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This home is filled with many interesting and obvious features. It’s interesting that the house is formed by two very different spaces: the country farm federal clapboard section, and the more formal Georgian brick mansion. There’s no mistaking the novelty and very compelling visual impression it offers on first glance. As we reflect on the “spaces-in-between”, it’s an opportunity to share how many of these hidden features played into our living experience. Beginning at what we call day 1, these spaces shaped each stage of development of our family, and changed in purpose along the way.

First, we always benefited from having our primary suite on the entire upper level of the federal section. What is unobvious is how this worked as we raised our family. The “blue room” that is now the his/her dressing room served as an incubator/baby room for our second born, less than a month after moving in. More interesting, the “maroon bedroom” became his first “big boy room” and he always felt safe there since he had a second door into the space in-between(see the door in the left corner of that room). Where did that door lead? It was an entrance into the laundry room…but more importantly it offered quick access to our suite (in case he needed us:)). That need diminished as he grew up, but that second door served to enable a strong and special attachment.

On the other hand, our first born, older son by 4 years, was happy to pick the “green room” and saw the laundry room as a “distancer”, offering a buffer to his space. He was also very happy with his views of the entire backyard, along with the separation it provided, being down the hall with immediate access to the master stairway, the pathway to his new oyster. This all worked for us, yielding a dynamic balance, of closeness on demand, yet offering enough space in between us all to enable the development of very independent young adults.

Never thought of the laundry room in quite that way at first glance-to us it was really the laundry room in no uncertain terms(and there was a lot of laundry :))…and yet it was the unique bridge to our individual living spaces, allowing each of us having a completely different point of view on its role and purpose.

The Collins houses at Pheasant Farm offer a multi-dimensional place with many spaces in-between. As you explore the different features of the farm you will come to understand what we mean. For example. take the stone walled paddock in front of the barn. It’s shaped like an “L” because the back portion(seen in the picture where the trees stem in the corner) was once an extension of the bottom of the barn. In 1950 the barn roof ridge, which ran front to the very far back wall, was repositioned to its current line. << note: To re-make the barn and improve it’s quality, it was halved in size, reframed post and beam, and strengthened with metal trusses and granite pillars. We took it on ourselves to further boost the structure with framing of the beams supporting level 1.>> How would this expanded paddock fit into your vision? We used it as a safe and contained ball field for everything from homerun derby to football, soccer and lacrosse. Maybe the high ceiling basement inspires two horse stalls or other pens for animal keeping such as dogs or alpacas? The paddock could serve as a field for safe roaming and grazing. The hidden second driveway adjoining the original back wall of the barn straddling Blackthorn Drive does offer landscapers easy access to the property, as we used it, or it could be the perfect place for an animal trailer.