Mats Fahlander, an award-winning Swedish architect, designed the 5,483 sq.ft. Riverside, Conn. home featured in the gallery below. The home was built in 1890 and still possesses many of the gorgeous features from the original design, including coffered ceilings, large windows, and a beautiful, rounded front porch.
An old photo of the house can be seen below, showing that the frame hasn't changed much in the century-plus since it was built. An addition has since been made to the deck on the right side of the house, but this is the only significant change visible from the exterior.
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The modern updates to this circular area of the porch can be seen in the photo below. The patterning of the floorboards as well as the design of the exposed ceiling beams function to pull the eye to the center of this space, exaggeating the rounded form. Track lighting around the circumference of the ceiling beautifully highlights the color of the wood.
Walk to the other side of the porch, and you'll find that magnificent woodworking extends along the entire area. The floorboards are laid to meet at a diagonal angle at the corner of the porch, and this diagonal line is mirrored in the corner of the ceiling.
White columns sit regally atop the exquisitely crafted railing, offsetting the warmth of the mahogany. These columns and the railings maintain the original character of the home and balance the modernness of the fixtures used in the porch area.
A staircase within features woodworking quite similar to that which is found in the railing and wall paneling outside.
Though much of this house has been updated or modernized, care has been taken to maintain the Victorain aesthetic, as evidenced by the living room featured in the photograph below. The fireplace, for example, still features intricate moldings around the mantle, but the grey brick is clearly an updated touch.
The master bedroom has a similarly modern-yet-nostalgic feel to it. The bed is tucked into a small nook created by the adjoining alcove - the stark assymetry of this room is very much a hint about the home's age, as are the French doors leading outside.
The living room's lofty coffered ceilings and a large exposed brick fireplace are results of the home's original design - the fireplace is evidently much older than the one found in the dining room.
The coffered ceilings from the living room extend out into the three seasons room/family room that is almost entirely enclosed with floor-to-ceiling French doors, all flooding the space with light.
Over a 100-year lifespan, this beautiful home has changed to fit the times in all the right ways while still maintaining the gems from its original design.
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What do you think of the updates made to this home, especially the porches? Would you live here? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to share this gallery if you loved it!