Fallfor your Farmhouse This Connecticut farmhouse from 1820 can teach you how to love your old farmhouse while making necessary updates. BY STEPHANIE AGNES-CROCKETT PHOTOGRAPHY BY THEO COULOMBE Decorative trim was fairly common to farmhouses constructed in the 1800s. Our office was built in the 1860s and is quite similar, says architect Rafe Churchill. The home is built on a stone foundation a key component for durability. 66 AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE Sometimes, the price just isn t right. That s what architect Rafe Churchill of Hendricks Churchill LLC found as he introduced prospective clients to an 1820s farmhouse in Sharon, Connecticut. Over the past few years, he had watched several clients eye the house, only to decide that the cost of the renovation was beyond their budget. They were kind of taken aback by the amount of work required, Rafe says. Then in late 2014, Rafe met the future homeowners. These clients were attracted to the house on their own, without me, he says. Thus began the year-long restoration project. STICKING WITH THE SKELETON For Rafe and the homeowners, the project was well worth the investment. This house was not only a great deal, but a great find, he says. It s located on 50 acres of farmland. It s far back enough from the road that it s private but is still visible from the road, Rafe says. The farmhouse had gone through several renovations since its construction nearly 200 years ago, so Rafe had his work cut out for him, but was optimistic about the results. The house had tons of potential, but had just been taken for granted by previous owners, he says. He planned to peel back layers of modernization and closely adhere to the home s original footprint. FALL 2017 67
To do that, they had to bring the home back to its roots. Often, the reason that people fall for the properties is that they re so simple, Rafe says. His vision for the Sharon farmhouse was to bring it back as close to a simple farmhouse as possible. And the home certainly lent itself to traditional architecture. We were able to retain a good bit of the existing floor plan, especially on the second floor, Rafe says. The house had such good bones that we didn t have to gut it. We didn t have to start over. We stripped away the years of additions. These additions included dropped ceilings and layers of outdated and poorly constructed cabinetry, sheetrock and flooring. The goal is to bring out the elements you love, not to cover up your home s natural offerings with brand new designs and conveniences. Infuse your home s history into your décor, whether it s framed sepia-tone photos of the structure or recycling the wood from a nearby old barn as a headboard. The library is one hallmark of the original 1820 farmhouse. The trim in the library and dining room was recreated to match the existing moldings found in the house, Rafe says. Rather than over-modernizing the home, Rafe worked to keep its historical footprint intact. OPPOSITE: This deceptively simple wallpaper is one of the farmhouse s major treasures, and it embraces the home s rich heritage. The wallpaper is a reproduction of the hand-written 1820 Sharon census record. The document was scanned, enlarged and repeated throughout the house. 68 AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE FALL 2017 69
The more you add to the design program, the further you get from why you fell in love with the house. Fall in love with the fresh autumnal colors of this orange and green arrangement. When combining multiple vases, be sure to use containers of differing heights and shapes to give each arrangement the full attention it deserves. A cool neutral palette contributes to this comfortable kitchen setup, which derives charm from its simplicity. The kitchen cabinets, like all of the cabinets throughout the house, were specially designed during the renovation process. All of the cabinetry is custom-built, Rafe says. SEE THE LIGHT The Connecticut farmhouse has several strong selling points, and the lighting system is one such glowing recommendation. Here are some tips for you to have your own light-bulb moment when illuminating your farmhouse. Layer your Luminaries. Try to set up a few layers of lighting, Rafe says. Use lighting from above, such as wall sconces, and from below, like table lamps. In this case, we used more recessed lighting, since the owner has plans to put artwork on the walls in the future. Keep it Natural. Don t underestimate the value of a well-placed window for ushering in natural lighting. You can also bring the outdoors in with a nature-inspired pendant, like the tree-branch lighting over the breakfast table. And for a simple touch of earthiness, consider brass switch-plates for your lights. Fizzing Fixtures. In this case, we were trying to use more contemporary lighting, Rafe says. That was part of the design plan. Rafe installed nontraditional lighting in the home, which proved an elegant complement to the simple farmhouse décor. Let your sconces sizzle and your fixtures fizz. 70 AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE FALL 2017 71
