sutherland woods

Peacock Farm is a mid century modern community of about 70 houses, developed in the 1950s by Walter Pierce. The development had been about 50 acres of land considered "unbuildable" due to its mature trees and steep topography. Walter Pierce took a single house module and arrayed lots and roads and flipped and rotated that house prototype so that though each house is essentially the same, the neighborhood feels very organic and each house looks unique from the road. Peacock Farm has a shared common land jointly cared for and maintained by the residents of the neighborhood. Stewardship responsibility is written into the deed of each home, as is a requirement to adhere to neighborhood architectural guidelines. In renovating these historic homes, it is important to think about the full spectrum of modernism from a theoretical and utopian standpoint, not just stylistic.

A wonderful family of four with school-aged kids had an "original" Peacock Farm style home with a 1970s style glass sunroom addition. This home was in solid shape, but was just about 1,700 square feet, with 3 small bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, and not a lot of room to entertain inside. The client's goal was to expand to accommodate working from home, growing kids, and an increased need to entertain a large extended family.

The existing outdated glass sunroom was replaced with a proper new space, adjacent to the living and dining room, with an operable glass interior wall so the space could be used as either an office or as entertaining spillover.

A substantial (about 1,000 square foot) addition was added at the back, towards an underused corner of the lot, keeping the iconic "Peacock Farm" style facade intact and respecting the neighborhood character of little houses in the woods. This gave the family plenty of room to spread out while staying true to the mid-mod ethos of modest scale and a light touch on the land. The original living / dining / kitchen / foyer volume was kept exactly as original, but with new fixtures and finishes - staying very true to the original character of the most iconic space of the house. The mid century modern architects often centered the kitchen right in the middle of the home, bringing "women's work" to the prime areas of the house.

Energy upgrades were made throughout including new windows and insulation. The clients love the beach and wanted to meld modern and beach vibes. The interiors focus on natural materials and a “warm” modern vibe.