Barn Living Aalten

This 1950s farmhouse was completely renovated by Bureau Fraai and also expanded by extending the existing old barn next to the house with a contemporary extension. With the design of this extension, the architect sought to achieve a harmonious relationship between past and present.

The young family living in this 1950s farmhouse in the eastern part of the Netherlands had a desire to renovate and expand the dated interior while strengthening the relationship with the beautiful surroundings.Bureau Fraai then removed the walls on the first floor where possible and connected this space with a spacious extension. This created a strong visual relationship with the large garden.

For the expansion, the architect decided to extend the existing old barn. While this barn was built with bricks and ceramic roof tiles, black patinated titanium zinc with hidden black aluminum window frames was chosen for the extension. This tough modern look has a strong contrast to the bright interior space with wooden scissor trusses that, in turn, reference historic Dutch roof structures. By also using this scissor truss in the front facade as a window frame, all boundaries between inside and outside seem to blur.