In the 1800s, trim was a common farmhouse feature. If you re looking to add trim, be sure it matches the basic style of your home with simple lines and subtle beauty. In this bathroom, cabinets mean quality. All of the cabinetry is custom built, Rafe says. It s all designed to fit within the spaces that we created, with detailing inspired by the style of the house. Notice also the pleasant clustering of glass jars on the counter, casually reminiscent of a medieval apothecary. LOVE IT, DON T LOSE IT Rafe s 3 tips to renovate your farmhouse without losing sight of why you love it Act Like an Archaeologist. Rafe does his best to keep the bones of the farmhouse intact, much like an archeologist carefully uncovers a buried artifact. For example, in the Sharon farmhouse, Rafe chose not to add to the floor plan. Sometimes, he says, leaving the flooring and unusual plaster is the key. Restore, Don t Replace. According to Rafe, homeowners sometimes make the mistake of tearing everything out, leaving no sense of their home s age. Tread lightly, Rafe says. Don t approach a project too aggressively. Don t tear everything out and forget why you were attracted to it in the first place. Repair Sparingly. Renovating doesn t have to mean ripping up your entire farmhouse from floor to ceiling. In the case of the plaster walls and ceiling, simply repair as needed and then protect them during the construction process, Rafe says. From the exposed ceiling beam to the wooden bedframe, this second-story guest room brims with farmhouse style. The layout is pretty traditional, Rafe says. But we opted for a high-gloss finish on the floor. This added a modern touch to the bedroom. FILLING OUT THE FOOTPRINT The restoration also sought to return the house to its original footprint. That meant restoring positive elements that had stuck over the years, in addition to stripping away negative modifications. Rafe s brother Seth Churchill of Churchill Building Company tackled the building needs, and Rafe was determined to keep as much of the house intact as possible. For starters, we kept the existing windows, rather than replacing them, he says. We repaired and restored the windows and hardware and installed storm windows. As a result, the home s exterior, as well as its interior, retains that charming historic look against the backdrop of the landscape. SIMPLISTIC SAVES Though a full home restoration can be expensive, Rafe was able to help the homeowners cut costs by preserving original elements like the windows. We could redirect funds from the window budget to the millwork budget, he says. That way, there was more money for the cabinetry and trim. Even though extra work was necessary for the millwork, Rafe chose to mold the cabinets to the original style of the home, rather than introducing a new design. The more you add to the design program, the further you get away from why you fell in love with the house, he says. Our goal is to maintain an understated interior when doing a farmhouse. 72 AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE FALL 2017 73
LEFT: A touch of gray wallpaper adds chic style to the simple entryway. The color contrast makes for a simple but bold wall statement. We often use brass cover-plates on the switches and outlets, Rafe says. The covers contribute to the classic farmhouse atmosphere, infusing an old-fashioned air to the recently renovated home. BELOW: Rather than installing new windows, Rafe worked to repair the old ones throughout the house. The details are historically accurate with no plastic, he says. When you re opening and closing the windows, you re handling something unique and special. One of the biggest changes to the farmhouse was the introduction of an exterior door to the mudroom. The mudroom itself is within the floor print, Rafe says, but the door is added on the side. This slight addition illustrates Rafe s determination to keep to the original footprint of the house with only slight modifications. Sometimes, leaving the flooring and unusual plaster is the key. For the Sharon farmhouse, the bulk of the necessary renovation was in the mechanical systems. We installed all new heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical throughout the house, Rafe says. But that doesn t mean you should haphazardly modernize your home. While you ll want your farmhouse to be comfortable and livable, you don t want it to lose its rustic charm in the process. The goal is to bring out the elements you love, not to cover up your home s natural offerings with brand new designs and conveniences. There was something about the house that was so obvious to the client that they fell for it, Rafe says. I try to remind them why they bought the house. SEE SOURCES, PAGE 128 74 AMERICAN FARMHOUSE STYLE FALL 2017 75