Loving Efforts Restore a 1787 Farmhouse
The website of Revolutionary War–era love, tasty fox-hunt teas and formal piano recitals, this 1787 Georgian farmhouse brims with classic ambiance and charm. The house had been vacant for years when Barry Barton and David Ferrini first seen the inside on a dark winter night. “We ceased to close a door left open by the Realtor and it was like stepping into a time warp,” Ferrini says. After purchasing the home in 2007, they set to work painting, refinishing the floors and redoing the woodwork, intent on maintaining the house’s 18th-century beauty.
at a Glance
Who lives here: David Ferrini and Barry Barton
Location: North Framingham, Massachusetts
Size: 2,800 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms
That’s intriguing: The home has been constructed by Revolutionary War captain Thomas Nixon, Jr., as a promise to his bride-to-be until he left for conflict.
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Listed at the Library of Congress as a Historical American Building, this home sits among rolling fields and horse farms, adjacent to over 200 acres of state forest.
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“About a hundred years back, the owner, a debutante from Louisburg Square in Boston’s Beacon Hill, was a pianist and employed [this] as her summer home,” Ferrini says. After the ceiling in the excellent room failed, she left it open for better acoustics to perform, thus the gorgeous open-beam ceiling.
The first iron cooking apparatus for hanging pots over the fire, a warming stove built into the brick and built in closets for storing food and cookware have all been preserved.
Needlepoint carpet: John Aga
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An opinion from the second floor into the living room reveals what was initially the kitchen, and the largest area in the house. “This home is like a rock star with each the living that has gone on this,” Barton says. The previous owner was the mind of the Historical Society of Framingham, so the home was never stripped of its first charms. Wide-plank flooring, original doors and latches, built-in cupboards and wall stenciling were all preserved. Since the home is a protected historic landmark, the level of change allowed is limited. “Anything we have done can be reversed,” Ferrini says.
Sofa: DomainName; wingback chair fabric: Keith McCoy; painting of books: Juxtaposition
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A fresh back staircase in the living area was transformed into a closet.
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Unlike many classic houses, the house has abundant natural light. The majority of its windows don’t have any curtains, to allow in more light and flaunt the glass panes.
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The renovated kitchen features custom cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, honed Carrara marble countertops and a big farmhouse-style sink. Ten-inch quarter-sawn oak floors were stained using a custom mix to match the first floors.
The brand new kitchen is the heart of the home, with doorways that lead to an outside back patio, the dining area and the living area.
Pendant lighting: Ballard Designs; chairs: Pottery Barn
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“We had it to be restored into the ’70s — the 1770s,” claims contractor Joe Trainor of Custom Works. The kitchen has been previously a land mine of unsafe junction boxes and water lines, unsupported beams and underfloor heating ducts. “Restorations are never simple or inexpensive,” Trainor says. “I think the house thanks [Ferrini and Barton], and they know that as the current custodians, they included their own background to it also.”
Appliances: Cafe series, General Electric; faucet: Danze
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Barton and Ferrini like to cook and entertain. “We build fires in the fireplaces and light candles on the table and wall sconces to create a colonial-era warmth and glow throughout the house,” Barton says.
The door to the left leads into a tiny front foyer and a staircase to the next floor.
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“For such an old home, it has great flow and really brings the outdoors in,” Ferrini says. These double doors from the living area cause the back patio, a favorite place for summer entertaining.
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Stone cleared from fields by farmers centuries ago lines the back patio. “We fill the gaps between the rocks with tea lights which make it all twinkle,” Ferrini says.
Each of the windows throughout the home are original and required restoration. “Looking through the 200-year-old glass is not all that common and just one of the joys of living in this home,” Ferrini says.
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Barton and Ferrini have maintained the rock paths, patios and walls, and created vibrant gardens. The side and main entry is closest to a detached three-car garage (added in 1980) and leads into the kitchen.
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Previously a dark, dreary area used for sewing and other tasks, the den also obtained a fresh update. “The very first thing we did when we moved in was to paint each the walls” Barton says. The doorway to the left leads to the front foyer and staircase. The fireplace is surrounded by built-in closets.
Sofas: DomainName; leather chair: ABC Furniture
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A passageway from the primary living area to the master suite was cleverly transformed into a home office.
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This hallway window appears into a powder room. A carriage house was connected to the home in the 1980s and now functions as the hallway, laundry area and master suite.
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Black appliances, dark blue cabinets, a rug runner, hot wood floors and baskets create a sumptuous-looking laundry area and passageway into the master suite.
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In colonial times, the high mattress hid bedpans and took advantage of increasing heat. Now it’s a smart way to get the bed closer to the television mounted at the ceiling column. A dividing display functions as a headboard and allows in light however provides privacy. The door to the rear of the bed leads to the outside garden and a detached greenhouse.
Dividing display: J.F. Chen; duvet cover: Pottery Barn
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An 1850s Vortex parlor stove warms the master suite. The door to the right leads to the master bathroom.
Rug: Bloomingdale’s
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A claw-foot bath painted black, an oversize base sink and white and black tile create a rich, manly appearance in the master bath.
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The master bedroom leads out into the backyard greenhouse. This picture shows the view in the greenhouse toward the master bedroom door.
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Originally part of the property, this red barn includes a street running through it as an entry into a personal cul-de-sac of houses. The first barn burnt to the ground; the person who owns the home at the time found that this duplex in Concord, Massachusetts, and relocated into the property.
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Used for storage in colder months, the garden greenhouse becomes an entertainment space wrapped with twinkling lights in hot weather.
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A chicken coop also sits on the house’s idyllic grounds. Barton and Ferrini love fresh eggs from their chickens, which they bought online through My Pet Chicken.
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Christmas lights mounted in the garage door molding welcome the couple home at nighttime.
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Barton and Ferrini plan to begin about the second-floor bedrooms and bathtub adjoining. “We realize the rich and deep history of this old girl and constantly remember that we are simply living in this stunning piece of artwork,” Ferrini says.
Contractors: Joe Trainor, Custom Works Contracting; Jane Mortimer, Heartwood Window Restoration