I spotted this old tobacco barn en route to a friend’s house in rural Connecticut. I immediately pulled over to admire it -- too bad if I was running late. It’s a practical, yet artful, vernacular building type that has survived a waning New England industry. The hinged vertical boards open to ventilate drying cigar leaf tobacco. The crisp, standing-seam roof nicely contrasts the aging, red exterior, crowning the old with the new. Check out Connecticut Valley Vernacular by James F. O’Gorman for more information about these impressive work buildings and the industry that created them.

Also, (since it never hurts to ask) if you’re in the market to respectfully adapt an obsolete tobacco barn to a residential or creative use, let me know. It would be a dream project.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Bob’s blog came to my attention not long ago. I knew when I read the subtitle “musings and mutterings of a rural Vermont architect” that I’d probably found something special. For starters, you might want to begin with his introductory post “What I want my blog to be,” which sets the straightforward, refreshing tone evident throughout his blog.

I was amused to discover he’d created an ego category. Since architects are known for having hefty, often humorless, egos, I was delighted to find that Bob’s “ego” posts are modest and insightful. He writes in “A Little bit of Me” about his desire to reconcile the artistic vision of an individual architect with the performance of architectural services for a client. In “Site Decisions and Instinct” he offers a window into the architect’s perspective on one of the most important decisions in the design process. And, naturally, he shares some of the recognition he's received, like winning the 2008 Providence Sustainable Housing Design Competition in the "affordable" group.

His mutterings category appeals to my inner irreverence. He rants about “free” design and complicated heating systems. In a post titled “Grassroots Modern, Carpenter Modern” he defines his interpretation of architectural "modernism;" see “Bob’s Barn” for an illustration of the warm, rooted, and stream-lined aesthetic he’s describing.

I think you’ll find that his is a welcome, down-to-earth voice in the architectural blogosphere. Take a look.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

With this post I’m starting a new Web tour category where I’ll link to intriguing web finds about house, garden, and related creative arts in New England (and beyond). Today’s New York Times has a fun interactive feature about Hopper’s Cape Cod then and now, comparing his 1930’s paintings with photos of the same locales today. My photo above, of a Provincetown classic, may not have been one of Hopper’s subjects, but it reminds me of his Cape Cod.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

Click on this photo to see it in the note cards/prints gallery. Having grown up in and out of boats on the New England coast, I consider them as much a part of my visual lexicon as the Capes, farmhouses, cottages, fishing shacks, and barns that I often write about here. There’s much to be learned from the craftsmanship, order, materials, color, finish, scale, and elegance of this floating beauty. Many of my favorite spaces are boat-like; none more than this one.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast

I saw this little house along the coast of Cape Cod and was instantly smitten. It’s a true Cape -- no dormers, no additions, just a simple charmer. Its prominent cedar roof and asymmetrically-placed, modest, double-hung windows lend it a hardy, no-nonsense character. A three-row band of staggered shingle coursing within a field of standard shingle coursing subtly declares this Cape’s individuality. The colorful, informal, front garden and casual, shell-lined, entry path are suitably uncomplicated. This is the essence of authentic New England at its best. This, to me, is the good life.

by Katie Hutchison for the House Enthusiast