Vintage Farmhouse for a Modern Family
The vision for this early 1900s country home in the Catskills of New York was to be a weekend and summer escape from a busy, high-pressure career and to be a place for family (especially kids) to enjoy living and growing up in a healthy, natural environment. With its many acres of land and orchards, quality time can be spent tending the garden and the apple trees. The updates designer Jeannie Fulton of Ridgewood, N.J.-based Ulrich, Inc. made throughout the farmhouse prioritize its relationship with the outdoors.
Convivial Kitchen
The designer focused on the kitchen specifically to support healthy family cooking and entertaining in a modern farmhouse style. It includes every latest functionality for cooking, and the style has been carefully curated to be simple, yet charmingly sophisticated. Elements that achieve this can be seen in the retro feel of the refurbished black Viking range, the dark colors juxtaposed with light and texture and in the specially detailed finishes. The vent hood and the island countertop exemplify these special touches with multi-step, hand-crafted finishes on stainless steel, and brass accents. The backsplash tile gives a nod to the past with its pattern and texture reminiscent of a tin ceiling.
“Because the home is an old farmhouse, the overall challenge with the project was to modernize the home without losing the original charm,” said Fulton. “It also posed a particular challenge in bringing ‘old’ closed-off spaces to a modern, efficiently usable space with an open floor plan, adding a new mud room and lots of places for storage.”
A bar and a walk-in pantry complete the contemporary conveniences, and a downstairs cider room is an appropriately agrarian twist on the wine cellar. “As designers, we are always learning from what we do, and we should never be surprised by what a client may be interested in doing. In this case, since the farmhouse is surrounded by a lovely apple orchard, the homeowners wanted a place to make cider as well as store their wine. Thus, we created a ‘cider room’ in the basement,” said the designer.
Primary Bathroom
The primary bathroom continues the old-world-meets-new-world style developed by Fulton for the project. Warm ceramic tiling with a touch of Americana in its patchwork theme, alongside the soft gray of the simply-styled vanities on tall square post legs, comprise a compatible setting for the antique claw-foot tub that was given center-stage in the cozy space.
Guest Barn Update
The barn on the property was originally just that – a working barn supporting the activities of the surrounding apple orchards and extensive country property. It had been to include a guest suite with a kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a laundry room, but needed rearranging, updating and refinement.
First on Fulton’s agenda was to reconfigure the layout of the entry walls and door to move the laundry center out of the main entry hallway. This allows visitors to access the main barn area without going through the guest suite and also provides direct entry into the laundry area from the suite. The designer also expanded the primary bath to add a shower and give the room more vanity space. These modifications to the layout improved the overall flow of the floor plan and solidified the aesthetic.
To maintain the integrity and feel of the original rustic barn, Fulton lined every wall with silvered and aged oak wood panels. Throughout the structure, she preserved the existing beams and wide plank floors, as well as the original doors – especially the Dutch door at the main entry with its massive, hand-forged strap hinges. Additional hardware was carefully selected for all interior doors to continue the authentic look and feel.
Sources
Design: Jeannie Fulton, Ulrich, Inc; Photography: Dove Photography LLC; Architect: Fred Matchneer AIA; Builder: Scott Allison; Carpenter: Terry Miller; FARMHOUSE KITCHEN Cabinets: Wood-Mode; Cabinet Hardware: Top Knobs; Dishwasher: Miele; Faucets: Franke; Microwave: Wolf; Range: Viking; Refrigerator, Wine Cooler: Sub-Zero; Seating: Restoration Hardware; Sinks: Franke, Julien; Vent Hood: Custom Steel FARMHOUSE PRIMARY BATH Cabinets: Wood-Mode; Faucets, Shower Fittings: Rohl; Tile: Fischer Tile; Towel Warmer: Myson GUEST BARN KITCHEN Cabinets: North American Cabinetry; Cabinet Hardware: Top Knobs; Laundry Appliances: Electrolux; Microwave, Vent Hood: Wolf; Refrigerator: Liebherr
