Additions

Architect Gregory Phillips connected the original house to a new modern extension that doesn’t interfere with the surrounding houses. “I try to be true to the location,”he explains, “so it doesn’t seem like some spaceship has landed.”

Easy Transitions To visually connect the kitchen with the outdoor covered patio, the architects installed a cedar ceiling that flows from interior to exterior, peppered with an uninterrupted grid of Iside 2 puck lights from Leucos USA. Bifold accordion doors by Sierra Pacific open all the way, allowing the Zuckermans’ large dinner parties to spill outside. leucosusa.com sierrapacificwindows.com

Preservation Props Since the house is in a historic district, Beebe and Skidmore’s interventions were constrained by local guidelines, including a stipulation that the walls of the addition couldn’t line up with the walls of the existing house. They bumped the walls in by five feet on either side and painted the addition, clad in siding from Capital Lumber, a color complementary to the original building’s deep, bright blue. “A guy from Boise’s preservation office came by and said, ‘This is a perfect example of how we’d like people to build additions,’” says Dana. “We were pretty proud of that.” beebeskidmore.com capital-lumber.com

This airy addition on the back of a historic house in Boise is a model of sensitive renovation, seamlessly melding new and old. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

An outdoor bathroom and shed were demolished for a full-width rear extension. Pivoting doors contrast with a blanket of brick comprising the house, its garden walls, and all the neighboring houses. A two-story addition is camouflaged in reclaimed brick. “We had to develop a series of floor plates at the rear of the building that aligned with adjoining properties,” says architect David Tigg, as an example of the rigors of working in a conservation area.

The rear of the house features Victorian brick, a modern extension, and Velfac windows. Landscape designer Matthew Wright was inspired by the art of Henri Rousseau when choosing plants to set amid the garden’s Dorset pebbles.

While the extension centers on the dining area, its ample openings bring light pouring into the rest of the house as well. The kitchen is the biggest beneficiary of this reconfiguration. Opening up directly onto the dining area, its crisp cabinetry and finishes are now bathed in light.

In addition to blurring the line between house and garden, the extension’s frameless glass wall fully surrounds the dining area. An antique Tibetan console contrasts with the dining area’s modern furnishings, providing a welcome touch of color and texture.

The facade is original to the 1930s house, and the couple rebuilt the annex, which houses the kitchen and bath.

In Surrey, England, OB Architecture married a two-story addition to a historic home with a frameless glazed link. The roof was retiled in slate.