With a careful eye on preserving the exterior architectural integrity of this typical Middlesex four- over -four farmhouse (later expanded by previous owners), current owners, Bill Budd and Mary Lynn Landgraf, meticulously renovated Southern Sighs Inn, formerly the Dragon Run Inn and brought back to life this gracious and spacious home. Seven baths, public spaces, four large guest rooms, and living quarters for the owners took on a new life albeit with some old accoutrements to add a dash of flair, personality, and usefulness. The kitchen was not part of this initial dynamic overhaul. Its time had not yet come until winter 2022-2023.
One could say, recycling was and is at the forefront of all substantive and decorative work at Southern Sighs. We redefined recycling for us and added “repurposing and reusing”. Add to this philosophy” Made in America” and voila you have our formula for a unique hallmark for our projects. This mantra is evident and visible throughout the house and, especially, in the newly remodeled kitchen where we went from 1970s dark to this century’s spark.
The prior kitchen had two windows, a backdoor with a small porch and very steep steps, and a primitive pantry cum laundry room. In tune with the home’s original footprint, we hired Home Masons to design the kitchen and not change the home’s footprint, yet, to optimize the interior space. As CAD prints emerged, we could see an exceptional design that added more space and light, the magic work triangle for efficiency and changes that affected the interior, yet, made no negligible impact on the exterior.
With the addition of an elevated deck off the back of the house, we paved the way for a new back entrance way, the deletion of the old back porch and steps and the addition of 18 more square feet in the new scullery. Plans called for the total redesign of the kitchen and the addition of a scullery.
The need for lighting and the addition of windows led us to Caravati’s, a source of architectural salvage, based in Ashland, Virginia. Here we found casement windows from an old building at the University of Richmond. Caravati’s added its antique glass and powder coated them in Hunter Green. Other added windows consisted of old sidelights that we placed together horizontally in a frame and placed above the backdoor. Three leaded glass casement windows for the scullery originated at Construction Junction outside Pittsburgh. These are the jewel of the scullery! Construction Junction offered other great finds such as stained glass from an old Ukrainian church in Pittsburgh. The glass is ultra-modern in style so it has a place above the cooktop and is surrounded by odd shaped stained glass from the same artist. The addition of retro glass bricks gives a hint of yesteryear and adds more filtered light.
Cabinetry smacks of modern style and materials in the kitchen with white acrylic cabinets setting the tone for a clean fresh look. The cabinets support our theme of “Made in America “as well as the white quartz countertops. Our resource for these products was Massey Urbanna Builders Supply. All the appliances, also “Made in America”, are by Blue Star of Pennsylvania sourced from Ferguson Enterprises.
Our next set of reclaimed treasures are wooden products in both the kitchen and scullery. The heart pine tongue in grove flooring dates to an 1842 home in Virginia. Five to six-inch-wide planks and one inch to one inch and one-half add a very special dimension to the room. Capitalizing on a black walnut tree in our yard that toppled over in a windstorm , we had the wood milled and made cabinet tops for the island in the kitchen and the cabinet tops in the scullery. We kept it local and definitely “Made in America!”
The remaining wooden accent pieces with history are the “new” back door which was purchased at The Antique Emporium a few years ago. A gently curved arch at the top of the door gives it an unusual touch and matching peaked exterior louver doors add protection as well as screen doors for air circulation and a touch of elegance. The mini tray ceiling in the scullery consists of the former ceiling in the old back porch. The “skinny” back door leading from the scullery to the deck had once been a screen in an art gallery in Gloucester.
Our next “reclaim” project will be converting an old guard house into an exterior mudroom. Ideas are germinating as we search for a small pint-sized cupola. Our final thoughts on recycling, reusing, repurposing and “Made in America” lead us to the conclusion, “Take your home and brand as your own.”