On the spot of a former working dairy farm in Sharon—complete with silos, pastures and barns—is now a kind of reinvented farmhouse meant wholly for our day and time. The clients’ wish to incorporate a silo into the structure could easily have become a cliché. But the design cleverly introduced an otherwise windowless concrete silo into the envelope of the structure, then capped it with a dramatic glass wraparound roof from which the clients can now survey their land.
This spacious fieldstone and wood residence (set amid a 2017 IDAs Landscape Design winner by Wesley Stout Associates) designed by Reese Owens Architects serves as “the new farm’s emblem.”
The vigorously articulated stone barn portion of the structure contains the main living spaces. Avantgarden helped with the interiors.
A massive rolling door fosters an effortless melding of indoor and outdoor spaces.
The spiral staircase in the silo is a special touch.
It’s not as if the ghost of the original structure, a 1940s-era lodge, is still present on this site in Weston, but architect David Preusch was intent on honoring the spirit of the prior structure when designing this new home. The key dynamic was to create a weekend house that was wholly new and contemporary in feel while incorporating select elements that referenced the original lodge. Stone, cedar and copper are used to conspicuous effect, while a new geometrically vibrant pergola takes the place of what were once enclosed porches.
Preusch configured an open floor plan to take full advantage of the site’s pond views and swimming pool.
For privacy, he placed the two bedrooms at the opposite end of the house from the more public spaces, while upstairs he created a studio/loft that overlooks the living room.
When the homeowners bought this waterfront site in Stonington some 30 years ago, they were content to drive to the undeveloped land and admire Long Island Sound views to Fishers Island and beyond. Eventually, they bought and renovated a cottage on an adjacent lot, thinking it would serve their needs. But upon recognizing that they wanted a home they could use year round, they commissioned architect Michael McKinley to devise something novel. He designed a residence composed of a pair of one-room-wide shingled volumes anchored by a single-story stone building.
An open floor plan easily links the components, while keeping each distinctive. A 16-foot mahogany sliding door is positioned at the center to capture coastal views.
