Crop circles trace the land around the stone farmhouse, setting it gently within a wide and bucolic countryside.
Georgia
I grew up on a farm. In my first book, I described those foundational years and how they instilled in me a great love for the land. I have been fortunate to design homes in many bucolic landscapes. There is something wonderfully honest and pure about a farm and the agrarian life that is the heritage of many Americans. Farms bring to mind the smell of hay, the sound of gravel crunching underfoot, horses snorting, grass swaying in the rolling fields, and the vast expanse of the star-studded sky.
When I first spoke to my client T.J., he informed me that he had a few thousand acres of gorgeous rolling farmland, bordered by woods and dotted with lakes and fields and horses, in rural Georgia. T.J. is one of those maverick kinds of people who are independent thinkers and I especially appreciate his strong bent toward excellence. Clients like him remind me of a quote from one of my architectural heroes, Edwin Lutyens: “There will never be great architects or great architecture without great patrons.”
Solid white-oak trusses carry the roof structure above, their weight and joinery quietly supporting the terra-cotta tiles beyond.
When we discussed the project, my client explained that he wanted to create a forever home, an heirloom house. One of my favorite concepts in design is timelessness. I’m always trying to reinterpret traditional vernaculars to fit current times and lifestyles. The architect’s duty is not merely to replicate things from the past, but to reinterpret them. History has hit the ball into our court, the present, and we get to hit it back, but with our own spin on the ball.
Featured Projects
