The Floating Farmhouse: Bring the Vernacular Past into the Present

Tom Givone, a self-taught designer, has successfully renovated a 19^th-century farmhouse into a modern weekend retreat without totally banishing its originality. Located in Eldred, New York, the house, currently known as the Floating Farmhouse, was previously a local infamous blue farmhouse which has passed its glory days. Through his touch, he managed to bring the vernacular past into the present in the renovation project.

The Floating Farmhouse

Givone bough this 200-year-old farmhouse In 2002. His neighbors suggested him to just demolish it due to its bad condition, but he was taken by the picturesque and decided to renovate the house instead.

In the project, rather than suspending all activity on the creek nearby the house, he paid more attention to the used materials and how to perfect them. That being the case, Givone used the lattice of oxidized tube steel to frame the back wall of the additional rear. As for the central fireplace stack, he went with matching weathered Cor-Ten steel.

The New Addition

Focusing on the new rear addition, it is a semitransparent space with a roofline that matches the pitch of the original 1520s farmhouse. A porch, located under the side eaves, looks like it is floating over a stream that runs through the property. You can also see IKEA loungers in the interior are highlighted by commercial gymnasium lights which have been repurposed as pendant lamps.

Make a Contrast

Givone wanted to combine archaic and modern elements in the farmhouse. This combination is able to make a contrast to one another while enhancing their respective beauties. One of the contrasts he made is from the furniture selection. He mixed the colors and design of the chairs altogether in a perfect harmony.

What makes it even more impressive is he managed to situate the table in front of the house’s rear wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. The majestic views outside will be the perfect sight while enjoying the meals. From the same layout, there are IKEA’s laminate kitchen cabinets framed in wraparound bluestone.

Givone also included the custom-built wood-fired oven for when he wants to make some home-made pizzas.

Lofty Master Bedroom

The master bedroom went with lofty design equipped with a gas fireplace fronted in weathered steel to create a warmer atmosphere, especially during cold weather. The spare décor in the space was framed with beams he discovered in a Pennsylvania barn. The mere presence of the Tizio desk lamp has completed the look of this modern farmhouse bedroom.

The Bathrooms

One of the bathrooms displays a salvaged 19th-century soaking tub wrapped in stainless steel. It is topped by Hudson Reed faucets.

As for the guest bathroom, he opted for a hand-chiseled sink made of 17^th-century marble. He obtained the marble from the hills outside of Rome.

Photographer: Mark Mahaney

Via Dwell