Rural Modern Renovation: Big Barn-to-House Conversion

Barns can be beautiful spaces, as someone who grew up in a red-brick farm house next to a big red-painted wooden barn can attest. They have large, wide-open plans and arched interior ceilings that lend themselves to creative conversions like this brilliant barn-to-home project.

The exterior was preserved as well as it could be and partially restored after a fire. New door and window openings on the main story are the only outside signs that this barn building has been turned into a fully-modernized house – and even these were kept small in scale by architect Specht Harpman so as not to detract from the larger-than-life aesthetic of the barn itself.

A smooth concrete floor, light wooden interior walls and white ceiling and side walls make this triple-height indoor space even lighter, brighter and bigger-looking than the physical openness of the main area of the home would alone. Spaces are only separated into rooms as absolutely necessary to preserve a sense of scale and allow natural light throughout the structure.