Modern Rusticity

For the renovation of this early 1990s home, we were tasked with developing a design that coupled rustic and old fashioned building materials with a modern sensibility. 

Our clients, who purchased this home with the intent on renovating it prior to taking occupancy, suspected the home’s original design was a misguided attempt to copy the work of the late architect A. Hays Town, whose work was always balanced, warm and rustic.  Mr. Town commonly utilized limed brick walls, re-salvaged heart pine wood beams, antique red brick flooring, and a combination of Mexican tile and butcher block countertops.  Unfortunately, like most copies, the results of the home’s initial architectural attempts fell short.

Instead of foolishly attempting to copy Town’s work, our design narrative imagined what the late architect might have designed had he still been alive today practicing in our more modern era of cleaner lines and paired down spaces.   

For the redesign of the kitchen, we relied on natural materials and finishes that would have been available to Mr. Town 50 years ago such as wide plank heart pine floors, natural stone, rustic beams and white oak cabinetry.  We conceived a modern hearth for the range inset, which became the focal point of the kitchen and the rest of the home’s design. 

A small child’s bedroom with no architectural detailing or interest was transformed into a newly created paneled library featuring deep bronze lacquered walls.   We channeled our inner Ralph Lauren to inform our decorating choices for this space, which is anchored by an enormous hand- painted map of Dublin, Ireland.  In a very Ralph Lauren-like move, we paired a sixty year old well-worn, tufted, saddle-colored leather wingback chair in the room’s corner with a custom-designed sofa by our firm along with Eglomise bunching tables. 

The home’s main living spaces were decorated utilizing our firm’s core philosophy of mixing old and new, where classic and modern furnishings are artfully juxtaposed with antique pieces in an effort to prevent the space’s overall vibe from reading too “one-note.”