This beautiful restoration and addition project is located in the small city of Lewes, Delaware. This coastal town is known for being the site of the earliest European settlement in the region, and our house was originally built in the early 19th century. The building itself was in poor conditions when the current owner purchased it, with the intention of renovation and extending it. In order for the original house to remain prominent, the additions, which more than double its footprint, were conceived as four one-story connecting pavilions organized around a swimming pool. The facade of the original house is meticulously restored, and the new additions match with Cedar shingled walls and roofs. Pairing modernism with tradition, large back steel framed glass surfaces are integrated to the new pavilions to bring in more light and to offer open views on the pool area. The interior of the original house was transformed to contain, apart from the main entry downstairs, the night area with four bedrooms. The materials employed for the day-living pavilion are richer and more varied. This main living pavilion contains the open plan kitchen, dining area and living room. The two other pavilions contain a bathroom, a gym and a screened porch. This project provides a beautiful example of how to make modern spaces co-exist harmoniously with more traditional, historical ones.
The four pavilions of the property are connected by wooden roof structures which give unity to the whole. The feeling that one has to go out from one place and into another is minimized.
The original house was renovated with a very modern and minimal decor. The walls are white and kept almost bare, and the floor is in white ash wood.
The floating staircase, glass walls and steel fixtures confirm the new modern soul of this ancient house.
The attic bedroom is maybe the most luminous of all, thanks to one complete glass wall.
The narrow width of this bedroom is compensated by the overall volume given by the double height of the ceiling.
The built-in fireplace makes the room cozy in any season.
Bathroom with precious marble floor and walls, and design freestanding bathtub.
The main living pavilion gets a richer design, with materials such as mahogany for walls and roof, basalt stone for the flooring, marble for counter-tops and stainless steel for the fireplace and cabinetry.
A full wall of glass and a long skylight allow for light to flood this pavilion.
The screened porch pavilion with walls in Douglas fir has a brick built in fireplace for year-round relaxation.
Beautiful views of the property after sunset, with all the light on.
Robert M. Gurney Architect
