House
by Beth S. Buxbaum
In 1979 Peg and Terry Forster were at a crossroads. Would their next move be country living or city life? Living in a tiny 1840s, two-bedroom farmhouse in Pt. Pleasant was perfect when they first moved there. “We loved the beauty of the landscape, surrounded by woods, and we were right on the Tohickon creek,” explains Terry. Peg says that as the family grew with their second child, the farmhouse was just too small. The farmhouse's location and distance from frequent destinations was also an issue. “We had to get in the car to go anywhere, nothing was a walk away.”
Terry is a rheumatologist with a medical practice in Doylestown and Peg has a medical publications business. Peg says, “We were thinking about finding a house in Doylestown, that was walkable.” Prior to the Pt. Pleasant farmhouse, they lived in downtown Philly and walked everywhere. That convenience is something they missed. When their realtor called and informed them about a house in Doylestown that was coming on the market, they agreed to see the property. What they found was a perfect option for the ease and location of city life, with a country feel. Just blocks from the center of town, this c. 1930 center hall Colonial brick home was on an expansive corner lot. Peg and Terry could see its potential, even through the overgrown foliage and trees hugging the property. The interior was spacious, but was in need of more light. Some of the darker rooms were so because of the overgrown landscape blocking the natural outdoor light. “There was just too much vegetation, the windows were blocked by these huge, shabby rhododendrons,” Peg adds.
Peg shares that the interior's lack of fluidity and open space was something they knew they wanted to change. “We looked at a lot of places in the borough, but most of the interiors were so chopped up.” Peg was very aware of the architectural styling of the older homes, where the rooms were proportioned and situated to have optimal heat and electricity. “In these types
of homes there were a lot of closed-in spaces, they were cut up and boxy.” In the more modern styling the interior design was fashioned with bigger, open spaces, for an easier flow. Peg and Terry's new home had a lot of the elements of both styles, but they were looking to brighten and open up their living space.
Before they began the interior remodeling, the first project was cleaning up the exterior. Sitting on a half-acre corner lot, the landscape was overgrown with plantings on three sides. A five-year plan to redo the grounds ended up taking one year. Terry describes how a storm accelerated the process when it brought down a huge tree on the property. All the trees, shrubs and other plantings that were overgrown, right up against the house, were moved to the perimeter. This allowed the natural light to stream into the house. Once they removed and tamed the overgrown landscape, the house's interior was brightened.
Peg describes how the prior, and second, owners of the house who lived there during the 1950s, did very little to the house to change, reconfigure or upgrade. As the new owners, they had the opportunity and vision to recreate the interior. First on the list was to change some of the aesthetics. “Every wall was covered in loud, bright wallpaper.” When they started removing the old wall paper they discovered more wallpaper, Peg says, “It was like a decade of excavation, removing layer after layer.” With the initial aesthetic modifications completed, they moved on to the bigger projects. Peg and Terry had some overall ideas of what they were looking for in the remodel. To execute their vision, they contacted Ellen Happ, a local Doylestown architect, to redesign several rooms. What they were looking for was reconfiguration of their living space that brings in more light and enhances the flow. Ellen was the visionary that designed all of Peg and Terry's home improvement ideas. Stephen Rawes, a local restoration carpenter and builder did the work to make the vision a realty
Referring to the property as a Colonial Revival, Ellen enumerates the elements that define this style. “The symmetrical façade, centered front entrance with columns and portico, regularly spaced double-hung windows with shutters, and one-story wings on both sides define this architectural styling,” she explains. Ellen has worked on four major projects to enhance living space over a span of the years Peg and Terry have been at the house. She understands their lifestyle and vision. Her first project, in 2002, was remodeling the second floor master bedroom. Ellen opened a wall into an adjoining bedroom and converted the space into a walk-in closet and bathroom creating a master bedroom suite. In 2005 Ellen designed a second floor sitting room off the bedroom that was above the existing first floor screened porch. Five years later, in 2010, Ellen designed a third floor guest bedroom suite with a full bathroom and walk-in closet. This space was originally the attic, with two bedrooms and a small bathroom, and was their son's bedroom.
In 2012, a major addition was constructed, which created a family room, breakfast room and vestibule. “We wanted to provide a larger family room and breakfast room while respecting the scale, materials and details of the handsome existing house,” Ellen explains. In its original design, there were two identical enclosed porches on each side of the main house. To create this new space, the screened porch on the right side was bumped out. Ellen explains that exterior features included new brick piers, windows, transoms and a copper roof, all similar to the original design. The stone base of the main house was continued around the base of the new addition and on the garden walls and risers of the new steps. Exterior designs were created for a seamless transition from the original house to the addition.
