Our lot is located within the historic
district, on an otherwise built out block of homes dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's. In addition to
wanting an interior plan that worked for us, we wanted the exterior elevation and massing to take some cues
from the character of the block, and the town.
The exterior, referred to by some as "farmhouse Victorian," is not
unlike historic houses found elsewhere in Lewes and in the coastal south. The elevation
and massing exhibit the traditional exterior qualities we sought; we felt it would fit
well within the context of the block and the town.
Yet the
interior layout is modern and open. The architect incorporates several clever strategies in the design, which serve
to make the interior spaces feel even larger than they are, despite the relatively small (2500 sf) size of the house.
Contextual--but not a reproduction.
A designer friend flatteringly described the result as "an Edward Hopper version
of Victorian--it looks like an American traditional, but with deliberate, disciplined spareness." We wanted it
to fit the 'hood, but we were not pretending to recreate an old house. It's a modern house. We wanted more light--more
windows--than nearby "farmhouse Victorians" would ever have had; we stripped down the detailing on the exterior posts;
and we did not recreate the fussy gingerbread of the Victorian period.
Several months after we had begun the building
process, we found the plan we had selected discussed in detail in one of Sarah Susanka's books, "Creating the Not So Big House". As described at the "Not So Big House" web site, "'Creating the Not So Big House' is an up-close look
at 25 Not So Big Houses, providing examples of quality over quantity."
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