Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/660193
80 SPRING 2016 explains DeGan, adding that one of the kitchen's focal points, the antique wood range hood, was created using material from the former barn's outhouse. Reclaimed wood on the kitchen island and soapstone countertops complement the room's historic feel, and lighting from Visual Comfort and Urban Electric makes the low- ceilinged room feel lofty. "The clients were initially concerned that with the low ceiling the room might feel cramped or dark," Ratte adds, "but light colors and ceil- ing beams create a more spacious sense." The home's original floor plan directed traffic through the dining room, which concerned the home- owners, who wanted to preserve the period room. "The dining room is a beautiful, traditional space," says De- Gan. "It was very important to all of us that it be main- tained." To that end, DeGan designed a passageway and mudroom that would lead around the dining room, rather than through it. The room's bold wallpaper is one of few bright pops in the otherwise muted, traditional home, and it too nods to the past: "It's a reproduction of a vintage wall covering from Shumacher's archives," explains Farrand. "I think it's a wonderful testament to the power of color." The mudroom's design echoes both the new kitchen and the former barn, using reclaimed wood for the cabinetry and durable Belgian limestone pavers for the flooring. While much of home's second floor remained un- touched, the team "created a more appropriate master suite," Ratte explains, by adding a luxurious master bath and closet in place of an unused back stairwell, as well as a second bathroom for the family's children. "We wanted the master bath to be a really restful spot," vignettes nshoremag.com/nshorehome/ "The clients were initially concerned that with the low ceiling the room might feel cramped or dark, but light colors and ceiling beams create a more spacious sense." — Mark Ratte, Ratte Construction Reclaimed timbers support the family room and add an Old World feel to the space.