This addition’s construction is a blend of traditional and high-tech methods. We assembled the frame with salvaged timbers in the historic timber-framing method; constructed roof trusses from vintage lumber using age-old mortise-&-tenon joinery; sheathed the ceiling with weathered barn siding; installed re-sawn vintage heart pine flooring secured with hand-wrought nails; and installed period hardware on all the doors.
The custom cabinetry incorporates every modern convenience, yet the hand-rubbed “distressed” finish gives it that old-world look. High-tech lighting, energy-saving appliances, and stress-skin insulating panels combine to provide the best of both worlds. And what really brings a warm glow to this “old” room is the thoroughly modern remote-control gas-log fireplace. Designed to mirror the cook top’s enclosure, the fireplace can trick the most seasoned “wood-splitter” into pulling up a chair and propping his feet in front of the fire.
The remarkable design of this post-&-beam kitchen addition was tremendously successful because of all the proper elements being in place: The owners, whose vision and open-mindedness and enthusiasm inspired everyone involved in their project; the architects, who not only heard what the owners wanted but were able to communicate it through their design; and the craftsmen who skillfully executed the vision and design down to the smallest details.
Design by Cox-Evans Architects