What’s New Is Old
ED SHILL HAD ALWAYS WANTED A BARN, BUT SOMETHING ALWAYS PREVENTED HIS WISH FROM BECOMING A REALIT Y.
When he and his wife, Molly, purchased a nine- acre parcel behind their house on Canadaigua Lake, the time was ripe. As for the style?
“I wasn’t picturing anything remotely close to what we have,” Ed reveals. Ed is referring to a spectacular 4,400-square-foot timber frame masterpiece. Every beam, timber, and design detail is a roadmap of intent, longevity, and craftsmanship.
Having grown up on a farm, it was important to Ed that his barn have an authentic farm aesthetic. “My barn needs to look like a hay barn like we had when we were kids,” Ed says. Functionally, the barn needed to protect Ed’s cars and the equipment used to maintain the property. Molly, an acupuncturist and yoga instructor, wanted a studio.
The Shill’s team — timber frame company, New Energy Works (NEW), LaBella architect, Dan Pieters, and general contractor, Steve Grossi — brought Ed and Molly’s dream into the physical world. The barn appears as if it’s been part of the countryside for years, and even features a cupola and old-timey weather vane.
Brawn & Beauty
The floor plan integrates six interconnected bays with heated concrete floors covered in epoxy. The lower level includes a kitchen and powder room for entertaining, a storage room, and a mechanical space. Lofts are a timber frame’s signature architectural feature, and this one exudes bespoke, rustic luxury. It’s actually two spaces: a handsome sitting area and a capacious meditation room, divided by a barn door. A grand stairway of timbers, open risers, and iron balusters connects the two levels.
Thoughtful architecture and material selections iconize the barn’s weathered, vintage appeal. For the exterior, hand-cut granite blocks complement the centuryold reclaimed wood siding. Inside, aside from the timbers, which are new, all ceilings, walls, and casings are mushroom board. Mushroom board is wood reclaimed from mushroom farms. Due to the compost’s acidity, the wood emerges with an inimitable, rich brown color and slight washboard effect. It’s durable and a natural bug deterrent.
The truss system anchors the formmeets-function elegance that is celebrated in timber frame structures. Built in a hammer truss design, an additional bottom cord timber solidifies a rectangular geometry seen in the windows and glass garage doors. At night, these numerous windows become luminous portals into a welcoming space. Natural light flows through the garage between two glass garage doors on either end.
Craft And Composition
Although built to be functional, exquisite details articulate the barn’s undercurrent of sumptuous living. Enter and look up. That cupola announcing the barn’s rural style from the exterior houses a dazzling surprise: a raindrop fixture chandelier comprised of approximately 20 smaller pendants. Additional task lighting adds functionality.
“We had some fun with the decorative fixtures, but the task in the functional lighting was an art in and of itself,” explains interior designer for NEW, Bethany Schaertl.
Between the overhead chandelier and tastefully bold barn door backdrop, the loft’s luxe lounge oozes with panache. Tree twig brass handles centered in the span of wood emphasize a natural connection. All interior doors, including the barn door, are handcrafted by NEWwoodworks, a part of NEW’s family of timber services.
Stepping across the barn door’s threshold brings you into the meditation space (which also holds Ed’s office). Another signature lighting fixture, this one by Noguchi, radiates the kind of soothing energy desired in a wellness studio. Loft flooring came from Pioneer Millworks. Comfy zones are found throughout the barn — plush furnishings, sculptures, and Oriental rugs.
Ed and Molly are smitten with the final result. “They couldn’t have done it any better, to be honest,” he says. “It just fits the bill perfectly!”