Blending the old and the new can create truly unique home designs. The special expertise of architects helps homeowners bring the blend to life effectively. Three homes on the 2017 Homes by Architects tour successfully preserved the best of their history while adding modern elements for today’s livability.
After a series of additions and remodels, Home #8 didn’t function for its owners, but still had great bones to work with. Rehkamp Larson Architects removed the poorly-designed elements and coaxed out the property’s best features, turning what was seen merely as an old house into a great house.
When you have a home designed by Franklin Ellerbe for Professor Ward Olmsted, you find ways to modernize and enhance it, rather than starting all over. Key areas of Home #11 were redesigned by Christopher Strom Architects to optimize its gathering spaces and functionality and enhance the turn-of-the-century design features that stand the test of time. A kitchen, inspired by turn-of-the-century chemistry labs, was added on to maximize livability.
Home #15 is a modern take on the farmhouse. Using a vintage white barn as inspiration for the exterior palette, Rehkamp Larson Architects paired traditional gables and a wraparound porch with floor-to-ceiling glass and surprising colors and materials throughout the interior. Reclaimed wood and other materials were used throughout this thoroughly modern space.
Tickets to the 2017 Homes by Architects Tour are now available for purchase online. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 during the tour.