Interior architectural touches in this addition, constructed by Stephen Rawes, include coffered ceilings, a new fireplace, custom designed cabinets, wood radiator covers, bookshelves and walls of windows. To build the addition they knocked out the wall separating the screened porch from the kitchen, adding light and flow. During the construction of the addition, Ellen describes how she upgraded the kitchen space. She designed a wider opening between the kitchen and family room, repositioning the kitchen center island, and adding two windows above the sink. Working with Michelle Kennedy, of Superior Kitchens, the accoutrements of this space were added. Additionally, a new doorway, with French doors, was added between the dining room and family room. A second doorway was added from the center hall into the living room, creating easier access from the kitchen. “These new openings improved the circulation through the house and also created long views from one side of the house to the other,” Ellen continues.
One view from the kitchen is directly into the screened porch on the left side, which is Terry's office, and has remained untouched. One noteworthy feature in this area is a wall of Mercer tiles. Originally this tiled wall was a fountain with a frog in the center. When they bought the house, they restored the wall but had to remove the frog and the catch basin, because the wall had rotted. Another Mercer tile creation adorns the fireplace in the original living room. This surround depicts the story of the Arkansas Traveler, widely known as an old folk song. Henry Mercer wrote an essay about The Arkansas Traveler in 1896 and had tiles created to depict the story.
According to Peg, the installation of this fireplace surround was the last installation personally supervised by Henry Mercer. To balance the heaviness of the surround, they had built-in bookshelves added on the opposite wall facing the fireplace.
Also a balance was the interior design. Mary Hastings, of Mary Hastings Interiors in Berwyn, PA, orchestrated the embellishments throughout the interior, as well as the summer kitchen furnishings. Mary complimented Ellen Happ's architectural stylings with her choice of colors, fabrics, wall coverings and lighting. Her goal was to infuse the home with decor elements that honored their current pieces of furniture. “My inspiration came from the tiles made at Moravian Pottery and Tile works that are present in the house,” Mary remarks. She describes how Henry Mercer was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement and associated with William Morris Designs, an English company. Mary chose fabrics, wallpaper and a rug, in the new breakfast room, by William Morris Design. “William Morris prints were influenced by nature," she adds, "and I selected wallpaper motifs with flowers and leaves.” In appointing many of the rooms in the house, Mary also selected the curtains and fabrics for upholstered seating and bedding. Her focus was maintaining a distinctive look and feel throughout and tie everything together in each room.
A new flow, a new look and bright and airy living space was accomplished with the creation of this addition. Peg and Terry do spend most of their time in this new space. The original living room and dining room are for more formal gatherings, or for overflow when they entertain. Entertaining in the outdoor months has been enhanced by the addition of a summer kitchen. This outdoor kitchen and dining area was created to compliment the new addition and enhance their landscape. Designed and implemented by John Thomas of John Morgan Thomas Landscape Architects of Lambertville, this new outdoor living space flows out from the addition.
Peg and Terry wanted something that would provide privacy for the outdoor rooms, while creating a stronger connection between interior and exterior spaces. According to the landscape architect's description, the main outdoor living space is defined by a perimeter stone sitting wall matching the house's foundation. The same materials are carried through to a taller perimeter wall, as well as the outdoor kitchen. Both the outdoor kitchen and the perimeter wall are topped with a cedar arbor to create a greater sense of enclosure and privacy. This summer kitchen was enhanced with a brick patio for the dining area. Finishing touches were made to the landscape, also orchestrated by John Thomas, adding a new planting scheme with an abundant floral display.
Filled with inviting gathering spots, inside and out, the Forster's brick Colonial has been transformed to allow them the ease and flow of the lifestyle they enjoy. Peg and Terry love to entertain, especially around the holidays with large family gatherings. As they transformed their living space, those gatherings were more easily accommodated, most popularly in the new addition. “Now the flow is all around, from one room to the next, with no walls to encumber,” Peg adds.
As the warmer days and nights unfold, Peg and Terry relax in the privacy and comfort of their outdoor living space. With the center of Doylestown just a stroll away, they have the best of both worlds. Whether sharing the alone time or gathering with friends or family, this home has served them well over the years. Peg happily says, “Moving here has changed our lifestyle.”