This Philadelphia Farmhouse Is a Historic Stunner

Architectural Marvels of a Historic Farmhouse

You'll want to take a closer look at this amazing Philadelphia farmhouse with a renovated barn that holds a second barn, so the structure looks authentic inside and out. The stone farmhouse from 1810, is mixed with the best furnishings you can find at flea markets in Paris, resulting in this exquisitely renovated Colonial home outside Philadelphia. The stunning home has a walk-in fireplace that graces the living room, while the formal dining room boasts French doors that open onto a screened porch. For a cozier ambiance, the library of this 4-bedroom, 3,800-square-foot farmhouse home features a fireplace and picture-window views. A beautifully upholstered floating wall was installed in one bedroom to allow a lake view while lounging in bed. A chandelier hangs above the bed, and behind it is a sitting room.

Expansive Grounds and Thoughtful Renovations

Owners Michele and Michael Friezo also remade the nearly 8-acre grounds, adding formal and informal gardens. They planted more than 300 types of flowers in a meadow with a fire pit that overlooks a private lake. The pleasure of watching the sun on autumn evenings is rivaled only by watching the snowfall while sitting by a roaring fire in the barn, Michele Friezo said. The couple also renovated the estate's crumbling horse barn, which is a rustic version of the main home design. The couple was concerned that adding insulation would take away the barn-like appearance of the structure's interior, so they bought a second barn and installed it inside the first one. The barn's massive French windows face the meadow and the lake, offering front-row seats to the nesting of two bald eagles who live in a nearby grove of pine trees. The estate sold for $2.575 million a few years ago with Caryn Black of Kurfiss Sotheby's International Realty.

The Evolution of Colonial Architecture

The people who built the first colonial homes did not think of them as colonial. They were just homes and initially, their styles varied depending on the colonists' countries of origin. Like the English settlers themselves, the architectural design that stemmed from England eventually dominated in the United States with that of essentially, boxy homes with Classical details. Colonial home designs have long been associated with patriotism and status, particularly along the East Coast, and are a contrast to modern architectural design styles, which tend to be more horizontal and built to meld with their environments. The following are just a couple of the Colonial styles you'll find.

Georgian Style: A Shift in Architecture

Georgian. Before 1700, homes in the Colonies tended to have smaller windows, large central chimneys, and steep roofs. The architectural style shifted in the 1700s to that of Georgian which was named for three English kings called George, as people pulled further away from medieval architectural styles and began incorporating aspects of Classical architectural design such as columns and tooth-like dentils beneath the roofline.

Dutch Colonial: A Unique Heritage

Dutch Colonial. Dutch colonies in New York and New Jersey existed for a relatively short time in the 1600s, but Dutch colonists continued to build homes in their distinctive architectural style. While urban Dutch colonial home designs resembled 17th-century buildings in Holland (brick home designs with paired-end chimneys), it's unclear where the flared eaves of many rural Dutch colonial home designs originated.