Architect creates a traditional farmhouse for a modern family
When architect Les McCormick of Studio McCormick agreed to design a Black Mountain-area home for a couple with three young sons, he gave them plenty of modern amenities, large and small: outdoor-living areas, an open floor plan, “green” energy features, and stainless-steel-cable porch railings. However, the overall vernacular is classic farmhouse. Considered among the new-home milieu of Craftsman-esque rustic or vertical modern — i.e., the more expected regional styles — the gray-trimmed, bright-white clapboard structure will appear unexpectedly innovative: as refreshing as a spray of mountain laurel. A mix of board-and-batten and shingle siding, plus a slate-like roof, completes the general look.
McCormick is situating the 2,500-square-foot home to tap a southwestern view of mountains and valleys, helped by a traditional wraparound deck. But no natural element complements “farmhouse” more than the one-acre property’s 125-year-old oak tree. It provides year-round shade, and, along with a mature grove of poplar, offers “winter solar-heat gain,” notes the architect. (The house will be completed late this year or early in 2016.)
“The homeowners requested that the design have a traditional feel and quality. Given the rural context, it was appropriate to use the ‘Southern American Farm House’ as a design model,” explains McCormick, who says the couple, along with contractor Brookstone Builders, is deeply involved in the planning process.
No matter their size, region, or adjacent acreage, old farmhouses tended to be united by certain key architectural elements: narrow stairwells, low ceilings, small bedrooms like afterthoughts — and kitchens that dominated the house. That’s because life on the farm rose and set on food preparation and consumption: timeless agricultural rhythms replicated in domesticity.
But with the 20th-century curve toward suburbia, kitchens became compartmentalized. This once all-important room accumulated cabinets and such marvelous innovations as garbage disposals, while at the same time losing pride of place in the home. Kitchens ceded prestige to so-called family rooms, where TV was king.
Today, though, there’s a major cultural return to the kitchen as core-of-home. Expansive prep islands flanked with chairs double as conversation stations, and a centralized aspect draws family members and guests to the room as the prime gathering space.
For his Black Mountain clients, McCormick designed what he calls the “main living floor” with a “loft-like” feel. The ceilings in this area are ten feet tall, and so are the windows, which face the view. “The open plan allows the family’s kitchen to be the home’s internal focal point and general activity hub,” he acknowledges.
A 5’ by 8’ multipurpose island anchors the space, and a white ceramic Shaw farmhouse sink naturally “reinforces the farmhouse feel,” says the architect (as does the honed Carrara marble countertop, the Shaker-style cabinets, a brick tile backsplash, and upper cabinets with glass panes).
McCormick describes the kitchen’s overall mood as “inviting and friendly.” Pickled — intentionally weathered — wide-plank flooring is present throughout the home’s whole first level. “This brings lightness into the center of the home and subtly reinforces a rural-mountain vernacular style,” he points out.
Unlike the typical bedroom layout in traditional farmhouses, where the usually tight sleeping quarters were used for only that, the clients’ three boys will enjoy a thoroughly livable wing. McCormick describes the kids’ rooms as “compact,” but also notes the inclusion of a separate bath, an activity/study area, and a laundry room. This, he says, “will maximize the opportunity for the children to take care of their laundry needs as they age and participate in outdoor activities and sports” — as well as “minimize the wife’s housework.”
Mom and Dad will also get their play space. “The master suite is sized to accommodate an ample inside sitting and game area,” says McCormick. And, too, “an adjacent outside screened private porch, overlooking the mountain views, is created for morning coffee, reading and chatting.”
The master-suite bath includes private vanities for husband and wife. A walk-in shower has been built big enough to accommodate a bathing bench.
Additionally, the room features large windows overlooking the poplar grove: a decidedly modern luxury. It’s safe to reckon that a bath with a view was rarely a feature in yesterday’s farmhouses.
Visit studiomccormick.com or call 828-414-4866 to learn more about Studio McCormick.