The Marshall Barn project began as many rural structures do, with a clear sense of purpose but limited expectation of domestic life. Located in rural Virginia and originally sited in the valley, the barn was relocated to the top of the mountain in the mid-1980s, where it later served as a hunting lodge. By the time the current owners purchased the property in 2021, the building had already undergone one significant transformation, carrying layers of utility and adaptation but little clarity in how it might function as a permanent home.
From the outset, the goal was not to reinvent the barn, but to refine it. The clients were looking for a true forever home—one that could support daily living while still honoring the building’s original agricultural identity. That intention shaped every decision that followed.
Working with Volume, Not Against It
The most defining characteristic of the existing structure was its scale. The soaring volume and exposed frame were not treated as obstacles to overcome, but as the foundation of the design. Rather than subdividing the interior into smaller, conventional rooms, Third Street Architecture allowed the barn’s proportions to remain legible and dominant.
The main living level is organized as an open kitchen, dining, and living space, where structure and light drive the experience. Large-scale windows and accordion folding glass doors open the interior to the surrounding mountain landscape, shifting the home between enclosure and exposure throughout the day. A sliding screen system further supports this flexibility, allowing the space to respond to weather, season and use.
The effect is not about openness for its own sake but about control. The home can expand outward when it needs to and contract inward when it does not.
Preserving What Mattered
From the beginning, the design team was clear about what needed to remain untouched. The original structural rhythm of the barn, particularly the exposed beams and primary framing, was essential to its identity. These elements were preserved and celebrated rather than concealed.
The original fireplace also remained a central anchor of the main living space. It was retained as a focal point with a new fireplace box integrated to improve performance while maintaining its visual weight within the room. This decision reinforced the hearth as the emotional center of the home, a constant within a structure that otherwise shifts in scale and openness.
Introducing Contrast through Addition
One of the most important moves in the project was the addition of a screened-in porch clad in black Shou Sugi Ban. This intervention was intentionally distinct from the original barn and acts as an anchor to the overall volume.
The charred wood siding introduces a darker, more grounded material presence that contrasts the lighter interior palette and agricultural frame. Rather than mimicking the existing structure, the porch establishes its own identity as a threshold space between interior and landscape. With a custom screen system integrated into the design, the addition becomes protective and permeable, offering shelter while maintaining full engagement with the mountain environment.
It is in this tension between the original barn and the new addition that the project finds its balance.
Material Approach and Interior Atmosphere
The material approach was guided by restraint and contrast rather than decoration; pops of color, playfulness and punchy personality were introduced in the smaller interior spaces, contrasting the original barn materials. The original barn structure provided a clear starting point, and the goal was to introduce a layer of livability that felt understated against that backdrop.
The exterior establishes this tone immediately. A simple board-and-batten expression in a muted green allows the building to sit comfortably within the landscape while reinforcing its agricultural roots. The screened porch introduces a deliberate counterpoint, using darker materials and deeper shadow to distinguish the addition from the historic structure.
Inside, warmth is introduced through natural wood surfaces, ceiling treatments and carefully detailed millwork that soften the scale of the barn without competing with it. Light moves throughout the space over the course of the day, highlighting the structure while creating a sense of comfort within the expansive volume.
The kitchen and dining areas reflect this same balance. What began as a more neutral concept gradually shifted toward a deeper, more confident use of color, helping define the heart of the home while maintaining continuity with the surrounding landscape. That shift in the design process led to the bathrooms becoming full of personality.
Throughout the renovation, new interventions were designed to support the experience of the original structure rather than compete with it. The result is a home that feels welcoming and highly personal while remaining grounded in the character of the barn itself.
Private Spaces and Moments of Character
Although the primary living spaces are defined by openness and connection to the landscape, the more intimate rooms of the home reveal the clients’ personalities most clearly.
In the primary suite, the design leans toward quiet comfort. Terra-cotta flooring, a soaking tub and heated shower walls create a retreat-like atmosphere that feels grounded rather than indulgent. Throughout these spaces, the focus remained on creating a home that would support daily life for years to come.
Elsewhere, moments of personality emerge in unexpected ways. The powder room, for example, took a dramatic turn after the clients shared their love of cats. What began as a restrained concept evolved into one of the home’s most memorable spaces, anchored by a bold tiger-pattern wallpaper that brings humor and individuality to the design.
A Home Shaped by Its Clients
While the barn itself provided the structure and constraints and felt like it had its own personality, Third Street Architecture found a playful balance and rhythm to create a home that is inseparable from the clients who inhabit it and the history of the property.
When they purchased the property, they were not looking for a weekend retreat or vacation home. They were looking for a place to put down roots. Their decision to leave the city and embrace rural Virginia shaped the project from the beginning.
Every design decision was guided not only by the history of the barn, but by the future of the family who would live within it. The goal was never simply to preserve an old structure. It was to create a home capable of evolving alongside its owners for decades to come.
That balance between preservation and modern living ultimately defines the project. The original barn remains visible in its structure, scale and character while new interventions support an entirely different way of living.
Marshall Barn is not a reinvention of the building that once stood on this site. It is a continuation of its story, shaped by a family who recognized its potential and chose
to make it their own.
PHOTOS: Frazier Springfield unless otherwise noted
Retrofit Team
Architect and Interior Designer: Third Street Architecture
Builder: Monumental Contractors
Materials
Exterior Siding: Hardie Panel and Hardie Trim Batten Boards by JamesHardie
Exterior Doors: Therma-Tru
Folding Glass Doors: Veris Collection from Therma-Tru
Windows: 100 Series from Andersen Windows & Doors
Retractable Screen System: Genius Screens
Porch-addition Siding: Shou Sugi Ban from Delta Millworks
Porch Ceiling: Cedar Soffit Wood Paneling
Kitchen Cabinetry: IKEA (Cabinet Boxes) and Nieu (Doors)
Kitchen/Dining Ceiling: Tongue-and-groove Paneling
Nickel Gap Detailing and Loft Railing: TW Perry
Custom Bathroom Vanities: Walkers Creek Cabinets LLC
