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Project posted by Arkin Tilt Architects

Idea Garden

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Presentation section
Presentation section
"The nearly 100 year-old Victorian farmhouse clearly had good bones, but over the years unfortunate facelifts and additions had left it somewhat listless as well as thermally challenged in both summer and winter," says Arkin Tilt Architects. The design team sought to preserve the Victorian's charm while renovating the kitchen and dining room addition to have an open, Zen-inspired vibe with a garden connection.
"The nearly 100 year-old Victorian farmhouse clearly had good bones, but over the years unfortunate facelifts and additions had left it somewhat listless as well as thermally challenged in both summer and winter," says Arkin Tilt Architects. The design team sought to preserve the Victorian's charm while renovating the kitchen and dining room addition to have an open, Zen-inspired vibe with a garden connection.

Credits

From Arkin Tilt Architects

With a beautifully tended landscape already providing fertile ground for bringing together people and ideas, this renovation elevates the house, bringing grace, comfort, and energy efficiency to a drafty Victorian that had been poorly appended over time.

The original Victorian remains spatially unchanged, but the renovated kitchen and dining room have an open ‘Zen’ sensibility connecting light-filled spaces to the surrounding garden via long visual site lines and a generous veranda roof to the west.

The whole house received a complete insulation and air-tightness wrap, which – with simple passive and active solar strategies at the new addition – create year-round comfort. Natural and recycled materials bring character to the simple spaces. Local craftsmen and sculptors were engaged for the ‘tansu’ tub, uniquely carved bathroom door, live-edge entry bench, and dining room table made of reused bowling lane, anchoring the venerable structure in its artful garden setting.