A Matter Of Logic And Light

This 100-year-old Baltimore County farmhouse has always been warm and homey. The current owners, however, found that they needed more room, and better traffic patterns throughout the house. The dining room had become control central, that organizational hub where meals are planned, bills paid and gatherings orchestrated.

To the rescue came architect Jeffrey Penza of Penza Baukhages Architects. His solution: a kitchen addition that also included a substantial mudroom to provide an axis for traffic control, as well as a butler's pantry, a family room and, most important of all, a small office area.

Mr. Penza considered not only organization of traffic patterns, but also how much light would be available to the older structure when the addition was completed. "When we removed the old back walls of the house," he says, "we lost the windows, so we created a balcony that overlooks the kitchen."

Practical and attractive interior design solutions included the sponge-painted walls and the prominent display of quilts that give a sense of agelessness to the addition. The cabinetry, by Hampden cabinetmakers Ober Woodworking, is constructed of white laminate, but oak trim was used to provide a sense of unity with the older structure. The breakfast room features a delightful display of artwork by the children of the house.