To round out this noteworthy design team, interior designer Teri Duffy and assistant designer Ashley Pendleton Shannon joined in. Together, these professionals made it their mission to fuse the original character of the two structures with the homeowners’ lifestyles and tastes. “It was important to this couple that they achieve a comfortable home that was respectful and appropriate to its period architecture,” says Duffy. “Ashley and I had the opportunity to start fresh with the furnishings, so we selected traditional pieces intermixed with antiques.”
When the homeowners first bought this home, the kitchen was a cramped, confined room that was anything but accommodating. Now enlarged with ample cabinetry and food prep space, it functions seamlessly with the adjoining keeping room and mud entry. Other features, such as the central island, animal-hide barstools, and bluestone flooring, transform this spot into a cook’s dream. Oversized windows placed right above the countertops provide maximum natural light.
The architects started by assessing the strengths and shortcomings of the two structures and evaluating their overall style and integrity. “While it displayed many of the hallmark features of a bungalow, the main house also exhibited a series of graceful, semi-Tudor components,” says Spitzmiller. “Its exterior materials, such as quarry-faced stone, stucco, half-timbering, and tapestry brickwork, all represent an aesthetic that was popular in the early 20th century.” And while the home appeared relatively intact, its faults became evident once inside with a series of dark, cramped rooms that lacked any sense of flow and continuity. “In addition, despite the wonderful property around the house, the homeowners, who are both avid gardeners, couldn’t enjoy views of their handiwork from the inside,” Spitzmiller adds. “Instead, they had to literally be standing in their garden to appreciate it.”
