Maria Berman and Brad Horn, Berman Horn Studio, have completed a log home on Vinalhaven Island, located 15 miles off the coast of Maine, USA. The Little Peek residence is a modern take on traditional New England farmhouses.
The building is formed by two wooden volumes with a glazed portico sandwiched between them. The elongated building with a peaked roof includes the main house itself, a guest space, and an internal veranda connecting them with a beautiful view of the Camden Hills National Park.
The main entrance juts out from the strict rectangular shape of the building. This decision is dictated by the historical context - this is how farmhouses in this region of the USA were designed in the 19th century.
The residence’s most notable feature is the uniform shingle finish of the gable roof and façade. Wood shingles are a traditional New England home material, having been brought to the New World from Europe by early settlers. For Little Peek, the architects chose eastern white cedar with a silvery tint.
The main house adjacent to the veranda includes a combined bright space of the kitchen-living room with a fireplace, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. From here there is an exit to the inner courtyard with a recreation area. The compact guest house has a bedroom and a bathroom.
The interior of the wooden house is dominated by white. It was chosen for the walls, cabinet fronts, and floor, which is made of birch and painted with glossy paint. The architects deliberately abandoned the palette based on shades of natural wood. The authors wanted the main character of the interior to be nature outside the window.
The furnishings are an eclectic mix of French antiques and American design. The veranda features a large dining table flanked by Tolix chairs from the A series by Xavier Pochard, who is considered a pioneer of galvanization.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the designer was looking for a new way to protect metal from erosion and rust. By dipping iron into molten zinc, he achieved a durable outer layer that was resistant to environmental influences. The chair, with its recognizable high back and widely spaced legs, became a true symbol of pre-war industrial design.
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