February is the month we are reminded to indulge in delicacies of all things ‘chocolate.’ As a designer, I am sure many others in my field will agree that particular finds especially with a patina and re-use potential can be as rewarding as a hand rolled chocolate truffle. In this week’s blog “What's old is New” I wanted to celebrate the basic building material wood, that when assembled and converted to a specific purpose/use is not only practical but versatile. A use that does not require a fortified threshold to validate it and a solution so ideal it can transform an open space into a cloistered room or effortlessly transform an environment back into an open space again…that of the ‘barn door.’ Image below, taken by Design Driven Blogger, copyrighted image
Last summer, I was visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater when on my drive home I literally backed my car up and drove off the road to snap a picture of the barn seen above. While Fallingwater was beyond impressive in its effort to push the envelope in innovation and sublime seamless design details, I was equally taken by the barn in its basic adornment washed color and simplicity. There were no crowds no, no tickets, no preservation committees to raise needed funds to maintain it. No, this barn was just alone in a field bathed in a late afternoon sunlight that sung to my heart as my previous experience at Fallinwater did. Yet, I wondered why such captivation with the barn? Then, I realized, the barn was as American as the great Architect Wright himself was. The barn too has withstood time and had served a purpose in design and use and moreover its doors offer immense versatility in that they can be re-purposed to occupy a contemporary office space or be rolled back to expose chaise lounges aligned in a residence's summer pool house. It was the versatility of the barn that caught my attention. Wright’s designs were specific to their setting and function and while Wight’s sensitivity to the ‘eyebrow’ of the landscape aided in forming many of designs... his designs were fixed. Yet, Wight’s concepts have been transported and adapted for today while not in literal re-use like a barn's doors, hardware or timber. Barns today still hold intrinsic value in their adaptability & re-use. Perhaps the barn’s humble and understated presence is what really drew my attention-for a barn’s value in material re-use is far from humble. The barn, I would say is majestic in its own right and equally worth the recognition.
James Dixon Architect PC is one of many architects who have embraced the timeless design qualities of re-claimed wood, esp. barn timbers and barn doors. The challenge for architects and designers arises where seamless re-use is applied. In the instance of Mr. Dixon’s pool house project for a client, the barn doors while prominent, do not command the attention despite their mass, the passageway/breezeway the doors expose and express when opened does. A sort of parting of the wave, or drawing back of the stage curtain. The effect while simple in material use and subdued landscape washed color choice...is far from. Image source above & below: http://www.jdixonarchitect.com/
The barn doors (below) ease of use and adapted contemporary style in this instance has given presence to a humble structure yet requires little effort to operate. A ‘pop-up’ exterior of sorts is successful because of the instant architecture the doors contribute to the over-all appearance. Chic, functional and aesthetically pleasing. Image below: http://architecture4us.com/house/sustainable-prefab-kpod-by-kithaus/
The rich patina of the blue barn door below is part of a 640 acres in eastern Pennsylvania and is more than a nod to the area’s agrarian vibe. The structure below "is one of 14 buildings—most of them old and smartly refurbished—that transform the farm into a small-scale manufacturing facility and entertaining space extraordinaire. There are stables, a dairy barn, and milking parlor; three food-production greenhouses from the University of Maryland; and a building where cheese is made from the owners’ 20 or so cows and a clutch of sheep and goats." Matthew Kruntorad, the project architect at Minneapolis-based Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle commented “We started stripping away, then found a point where we had a good-quality skeleton to work with.” Local Amish masons were hired to re-create old finishes and casework was made from planed oak timbers from a local barn. “When you clean up sagging materials and put them back together with sharper joinery, you’re adding a modern sensibility while respecting what’s there,” Kruntorad commented. Most of all, he added, “the way the light comes in gives these worn elements a texture and quality that would be hard to draw.” Image Source: http://www.customhomeonline.com/custom-homes/rural-renewal.aspx
More and more the architectural/design industry is smitten with the pure functionality of the barn door. Space savers, practicality, sleek profile and above all the expanse of space that is transformed by the use of the door is envied Frosted, clear or laminated with large graphics, the barn door has become a canvas for personal expression. It easy to fall in love with their allure and use. Image below: www.skylabarchitecture.com
Recently a young family renovated and moved into a mid-century modern home perched on an outcropping of stone age grey lichen covered glacier rocks in CT. The marriage of the barn door concept utilized as a privacy wall enclosure marries perfectly the old and new again. Drenched in a deep modern grey paint and complimented with a punch of Bauhausian yellow forsythia, the barn door concept becomes ‘functional art' even more so than the hanging minimalist print. The vintage feeling of the barn door is not physically present but is…in the distressed over-sized comfort found in the two club chairs that flank the wall. Vintage reflections in a new adaptation. It works harmoniously. Image below: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2013/02/07/greathomesanddestinations/20130207-LOCATION.html#23