When we commit we commit. Sure there are changes during the course of any project—a slightly different paint hue, a timeline change-up due to weather conditions, but overall we stay true to our original vision. We typically find our vision by sitting on the porch for a spell just long enough to soak up the personality of the structure. After that, the direction we need to take will usually be pretty obvious. We both had a quick read on the “farmhouse” quality of this structure. Likely because of the large plot of land it sat upon, gabled roof and generous porch.
We loved the initial design plans and quite honestly didn’t veer much. The only nip and tuck came into play was when the natural light wasn’t exactly what we anticipated. To compensate we added white oak pickled flooring that adroitly captured abundant bounce from the sun. To offset the blanching we chose a deeper stain for the stairs. Yin and Yang works every time!
We were very pleased with the way we adopted and adapted reclaimed 1’ by 8’ roof decking into our design in the powder room, hallway, stairs and kitchen. We find that repeating elements make for a more cohesive final product. The artisan functionality of the decking boards used in lieu of plywood in the kitchen was a hit. We also love the broken claw foot tub that was hidden under years of back yard muck, exhumed, cleaned, restored, and brought back to its original luster. Though the project was definitely labor-intensive it was worth it to us and (more importantly) the new owner. Now this forgotten gem is no longer forgotten.
The color of the front door was one of the last decisions we made. We knew we wanted something moderately eccentric to underscore the quirkiness of the house (after all we had over a dozen grazing goats on the property for nearly a month─more on that later). Caribbean Blue was the only choice that seemed to punctuate everything we wanted to punctuate. Knock out roses in the landscaping extended our perky palate. There is a slight nautical note with the rope hung bathroom mirrors (see above) and exterior weather resistant paint applied to a couple of indoor fixtures. However, we felt that a sea-worthy element was in keeping with the quaintly adventurous open-air spirit of our interpretation of the modern American farmhouse. Like we said—when we commit, we commit.
