Gothic Farmhouse, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (under construction)
A couple living in rural North Carolina are building a new farm; someday it will have orchards, vegetables and perhaps some animals. They were lucky to find a large parcel of land with two ponds and a long, winding farm road.
From the beginning, we were all drawn to the writings of AJ Downing, who made the romantic landscape and Gothic architecture so popular in the United States nearly two centuries ago. His instructions for both farm and house design remain inspiring.
When looking through Downing's books, such as "The Architecture of Country Houses," we were drawn to the picturesque composition and simple-yet-rich detailing of what is sometimes called Carpenter Gothic. Some designs mimic stone houses in England; others celebrate rustic American construction. We decided to break down the house's program into several buildings to keep the massing small and to maximize light and ventilation.
The main house uses stone-like detailing, with flushboarded walls and labels on the windows. The outlying structures (master bath/gym and barn/garage) are more rustic with board-and-batten walls and hooded windows.
The house has a lot of porches, both open and enclosed. This covered outdoor space is very important for enjoying the land.
Stay tuned for the interiors, which will feature more flushboarding and some great cabinetry.
