North Salem Farm updates local vernacular for the 21st century

A North Salem Farm has been thoroughly updated for the 21st century by dynamic New York architecture practice Worrell Yeung. The project, a collection of renovated existing and new build structures, offers a new take to the local agrarian vernacular through minimalist architecture in its elegant transformation and blend of old and new. 

North Salem Farm by Worrell Yeung

‘The house is at once simple and complex – something we are continuing to explore in our work,’ says practice partner and co-founder Jejon Yeung. 'The gabled forms are familiar but also multi-layered in the way they engage the site, engage with each other, creating spaces that reframe the site and the experience both inside and out.' 

The scheme unites three separate structures for a single family home in a triangular Upstate New York plot. It was important for the design to feel harmoniously integrated with the landscape, which led the architecture team to explore the area's existing architectural typologies to draw on. At the same time, they worked closely with Raft Landscape on the wider site's green offering and outdoor areas. 

The studio gutted and renovated an old dairy farm on site as the main home. Two new structures house a garage/studio, and spa shed. While all structures offer a nod to the typical American barn, varying cladding colours and material details ensure each volume has its own character. 'We didn’t want a monotonous experience of moving from one dark-clad building to the next,' says Yeung. 'As a whole, we read the collection of buildings as siblings that are closely related – like cousins.'

The whole brings together dark metal roofing, custom dark green stained cypress wood siding in a varied batten pattern, exposed Douglas fir ceiling rafters, freestanding Douglas fir objects, terracotta-hued encaustic tile floors, soft grey Douglas fir millwork, and slate-coloured ceramic tiles in various places. It all composes a graceful, pared-down design that bridges refinement and homely relaxation. 

The result exemplifies the emerging studio's fascination with 'detailing complex and sophisticated systems that require ingenuity and collaboration but look quite simple', says co-principal Max Worrell. 

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