This video is about A Modern American Farmhouse. The Classic ‘L’ shaped American Farmhouse is also be referred to as a gable front and wing design. This home shape grew out of the simple one, then two story gable front american Folk house. This is a page from the Sears Modern Home catalog of a gable front and wing design of the early 1900’s. Which leads us to my Contemporary version. The program for this home are as follows: provide a two story three bedrooms home with 2 1/2 baths, a Kitchen, Family Room and Dining Room all under 2000 sq. ft. In diagrammatic terms I thought about the Kitchen and Family Room as contiguous spaces with the Dining space around the corner. To conserve space the bedrooms on the second floor would need to share a bath and the master suite could occupy the larger spaces above the Kitchen. In the final design the Kitchen is more than adequate for a small home with a mudroom vestibule with millwork, a large Island, lots of cabinet and closet storage and a small but functional family Room with large screen tv. I made sure that the powder room was centrally located, a gracious wet bar was placed between spaces, flow between rooms is unimpeded and some built-in bookshelves were included in both the Family and Dining Rooms. I also like to think about creating strong axis within a design. This helps to organize space and make a building more legible when in use. When it comes to moving vertically in a home It’s important in any home that the main stair is easily accessed or near the front entry. Because the house is relatively small it is important to keep circulation to a minimum. For this reason there is a small stair hall at the top of the steps from which two smaller bedrooms and a nicely proportioned bath can be accessed. The master suite is also accessible from the stair hall and features a roomy closet, a larger bath with shower, plenty of room for a king sized bed and a small sunny vestibule which could be used as a small part time office. The exterior elevations are reminiscent of a traditional farmhouse with matching gables and a continuous roof peak. The home also features large traditional overhangs with rafter tails along the facades and outriggers at the gable ends. However, unlike it’s traditional cousin this home takes advantage of 8’ ceilings with floor to ceiling doors and windows where possible. The house features a traditional porch within the L shape building form and it’s highlighted with contemporary details and metal brackets. The gable ends as well as the front porch utilize lattice which dematerialize the facade of horizontal siding while providing a kind of marker for the 12/12 pitched gables. These delicate frameworks are not only aesthetic but functional as they allow for light and air to move through the building at strategic locations like windows and vents. The building features a metal roof reminiscent of an old farmhouse as well as some contemporary styling. Overall the home is small but the use of space is efficient. It’s a contemporary take on traditional style. It features modern aesthetic sensibilities while leaning on traditional form and materials to keep one foot in the past. I’m Doug Patt we’ll see you next time.
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