadelphia. But this growing family caused the space to shrink. “We had remodeling intentions when we bought the house. As the kids grew and we had more kids, eventually the living space wasn’t working for us,” says the homeowner.
Four children, three dogs, and three cats were putting a strain on the living space as the home’s major systems started to fail. “It got to the point where nothing in the kitchen worked,” says the homeowner, “I was cooking in a toaster oven.”
Despite the challenges of daily life, the driving force of the major renovation was actually a transitional space. “I told the designers I wanted a mudroom to die for,” remembers the homeowner. “I wanted every child to have their own place to put their stuff with plugs for iPods and cell phones,” she says.
Lining the southern walls of the new rooms with windows allowed the design team to roll in elements of passive solar technology while offering priceless views of the adjoining parkland.
A custom table—a housewarming gift from the builder is illuminated by a simple Pierre Deux chandelier, and antique chestnut floors were instaled throughout the house.
With a builder, an interior designer, and an architect already in mind, the family set out to achieve their goal for creating a space that functioned more appropriately for their needs. They started by first contacting Cee Jay Frederick, principal at Cee Jay Frederick Associates in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “They had outgrown the house which had already undergone a renovation to expand the kitchen. We ended up ripping off the addition and re-doing the whole western portion of the house which included the kitchen and the spaces above it,” says Frederick.
Besides designing the requested “killer mudroom,” Frederick was tasked with adding a three-car garage, a master suite, and a dining room large enough to accommodate the family of six plus relatives. For design inspiration, Frederick observed the surrounding landscape and came up with a concept. “I call it modified Chester County eclectic,” he says. “We were looking at sheds, barns, and farm houses in the area.”
Although Frederick’s firm leans toward modern design, he himself lives in a circa 1802 farmhouse and drew on both contemporary and vernacular forms to inspire his design. To get the extra space needed for the home’s expanded living area and dining room, he produced a set of plans that called for cantilevered bump-outs resting on exposed conical columns. “We drew on vernacular straw sheds in the area with feed lots or calving lots located below the shed,” says Frederick. Lining the southern walls of the new rooms with windows allowed the design team to roll in elements of passive solar technology while offering priceless views of the adjoining parkland. New exteriors were clad in stone contrasted with wood siding, giving the house the look of being added onto over the years. Handsome stone archways and low walls reflect the indigenous architecture of the surrounding area.
“We were basically working with an adaptation of a Pennsylvania-Dutch bank barn. So for the drop dead mudroom we played with the idea of horse stalls to create cubbies for the kids.” — John Andersson
The design of this very functional mudroom was inspired by English paddock barn stalls. An inset border of river pebbles adds an earthy accent to slate floors.
To design the interior spaces, the homeowners consulted another friend of the family, John Andersson of Coppermine Terrace Interiors in Parkton, Maryland. “We were basically working with an adaptation of a Pennsylvania-Dutch bank barn,” says Andersson. “So for the ‘drop-dead’ mudroom we played with the idea of horse stalls to create cubbies for the kids. They are good-sized, roughly two feet by three feet, with hooks for coats, drop-in storage, and electricity.”
The sturdy, rustic look of the mudroom was tracked into the kitchen in the form of distressed cabinetry outfitted with bin pulls. “The idea in the kitchen was to make it look like the cabinets were developed from old furniture,” says builder Mark Langerhans of Current Works Construction in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Farm sinks, soapstone countertops, white tile backsplashes, riverstone floors, and oil-rubbed bronze hardware help carry the room on a buggy ride back through the region’s architectural history.
To pull the rustic theme through the rest of the house, load-bearing beams were left exposed in the great room, dining room, and the master suite, which created construction challenges along the way. “The beams, steel hangers, and plates all had to be drilled very precisely, because you’re seeing things that are generally covered over with drywall,” says Langerhans.
The scheme in the master suite, although dramatic, remains true to simple forms and shapes. Colors and textures reach back to the past while keeping the design simple and straightforward. Beadboard and reclaimed wood floors make appearances, along with a legged bathroom vanity. A bathtub was sacrificed in exchange for two separate water closets and a generously sized shower.
Special touches that cinch the look together include a custom-built hutch in the dining room holding a China collection that belonged to the homeowner’s great grandmother. “It was designed around the collection,” says the homeowner. “Up until the renovation, the China had stayed packed for 30 years.”
In addition to custom pieces that helped his clients achieve specific goals, Andersson selected wallpaper and traditional furnishings to echo Pennsylvania-Dutch themes and give this contemporary home a comfortable feel. Other elements of this renovation include a massive stone wall that defines the driveway leading to the three car garage tucked away behind the porte-cochère, and a media room carved underneath the new spaces. The overall effect of the project was good feelings all around. “We all had a blast on this job,” says Andersson.
Frederick was satisfied with successfully blending modern lifestyles with a house design that’s rooted in days gone by, reflecting, “I’m happy we were able to marry the lifestyle of how people actually live to the architecture.”
The builder finished his end of the project by presenting the happy owners with a renovated house-warming gift—a custom nine-foot kitchen table big enough for the kids and grandparents.
Scott Sowers is a frequent contributor to ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
Cee Jay Frederick Associates: ceejay@cjfa.com or 610-431-7899
Coppermine Terrace Interiors, LLC: john@coppermineterrace.com or 410-357-9500
Current Works Construction, Inc.: vintageworks-vf.com or 610-574-9333
