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History Revisited
Timber Homes Illustrated, 1999
Written by Stacy Durr Albert | Photography by Roger Wade
An Ohio couple creates a new home that captures the essence of yesteryear
The soaring 32' ceiling in the great room leaves many a guest standing with his jaw hanging open, according to Roger. He picked out the stones for the fireplace himself. He also insisted on having the timber frame beams placed closed together. "I wanted to really feel the wood," he says.
When most people build additions onto their homes they do everything they can to conceal the new construction. They want their homes to have a unified, seamless look, not a hodge-podge appearance of various materials and styles. Roger Barrow of Toledo, Ohio, has a different philosophy from most people. When he set out to plan his new home, he deliberately aimed to create a house that looked as if it had been added on to a number of times over the years.
"I was really into the whole concept of art," says Roger. "I wanted to create a place that looked as if it was built over a period of time ? an old barn that was added on to some 50 or 100 years later."
One look at Roger's home shows he got exactly what he wanted. A mix of materials and shapes dominates the exterior; the interior is filled with a glorious timber-frame section surrounded by various conventional areas. It's meant to look as if an old barn was converted into a home.
Though it's obvious that Roger had very specific ideas, he wasn't always this certain. In fact, originally, he and his wife April were quite confused.
"We didn't know what kind of house we wanted," explains Roger. "We were looking for a theme. Many artists suggested that we find the colors and materials we liked and go from there. Though we both liked Southwestern style a lot, we didn't want to be stuck with such a narrow theme and having to fill an entire house with Southwestern furniture." |
