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BROOKS & FALOTICO ASSOCIATES DESIGNS A NEW "OLD" HOUSE AND MAKES IT FEEL AT HOME ON 58 ACRES IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY

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IT'S OLD, IT'S NEW (click photo for larger view)

When the dream of acquiring a 58-acre property suddenly
came true, Litchfield County homeowners had to act fast. They’d been eyeing the acreage for years and now they had the chance to purchase it and build the home of their dreams. Their search for the right architects led them to Louise Brooks and Vincent Falotico.

Building a home on such a large piece of land and making it look like it has always been there takes a sensitive touch. The homeowners immediately put their home on the market when they acquired the new property. It sold quickly and this busy family of five rented for the next three years while they were planning and building their new home.

SIT A SPELL (click photo for larger view)

The wife had been struggling to find an architect who could design a house that would meet all their requirements. When daughter Bailey returned home from school one weekend, she suggested they visit Brooks' residence. She was best friends with Brooks' daughter Maddie and had spent a weekend there. She knew her family would love it, and that Brooks would keep going back to the drawing board until things were just right. Her mother agreed, and she particularly appreciated the architect's sense of space, balance and proportion. "They wanted gracious rooms with beautiful views of the lake," explains Brooks, "and the house to be in the vernacular of Litchfield County."

SOOTHING INSIDE AND OUT (click photo for larger view)

Most importantly, the family wanted their new house to look like it had always been there, to have the charm of an older home that was as well established as a country manor house. It took a team to make that happen–builder Rob Winters, interior designer Michael Trapp and the architecture firm Brooks & Falotico Associates. The family wanted a house that would function well for them for the next 20 years, with a master bedroom on the ground floor and rooms for the children on the second floor so the upstairs could be closed off while they were all away at school.