Classic FINNISH! A MODERN. Rediscover WOOD WORKS YOUR WALLS FRESH ALTERNATIVES FOR SPRING. Revitalizing A Lebanon Farmhouse. Race to the.

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Reynold Jacobs
5 years ago
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1 As Seen In MARCH APRIL 2008 A MODERN Classic Revitalizing A Lebanon Farmhouse Rediscover YOUR WALLS FRESH ALTERNATIVES FOR SPRING Race to the FINNISH! FABULOUS MODERN FURNITURE WOOD WORKS 5 FUN DETAILS THE HOME & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF LEBANON VALLEY

symmetry in the space. The dirt floor was replaced with radiant heated limestone.

was converted to concrete by the Kreider family.

2 The living room was once two rooms. After eliminating the wall, a matching beam from an old barn was added to create symmetry in the space. The dirt floor was replaced with radiant heated limestone. Homeowners Kip and Cyja Kelly wanted to retain the exterior bones of their historic farmstead. The tin roof is original, and the wooden porch that runs the length of the house was converted to concrete by the Kreider family. Back to back, the exterior fireplace was fashioned in a Rumsford style with a shallower box and larger opening. The herringbone brick pattern was used inside and out. Old hammered silver spoons and forks are repurposed for a garden wind chime.

Restoring & Revitalizing Colonial aesthetic moves into the 21st century HISTORY TEXT GERALDINE BERGONZI IMAGES JONATHAN HARPER The newspaper ad listed a 12-acre farmhouse property and pictured the

3 Restoring & Revitalizing Colonial aesthetic moves into the 21st century HISTORY TEXT GERALDINE BERGONZI IMAGES JONATHAN HARPER The newspaper ad listed a 12-acre farmhouse property and pictured the accompanying barn, but not the actual house that was up for sale and had been empty for 11 years. Intrigued by the price (which by Los Angeles standards seemed inexpensive) and the idea of refurbishing and then renting or maybe using it as a retreat, Kip and Cyja Kelly decided to buy the property in Now, after a major restoration effort, the couple and their three children have settled into the historic homestead. Their home in LA is the one they ultimately decided to rent out. Kip, who maintains his architectural career both in Pennsylvania and on the West Coast, explains, It was a challenging but such an enlightening experience. You end up falling in love with a house after working on it and trying to understand how it was built. The house was unlivable for four years, and when we finally did move in, every weekend we d have a visitor from the Kreider family who had kept ownership of the house all the way through the 1980s, explains Cyja. From House To Home 13

Dick Graby of Books Olde Planning Mill fashioned cherry cabinetry for the kitchen, which was equipped with only a metal sink and an antique O Keefe and Merritt stove.

The surrounding acres of farmland were originally granted to the family by William Penn in the early 1700s.

Kip adds, The beams are all chestnut, which is a very straight and hard wood, and that s why so many colonial log homes are still intact.

4 Dick Graby of Books Olde Planning Mill fashioned cherry cabinetry for the kitchen, which was equipped with only a metal sink and an antique O Keefe and Merritt stove. Countertops are Pennsylvania Bluestone from Eerie. A rushed bench sits in the entry of the home. The original chinking between the wall beams was replaced. The surrounding acres of farmland were originally granted to the family by William Penn in the early 1700s. And like many historic homes, the house went through transformations and additions through generations. The log side of the house dates back to 1766, and the stone portion was added on around Kip adds, The beams are all chestnut, which is a very straight and hard wood, and that s why so many colonial log homes are still intact. Sometime around the 1930s, the bottom logs started to rot, and the house was jacked up, and they poured concrete around the perimeter. Aside from the addition of the stone section, the house hadn t been remodeled since the 1800s. The floor in the living room was dirt, and the wood floors were never actually stained or sealed. There were no hallways; they were considered wasteful, says Cyja. There wasn t a wood-burning fireplace because Once the exterior wall of the log house, the exposed chestnut beams were stripped of old chinking made from horse hair and straw. 14 MARCH/APRIL

someone had put in Franklin stoves that were later removed.

The house was typically compartmentalized and head knocker doorways, no closets, crooked floors, and

For Kip, who considers contemporary design that maintains the warmth of traditional architecture his

(Cyja also studied architecture on the West Coast before turning her attention to raising their

) Their goal was to reconfigure the spaces for modern living while staying true to the colonial

We expanded the size of some of the existing windows but wanted to be true to the original.

Kip. In the family room, they maximized the light and the view by tripling the six-over-six colonial

In addition to the main house, just 10 feet away is another building that was once the summer kitchen.

faux treatment. We haven t touched it; we don t know what to do with it yet.

5 someone had put in Franklin stoves that were later removed. The kitchen had a metal all-in-one sink, and there was an old stove, but no cabinets. The house was typically compartmentalized and head knocker doorways, no closets, crooked floors, and small windows were among the many things that had to be addressed. For Kip, who considers contemporary design that maintains the warmth of traditional architecture his specialty, this was the perfect project. (Cyja also studied architecture on the West Coast before turning her attention to raising their children.) Their goal was to reconfigure the spaces for modern living while staying true to the colonial aesthetic that lends such intrinsic warmth to the home. We expanded the size of some of the existing windows but wanted to be true to the original. Having moved from LA, it would have been hard to live day to day in a house with small windows, says Kip. In the family room, they maximized the light and the view by tripling the six-over-six colonial windows, and in the master bath, a skylight allows light to pour in above the spacious walk-in shower. In addition to the main house, just 10 feet away is another building that was once the summer kitchen. A group of Daniel Boone historians date that structure to before the log cabin, and it hasn t been altered since Cyja explains that the walls have original paint with smoosh marks in a blue pigment that resemble a faux treatment. We haven t touched it; we don t know what to do with it yet. It s hard to disturb something that s been there for so long. See additional photos at articles/restoring_revitalizing_history Cyja Kelly refers to her bedroom as the Alice in Wonderland crazy room. She decided to have the ceiling taken out to eliminate the lopsided feeling in the room and designed the balcony space as a reading lounge. Situated in the northwest corner of the house, a skylight added to the master bath was critical for bringing in natural light. Solid French limestone slabs create lush surfaces in the master bath. Bronzed fixtures come out of the wall as in the old days. Something traditional comes back as a modern amenity, says Kip. Sea glass tiles are from Ann Sacks.

PLANNING MAKES PERFECT

PLANNING MAKES PERFECT This traditional dining room with soaring ceilings and panelled walls is ideal for hosting large family gatherings. OPPOSITE: Layering patterns adds to the elegant, soothing palette in the living room.