Photo: Michael Harding/Courtesy of Abrams
The private historic houses featured in The New Old House illustrate the intriguing results of integrating new and old.
When I talked to design writer Marc Kristal about his latest book The New Old House, out in March from Abrams, he told me: “I am attracted to narrative. I like not knowing a story but being drawn in by it.” The 18 private historic houses featured in his book certainly draw you in, illustrating just how brilliant and intriguing integrating new and old can be. Here William Tunnell’s White House on the Isle of Coll, shown at dusk, looks like it’s on fire as it glows from within.
Photo: Andrew Lee/Courtesy of Abrams
Tunnell is quoted in the book saying, “We often describe what we do as ‘responsive architecture.’” Here, the new wing is covered in a stone-wall façade.
Photo: Andrew Lee/Courtesy of Abrams
The second-floor hallway of the new wing accommodates a library with views out to the glorious wild landscape of the island, part of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides.
Photo: Andrew Lee/Courtesy of Abrams
Hunsett Mill in Stalham, England, has been reimagined by the London firm Acme for two couples with children who wanted to use the property as a weekend retreat. Acme started the project by taking down the 20th-century additions to the original millkeeper’s cottage, which, as seen from this angle, appears to be freestanding — even though it isn’t.
Photo: Courtesy of Acme/Courtesy of Abrams
This aerial view shows Acme’s ingenious additions, and how the structures are angled in order to allow an undisturbed view of the historic mill and cottage from the River Ant.
Photo: Courtesy of Acme/Courtesy of Abrams
In order to create an addition that felt, as the architect put it, almost like a shadow, the cedar façade was burnt. Not only does the dark color of the charred wood disappear, but the method of burning the surface of the wood has been a tradition for centuries — it makes the surface bug- and water-resistant. Here you can see the textures of the wood and how the reflective glass windows act as a mirror to the mill and landscape.
Photo: Courtesy of Acme/Courtesy of Abrams
You would never have any idea from the exterior that there was such a wealth of open, modern space within.
Photo: Courtesy of Acme/Courtesy of Abrams
The ceiling follows the roof line creating unexpected volumes and modern forms.
Photo: Courtesy of Acme/Courtesy of Abrams
London-based architect Richard Found built an unabashedly glamorous modernist retreat for his family, but it had to evolve from the original gatekeeper’s cottage on the 16-acre property in the Cotswolds in England.
Photo: Andrew Meredith/Courtesy of Abrams
The restoration of the cottage, seen here, along with the additions, appears cohesive and organic. In the book, Found quotes Twelfth Night, describing the renovation process: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
Photo: Andrew Meredith/Courtesy of Abrams
A glass wall makes this modern room part of the outdoors.
Photo: Andrew Meredith/Courtesy of Abrams
What do you do when you have decided to resuscitate a castle that dates back to the 13th century? Architect Freddie Phillipson of the London architectural firm Witherford Watson Mann kept the façade intact, adding contemporary additions to fill in the lost pieces.
Photo: Helene Benet/Courtesy of Abrams
This dining area is one of the most dramatic marriages of old and new I have seen. “We built into what was already a layered topography,” Phillipson says.
Photo: Helene Benet/Courtesy of Abrams
Kristal’s wonderful book has many more surprises within.
Photo: William Abranowicz/Courtesy of Abrams
