We get so darn excited for projects where we can get as many of our people involved as possible. For this high craft Carolina farmhouse, we were excited to assist with the design, provide a high-performance enclosure, and contribute several pieces of fine woodworking.
The idea for the home was inspired by Southern country living. The exterior of the home offers a collection of ample porch areas, expansive and symmetrical windows, A play of contrasts, the exterior is a cool palette with white siding, and black-trim windows, adorned with a rustic wrap-around porch including regal seating to view horses grazing and playing in the surrounding pastures.
The interior of the living space is a collaboration of a warm hued timber work, large windows for golden light, and contemporary metal work all tied together through the beauty of wood.
The builder on the project, David Rowe says, “All the buildings in this particular housing complex are unique and the architect originally had some more contemporary design ideas that the planning board had rejected before we suggested that the homeowners go with a timber frame.”
The clients are animal lovers who own horses, donkeys, and dogs so their intention to build in Aiken, South Carolina sprung from the area’s rich equestrian culture and open spaces. With miles of trails and room to roam, the property’s natural surroundings and plentiful landscapes were the perfect location for their rural compound.
Once the client’s decided to move forward with the idea of a timber frame house on the property everything began to fall into place. Rowe says, “The homeowners were fans of that style, the whole aesthetic of the timbers and having the look of an open timber frame.”
This is most apparent in the center of the structure. It’s here that the heart of the home beats in the dual sided fireplace that allows for quiet contemplation and socialization on both the inside and the outside of the house. This focal point caps a combined dining and living space for biophilic or refined gatherings, depending on the intent or the weather conditions.
This central spot is found at the end of the home’s great room, just steps down from the open kitchen and supported by gently stained and curved trusses while surrounded by several windows.
Every room in the house is adorned with timber elements, from the core trusses to heavy timber posts that accessorize the hallway and celebrate the lightly colored tongue and groove ceiling. On the outside of the house are elegant timber touches on the soffits and tasteful ridge decorations that lend a rustic addendum to the contemporary black and white colors and painted brick façade.
Rowe concludes, “Both me and the clients enjoy the aesthetics of wood. I love sitting back in a home like this and seeing these structural heavy timbers; it just has a warm welcoming feeling.”
“Our collaboration with New Energy Works was amazing and quite easy, right from the design, through the drawings, to the selections. Everything was well coordinated, New Energy Works had it all together.
Architect: New Energy Works Design, Brad Wales Architecture
Builder: DMR Contracting, Inc.
Other Credits: GEBAU, Inc.
