Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/320547
46 BRAVA MAGAZINE | JUNE 2014 ŀETIDYWHITEBˬRNNESTLEDINTHEHILLY farmland north of Madison might seem unremarkable to the casual drive-by ob- server. And it's meant to be. ŀE OWNERS WˬNTED TO MˬINTˬIN THE integrity of the barn's design—resolved even to keep its original white paint. But they've transformed the interior into a gathering space for many and occasional overnight lodging for the lucky few. *TSSOFTHUEDPINEǢOORSTˬKENFROMˬ TORNDOWNBˬRNˬNDREǠNISHEDBY"MISH craftsmen, underlay its comfortable— and mostly salvaged—furnishings and ǠXTURES*TmSˬSPˬCETHˬTBECKONSˬVISI- tor to come in and sit for a spell. "It's about repurposing things, but also about making it more beautiful and cher- ishing its history," says designer Alan Boehmer, who worked with architect Rick Bott and the homeowners for more than nine months to revive the structure. ŀEY ˬLSO CONVERTED ˬ NEˬRBY MILK house into a potting shed and an old out- house into a sleek dry sauna. Saving the 107-year-old tumble down barn entailed raising it from its founda- tions to bolster the stone-wall base. A loft and some heavy-duty cabling were added to stabilize the structure, but otherwise the timber wood interior remains as it was built. ŀEORIGINˬLHˬYFORKˬREMINDERTHˬT it was once a working dairy barn, hangs like a giant lobster claw from one end of the 40-foot ceiling. ŀEOWNERSˬVIDˬNTIQUECOLLECTORSˬND crafters, used mostly found objects to decorate. Old tin from torn-down bar- ROOMSMˬKESFORWˬLLˬRTŀEKITCHENIS- land was once several benches in a boys' locker room. And the glass foyer doors, etched with the likeness of western bear GRˬSSǢOWERSCˬMEFROMˬNOLD#URLING- ton Northern Railroad dining car. "It's like a mini history lesson," Boehmer says. ŀE BˬRNmS EVERY ITEM OLD ˬND RE- newed, has a story behind it, making ITTHEPERFECTPLˬCETORELˬXˬNDHEˬRTHE tales unfold. –M.M. Old Space, Renewed Purpose » A Barn Reborn « PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOE DE MAIO