HISTORIC NEIGHBOR

Chapel Hill, NC | Photography by Jim West

The buyers of a carefully maintained colonial revival home were drawn to the calm and comfort of its historic neighborhood. They needed to enlarge and improve on the arrangement of spaces for the family of seven they intended to raise there. The challenge was to respect the historic district while providing a contemporary setting for modern living. The addition rises three stories behind the volume of the original house, adding two bedroom-and-bath suites, a playroom, exercise room, and study. On the upper floor, the addition connects all the family’s private living quarters via a light-filled “bridge” that also brightens the original stairway.