Dunnington

The goal of this project was to create a distinct and highly functional indoor-outdoor living experience—one expansive enough to support dining, entertaining, relaxing, and enjoying the surrounding tree-lined landscape.

To achieve this, three additions were integrated into the existing footprint, extending the home’s living areas outward and enhancing how the clients’ large family and guests gather and move through the space. The design centers on an inviting, oversized screened porch, paired with an adjacent outdoor terrace and a covered porch at the mudroom entry. Together, these elements support year-round outdoor use while maintaining a strong visual connection to the landscape.

Material choices reinforce the character of the spaces. A painted blue tongue-and-groove ceiling adds warmth and detail to the screened porch—while also nodding to the long-held belief that soft blue porch ceilings help extend the feeling of daylight at dusk and deter insects.

Equally important was the integration of thoughtful site strategies. Because the rear yard slopes toward the new additions, stormwater management played a key role in the design. A system of underground drainage pipes, combined with a carefully designed swale, directs water away from the terrace, ensuring both durability and long-term performance.