SHED embraced the angled corners with custom cabinetry. According to Hale, the inspiration images that the couple chose were “less American Midwest farmhouse, and more contemporary Scandinavian farmhouse,” which inspired the design team to consult Scandinavian farm layouts for the master plan.
SHED converted the side door into the front door, adding a new entry sequence with a patio, landscaping, stairs, and a metal awning to protect the porch. Wide stairs and a patio lead down to new sliding glass door in the basement, which now has utility spaces and a media room/office. Many of the original window openings were kept on this façade and given new Andersen E-Series units. Two smaller openings were bricked in.
A special finish brings out the grain in the kitchen's walnut cabinetry.
The home's centerpiece is its ridge-beam skylight, which extends over the living room and expanded kitchen.
Terrazzo clads the shower and bath. All of the brass faucets in the apartment are from Vola.
Melon-colored shelves, loaded with vintage dishes, hide inside bleached oak cabinets.
The second bathroom is awash in blue.
The adjoining bathroom gets indirect daylight via openings in the brick wall and a transom window.
Sponges and gentle brushes serve as great assistants when looking to remove grime and stains around caulking.
Shawn loves the play of colors in the new space, from the pink pantry door to the aqua fireplace to the multicolored chips in the new terrazzo flooring. “We knew we wanted something really interesting and sturdy,” says Shawn of the tile, which is the Frammeti style by Del Conca.
In the Pink, a paint color by Sherwin Williams, highlights the pantry door. Everything else is painted Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.
Local cabinetmaker Peter Pomerantz made the custom, white oak cabinetry and Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated the steel hood. “It’s about lines and shadows; no hardware,” Herrmann says.
Herrmann’s first inclination was to design the bunks without a partition between them, but the owners asked that each one be its own little pod complete with bookshelves and reading light. “The kids love the bunk room,” the husband says. “At home, the twins share a room and their baby brother is the odd man out. Here, for twelve weeks, he gets to be a part of it.”
White oak flooring in the bedroom.
The new kitchen features a "super pantry" concealed behind sleek, black, screen-like sliding doors.
Dash Marshall introduced new furniture, lighting, floors, and trim, as well as custom-designed millwork installed by Casagrande Woodworks. The living room features a Vico #13K782 (Morandi 3) sofa, armchairs by Cassina, and a Milo Baughman-designed, Thayer Coggin bronze finished steel coffee table.
Located above the kitchen, one of the home's two full bathrooms opens from the staircase landing. The
“Off the kitchen is the 1,000-square-foot great room with an oversize woodburning fireplace, original wide-plank floors, custom wainscoting milled from trees on the property, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the creek and waterfall,” says the listing agent.
“The wall's latticed steelwork was hand-bathed in acid over many months to achieve its uniquely rich patina, as was the floor-to-ceiling, sculptural steel tower opposite with built-in wood burning pizza oven at its base,” says the listing agent.
New exterior
A large garage at the rear of the site was redone using the same material palette as the main house. There is a large studio with a bathroom above the garage that can be used as a guest suite.
“There are some great houses in Birmingham,” says Poris. “This one had had been split into two homes during the Depression and there were still remnants of that—two stairs, some of the rooms were chopped up… Many houses like this would be knocked down and replaced, but the client wanted to bring it back to life."
One of Kevin’s favorite rooms is an indoor-outdoor area he calls the ‘screen room.’ With a full-width retractable screen across one wall, the space is a modern take on an all-season screened porch.
“When it came to designing the inside of the home, we wanted to have your eye continue on through the glass instead of landing on a lot of details,” comments Liz.
The wooden staircase is a nod to the original timber cabin.
A closer peek at the kitchen. Here, you can see how the counter extends to the outdoor patio.
A fully glazed corridor allows the owner to enjoy the autumn foliage outdoors.
The kitchen features an elegant, rustic vibe.
Inspired by historic American farmhouses, a modern dwelling at the base of the Rocky Mountain Foothills in West Boulder, Colorado was designed by Boulder-based firm Surround Architecture. At the transition between the living room and kitchen, firewood is stored in a metal box that projects out from the wall, announcing itself with its contrasting color and slim profile.
The architects removed decorative wood beams and wood paneling, and raised the ceiling to reveal a bright, open space. The existing fireplace mantle was swapped out for Bolection molding, a minimal-yet-traditional profile that allows more space for wall art. Hendricks installed the sconces and Noguchi lantern above the clients' wood table and chairs.
A local blacksmith fabricated metal elements for the doors, shelves, and light fittings throughout the house.
The doors and windows are framed in plaster, which the owners formed, sanded, and finished themselves. The slightly uneven finish gives the home a handcrafted feel that contrasts with the sleekly finished timber work.
The living room leads to a terrace with a grill that allows the clients to cook and entertain outside while enjoying the picturesque site.
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