Transitional Traditional

While many stately, older homes offer a unique sense of history and grandeur, they often don’t check the architectural boxes required for modern families: think mudrooms, open kitchens, and large family rooms with ample indoor-outdoor connections. For this young family, their home’s traditional bones spoke to their personal aesthetic but not to their lifestyle. Because additions to traditional homes often feel too much like obvious add-ons—and sometimes seems to swallow up the original home—we created a unique approach to expanding the footprint.

We designed a light-filled gallery that connects the original part of the home to the new, transitional-traditional side of it, which is barely visible from street view. The new section features an open kitchen, a spacious family room, and an oft-used screened-in porch. We honored the home’s history while reimagining its future, with extra square footage designed to perfectly fit the clients’ needs. The result is a marriage of old and new that feels at once classic, fresh, and timeless.