Thursday, April 22, 2010

Putting the "old" into the new


This amazing feat of architecture and craftsmanship belongs to our good friends Schuan and Holly Carpenter. They both have a strong passion for playing music, so it was a natural progression and easy decision to build a standalone music studio in the backyard. Having similar appreciation and love for old world charm they decided to not make the structure look new, but rather as if it had been there for ages. Schuan drew up his plans and created a cohesive mix match of tudor/gothic style with cottage charm. I think you'll agree when I say, "WOW!"

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With work parties and helping hands from their friends, they
completed the structure in about a year.













To get that authentic old world feel, they installed salvaged leaded glass windows from Earthwise, stuccoed the exterior, stained all exposed wood a dark espresso, installed worn looking hardwood floors and kept to antique style lighting fixtures.

He also designed and built a Gothic style bookshelf from old barn wood.


Holly gives private violin lessons out of the studio, teaching the Suzuki method. The Carpenters enjoy having friends and family over often for potlucks and musical entertainment.
The studio can easily seat 30 people!






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Neither Schuan nor Holly have architectural or construction backgrounds. Through the help of friends and books, they learned what they needed to know along the way.
What's next on their project list? Installing hardwoods in their home, and putting finishing touches in their studio. I'll post interior shots in part two of this feature, so check back here often.

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Click here to see the before pics!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! This is so cool. It's hard to believe this is really a new building and hasn't been around forever. They did an excellent job. I'm going to link to it from my blog's weekly round-up tomorrow.

    I also have to tell you how much I like your blog. It's beautiful! I enjoyed looking around a little today. Thanks! :-)

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  2. Hi! I'm hooked on Julia's 'Hooked on Houses' site which brought me here. Great posts! And that studio is beautiful. Any way to see inside pics?

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  3. Thanks so much for your comments!!! I will post interior shots soon. It was my plan to post the interiors but as I was about to start shooting the interior, my battery in my camera died.

    Julia-
    a special thanks to you for mentioning my blog on your site. It was a great surprise and real honor!

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