Chosen to fulfill this grand vision, architect Mike Doyne and interior designer Barry Dixon set their sights on making an extremely involved, multi-faceted project that is both inviting and comfortable. To do so, they assembled an array of craftsmen, artisans, and skilled fabricators to ensure that every exacting detail exceeded the homeowners’ expectations. “This couple would love to have settled in the south of France or the Loire Valley,” Dixon confides, “but family and career responsibilities kept them stateside.” As a result, the design team pulled out all the stops to replicate a centuries-old residence replete with aged finishes and fine antique furnishings.
As if creating a home of this scale wasn’t daunting enough, the architect and interior designer were also faced with incorporating a vast inventory of architectural artifacts, exceptional materials, and new features that also conveyed a sense of age. As a prime example, the dining room boasts an ornately carved china cabinet and matching paneled walls that were salvaged from an 18th century French home. “Once we got the panels to North
