This beautifully inviting New England hideaway was designed by TMS Architects in collaboration with CM Ragusa Builders, located in Rye, New Hampshire. The region is to home numerous historic communities and home, making this a desirable place to take up residence. When the homeowners purchased the property, it included an 1881 school house.
This was cause for concern for the community that it would be torn down and replaced with a McMansion, detracting from the scale and historic character of the surrounding countryside. Although the existing school house was not integrated into the final house design the owners and architects were sympathetic to the communities’ concerns.
As the design began to evolve special attention was paid to maintaining a more intimate scale for the new home. The house’s massing was broken down into three distinct gable roof elements that rambled across the site much like many of the New England farm house structures dotting the New Hampshire coastline.
By using a variety of exterior surface materials including stone, white cedar shingles, board and baton sheathing, and architectural red roof shingles the skin of the building reflects the varied character of the buildings massing. Multiple dormers and roof lines pop out of the simple gable roofs to create useable living space on the second floor while maintaining a reduced sense of scale by maintaining the allusion of a one story structure.
The homeowner’s preferences ran towards a more open and contemporary floor plan. The interior life style is revealed in the meticulous attention to architectural details throughout the homes interior. On the main floor of the house the living, dining, and kitchen are all integrated into one large comfortable living and entertainment space.
What We Love: The design of this New England hideaway is simple yet elegant. Beautiful architectural details can be found in both the interior and exterior. Locating the master bedroom on the first floor with the main living spaces was a great concept for owner’s wishing to age in place. Overall, we think the architects did a wonderful job of seamlessly integrating this home into the historic nature of the surrounding community.
Tell Us: Do you think the architects were successful in creating an exterior facade that creates the illusion of a single story home? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments!
Note: Be sure to have a look below for the “Related” tags for more inspiring home tours that we have featured here on One Kindesign from the portfolio of the architects of this project, TMS Architects.
Anchoring the kitchen is a large island with causal seating separating the work area of the kitchen from the dining space. The project team worked closely with the owner’s to bring their vision to life, creating a lively and comfortable pallet of furniture, color and finishes.
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The master bedroom is located on the first floor for convenient single story living.
The second floor contains two additional bedrooms and a separate TV room for when guests come to visit.
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Photos: Rob Karosis Photography
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