An older barn is transformed into a gleaming new gathering space.
By Lisa Cavanaugh
Photography by Chuck Choi
“We don’t have a stylistic preference; we look at each project as a unique design problem from which the character of the design emerges,” says Tom Murdough of Murdough Design Architects in Concord, Massachusetts. The “problem” that faced Murdough in reimaging a barn on an expansive New Hampshire lakefront locale included choosing an architectural style, using reclaimed materials, and referencing the historical environment.
“Whatever we’re designing has to have a strong relationship to the landscape,“says Murdough. “Every project is tailored to its site. We want our buildings to feel like they’ve been there, belong there, and seem very natural in their settings.”
“This property is about 20 acres, long and narrow, stretching from the road down to Squam Lake. We had done the clients’ home on the same large plot of land,” he says, describing a new build of a very contemporary 11,000-square-foot home for a retired couple, who now had a vision for an old cattle barn on the property.
Understanding that the clients planned to use the space both as a family and community gathering spot, the team set to work. The client connected Murdough with Harper Elm, a Massachusetts-based builder who specializes in historic restoration. “Ian Harper is the expert in working with reclaimed timber frames,” says Murdough. “He has done a lot of barn restorations, so his team did the initial part of the project: assess the old barn, identify what was salvageable, literally take the barn walls down, store all the usable material, and then reorder new timbers and barn board to supplement the reclaimed material.”
The new design called for an additional three feet of height at the first level to create enough headroom for the new use, by people (not cattle). “There was a lot of tweaking with the new reclaimed timbers and the salvaged timber frame structure to integrate some unique changes with the old barn,” says Murdough. The result is a sensational melding of old and new, a reimagined space that blends its historic timbers with new wooden floors and modern finishes, such as the black wrought iron that references traditional agricultural materials.
“This project was very different for us,” he adds. “We were utilizing an existing, historic barn, a utilitarian structure, that set its own kind of parameters.” But the building also needed to suit many contemporary uses. “The clients are very sociable, so the barn is a destination space for their extended family and other guests that is away from the main house, where people can go and hang out,“ explains Murdough.
The couple also regularly hosts poetry and musical performances, sponsors fundraisers, and allows other community events to take place in their barn. “The homeowner’s got his collection of guitars displayed along with other instruments to have jam sessions in the barn with his buddies,” says Murdough. “They each also sit on a couple of nonprofit boards, so they offer it for meetings. We designed it to be flexible enough to suit all these experiences.”
The barn includes a full kitchen outfitted with a Wolf range and Wolf dual wall ovens, which have come in handy for both family dinners and the weddings and showers that have graced the space since it was built. There are also outdoor hardscape areas that extend the communal opportunities.
“What is wonderful about New England farms,” says Murdough, “is the craft that went into how these outbuildings were constructed.” Today, even with electric guitars and basketball hoops instead of animal stalls, this New Hampshire barn tells a tale of the past.
“With each of these refinished timbers, you see the craftsmanship in the joinery—how they connect and support the structure,“ he continues. “The barnboards themselves are very irregular, all variable widths and lengths, and we designed with that in mind. This barn is an example of embracing natural imperfections as part of the process. The project was an anomaly in some regards, but ultimately it was just another design problem that yielded a result we are very proud of.”
