Something Old, Something New

Milman Road Renovation The Syte Architecture team referenced the past while assembling the two-story addition, cladding the exterior in zinc and reused brick from the original wall so it blended with the express chimneys and surrounding structures. Photos by Syte Achitecture

Though the house is sleekly modern—some visitors unaccustomed to contemporary architecture have said it looks like a spaceship—there are winks to old-time Americana throughout the property.

Visitors to the home are greeted by a George Nelson Bubble pendant in the entryway, a striking counterpoint to the home’s traditional shingle facade.

#A+ZDesignStudio #DesignMilk Photo by Beppe Brancato

A+Z Design Studio, run by architect and production designer Attila F. Kovács and his art director and stylist wife, Zsuzsa Megyesi, became their own clients when they converted a four-story building that was once a weapons factory, into their home. Located in the southern part of Budapest, Hungary, Loft 19, their tower-like home, and the large factory complex date back to around 1913-1915 and have become protected industrial buildings. The space is quite unusual but they’ve made it all their own creating the perfect blend of design from Kovács’ childhood years (1950s-60s) with a contemporary spin. #A+ZDesignStudio #DesignMilk Photo by Beppe Brancato

When Guido and Sabrina Chiavelli left their tiny apartment in Asolo to begin their family life in the northern Italian countryside, they chose to renovate a crumbling sandstone farmhouse. The desire to preserve the building's original structure while adding a modern aesthetic led the couple to augment the stone walls with teak panels and wide windows. Photo by Helenio Barbetta.

Tom Givone’s clients, Rose and Steve Smith, teach overseas and have owned their house for 26 years. They intended to fix it up slowly and retire there. As one problem led to another, they reached a point when they felt their only option, as Rose put it, was to “burn it down.”

Nicknamed the Floating Farmhouse, this 200-year-old home inspired one former copywriter to delve into architecture as a living. Inside, renovator and owner Tom Givone mixes vintage and industrial decor. Photo by Mark Mahaney.

Homeowner Tom Givone states, “The hope has been to combine archaic and modern elements in a way that would enhance the beauty of each by virtue of its contrast with the other." While the table is situated in front of the house’s rear wall of skyscraper glass. The laminated kitchen cabinets by Ikea are framed in wraparound bluestone; the 48-inch commercial range is by FiveStar. Photo by: Mark Mahaney

In the existing house, the wood beams were hidden under sheetrock and wallpaper. "I exposed them all, but I didn't let that dictate where the new walls would go," Givone says. "I let the beams fall where they may."

The Floating Farmhouse’s semitransparent addition has a roofline that matches the pitch of the original 1820s farmhouse. A porch, tucked under the side eaves, is cantilevered over a stream that runs through the property. Ikea loungers are illuminated from the interior by commercial gymnasium lights repurposed as pendant lamps.

Architect Andrew McAvoy created an earth-sheltered house in Scotland for Gavin and Angelique Robb and children Scarlett and Gus.