Modern Farmhouse Style Summer 2022

MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, SIDNEY, AND I RECENTLY STARTED WATCHING Little House on the Prairie, the TV series based on the classic books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are about 30 episodes in. (It’s a long series!) Each captivating episode transports us to another time and place, long before smartphones and social media and the rush-rush nature of modern-day living. The Ingalls family had to work exceptionally hard to build the kind of life they had always dreamed of—a quiet, peaceful life focused on the land and the simple joys of family and community. It is the kind of life to which many of us aspire today. Ironically, our goal is no longer to find more convenient ways to do things but rather to strip away convenience in favor of simplicity and…

UPGRADED BARN “The look I was going for was that of an old dairy barn that had been converted into a house,” homeowner James Curtis says of his modern farmhouse on Martha’s Vineyard. A mix of rustic and industrial-inspired materials reinforces his desired aesthetic: Vertical cedar plank siding, steel-cable railings, and black-frame windows distinguish the home as a contemporary country retreat among neighboring coastal cottages. Boxy Charm Outdoor wood chairs are a coastal favorite. Give the deck staple an upgrade with a contemporary linear design that offers both functional seating and visual appeal. 1 WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY Nothing says modern farmhouse quite like black-frame windows, which have become a hallmark of contemporary design. Marvin Signature Ultimate Double Hung G2 in Ebony (pricing varies); marvin.com 2 EASILY CONTAINED Avoid wind-blown flames with a candle cover. The rigid design…

GUESTS DON’T JUST VISIT WILLIAM CUMMINGS and Bernt Heiberg’s home on Shelter Island, New York; they experience it. “You walk into an intimate entry with these flickering gas fixtures, then the house opens up dramatically,” William says. “The narrative is that this house is a barn that has evolved over time.” From the entry, guests move to the airy living space where William and Bernt removed walls, accessed attic space to vault the ceiling, and painted everything white. Here, cocktails are poured, and everyone drifts out to the terrace through a series of newly installed French doors. If you’re lucky enough to arrive in the evening, you can watch the sun set over West Neck Creek, where the couple’s 35-foot Chris-Craft Corsair is docked, ready for tomorrow’s picnic on the water.…

William Cummings and Bernt Heiberg are lucky enough to live on the water, but even if you just want to connect more with your yard, your terrace, or your view, you can use their tips for opening up your rooms. CLEAR SIGHT LINES. Guests enter William and Bernt’s house from the street side, where the entry area is dark and cozy. As guests proceed, the rooms grow larger and brighter to create an aha moment revealing the view. Furniture is arranged so seated people are directed toward the view, not a wall, and to allow free flow to the doors and terrace beyond. SEE IT THROUGH. Bernt and William converted the water-facing wall of their house to glass using multiple sets of French doors and windows. Doors swing on hinges that allow…

AFTER LIVING IN A 1923 BUNGALOW FOR 10 YEARS, THESE HOMEOWNERS FELT they’d outgrown their house, but they didn’t want to leave their charming Palisades neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Rather than launch a sure-to-be-complicated renovation, they decided to raze the old and start anew. Architect Richard Leggin and builder Tony Paulos optimized the owners’ small lot by building up and creating a new threestory structure. The homeowners, a multigenerational family with children, needed a large basement for the kids to play, an elevator for aging in place, and a front porch for enjoying their charming street. “They didn’t want to ruin the character of the existing area,” interior designer Lori Anderson Wier says. “Richard did a masterful job of creating a space that feels at home in that neighborhood.” She ensured…

Typically, one wouldn’t describe a design aesthetic as both “hardworking” and “luxurious.” However, the two words aptly describe the stone and board-and-batten structure that serves as both an extended-stay guesthouse and a luxurious pool house situated high on a 3-acre hillside lot in Sherman Oaks, California. “Every square inch is used by the family,” says interior designer Mark Langos, who has worked with the owners since they moved from New York years ago. “When the family moved here, the kids were young, and they wanted to immediately create a self-sufficient guesthouse for grandparents to come and stay weeks at a time.” In addition to a guesthouse, the homeowners wanted a structure that would make the pool, more than 60 feet down the hill from the main house, a more alluring destination unto…