The elegant simplicity of this new custom farmhouse home in Freeport, Maine caught our eye right away. Whitten Architects was asked to renovate an existing timberframe barn and add sunlit living space for their clients.
The result is a farmhouse very appealing blend of old and new, where old materials are highlighted, and the owners’ art collection stands out.
A natural finish on the porch deck and the front door is a clue to the character of the interior. We haven’t seen this before – a wood floor painted white to match the trim, walls, and ceiling – but it works well to highlight the artwork, and to draw your attention to the window at the end of the hall.
There’s no doubt you’re in the renovated barn – and again, the totally-white palette of the new work sets of the rustic texture of the massive timber frame pieces!
Colors and textures warm up – just a bit – in the family room and kitchen. The wood floor here has a natural finish, as does the new post and beam framing. The Quartz countertops are white to match the rest of the design, but a deep blue paint on the cabinets adds the first hue we’ve seen in the house.
The backsplashes in this kitchen are an extension of the quartz countertops, running up the wall to the underside of the cabinets, and behind the open shelves. We like the clean look of that – no grout lines!
Details really matter in a house like this – notice how the stair was carefully positioned to align with the center of the hallway. And if you look very closely, you’ll see how the hallway floor – where it steps down into the family room – turns the corner into the family room, creating a shelf (partially hidden by the amaryllis).
The same minimalist color scheme carries through into the master bath – with the addition of large porcelain tiles in the shower stall. Throughout the bath, a few bits of greenery add just enough color.
Back outside, a low-maintenance landscape of wildflowers, natural stone, and gravel ties the house to the rural landscape. Exterior materials on the house are just what you’d expect to find in rural Maine – standing seam metal roofing, board-and-batten siding, and double-hung windows with a single vertical muntin bar. They’ve also added a large area of solar panels, and have blended them very well with the roof!
The “custom farmhouse home” look is very popular right now, but the timelessness and sensibility of designs like this one will always have a place in our hearts!
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