“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.
Curtains separate the front—where kids dance and partake in carpentry—from the play area in the rear.
“The overarching goal was to preserve the rustic character of the original building without making any compromises in terms of modern comfort,” says La Firme. The team hid modern appliances (like the refrigerator) below eye level and worked with the original, century-old structure of The Barn.
The couple purchased the living room’s H.W. Klein chairs with the house. Another existing piece was the mezzanine’s daybed, designed by Peter Hvidt and Orlando Mølgaard Nielsen. An original floating staircase leads to the mezzanine and then up to the second floor. The open, straight-forward spaces speak to one of Christian’s guiding principles: “Simplicity is the key,” he says.
The uninterrupted use of concrete throughout the interior creates a sense of fluidity between spaces.
When glass dominates a home, the result is a borderless residence that syncs with its environs, creating a stunning, new visual and psychological sense of space. See how these glass homes use the versatile material to create ambiance and connect with the outdoors.