A beautifully renovated barn house

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This lovely residence located in Remsenburg, New York, just outside the Hamptons, is the result of great design and a great friendship. The home belongs to Vincent Herbert, CEO of Pain Quotidien, a small chain of cafes, known for exceptional organic breads and cafe blends. The designer of Herbert’s home is his childhood friend Francis D’Haene, an interior designer at D’Apostrophe Design. Herbert and Vincent met in sixth grade in Belgium, and have continued their friendship over time, and across continents to New York, where they now both reside. D’Haene has headed the design of Herbert’s loft that he shares with his wife, two of the Pain Quotidien stores and now the redesign of this lovely country home.

The renovation included several phases and elements. The overall idea and theme that the owners wanted was for the home to have a strong connection to nature, an open floor plan, a dramatic central staircase, and a sparseness verging on monastic. Such aforementioned elements are typical of modern architecture and contemporary interior design. The exterior and interior also exhibit minimalist design influences, while creating a dialogue and visual connection between the old and new aspects of the residence.

The exterior changes included replacing sections of the existing cedar siding with additional planks that were salvaged from a 200 year-old barn. The original cedar planks were then used to side the compound’s smaller structure that that is attached to an expanded garage. This smaller structure now holds a combined yoga studio and media room on the front end and in the back, two parking spaces.

The facade of the home and new pool house is treated with a patterned blend of concrete and cedar. Except for the front and one side of the connecting structure, the original mullioned windows were replaced with simple glass panes. This replacement was done to expose unobstructed views of nature from the interior.

Inside, several walls were broken down to provide a double-height living room and a loft above with three bedrooms on the second floor. Connecting to the loft is the statement-piece staircase, made of angled white-painted balustrades. The redesign and additions to the barn home helped to enhance the structure functionally and increase its relationship to nature.