Trends New Zealand NZ New Home Trends Vol. 30/7 | Page 58

Preceding pages: This house is one
of many created from an Amishstyle template designed by Shea
Soucie for a lakeside development.
Beadboard and weatherboard
cladding, elongated windows and
shutters, and attention to symmetry
are typical of the historic style. For
example, this house features two
shuttered windows – one for privacy,
the other for balance.

56

When you work all week in the city, you want
to make the most of the tranquil surroundings
at your rural retreat. In design terms, this could
mean anything from emphasising an easy
indoor-outdoor flow, to echoing the lines of the
neighbouring architecture.
When designer Shea Soucie of architectural
interiors firm Soucie Horner was asked to create
a concept for a development of lakeside cottages
in Indiana, she took her lead from nearby houses.
There are 75 Amish farms in the surrounding
area – the largest such community outside of
Ohio and Pennsylvania.

search | save | share at my.trendsideas.com

Whether ultimately used as holiday homes
or family residences, it was important to build
in a sense of community, says Soucie.
“We evoked the Amish style to complement
the surrounding farmhouses, and because the
traditional front porch is conducive to social
interaction and enjoying the outdoors.”
To achieve the right look, the houses have
tall, narrow windows, generous front porches
and a mixture of board-and-batten and weatherboard facades. They all feature gabled roofs and
a strong sense of symmetry. Most are painted
plain white. Garages are designed to match the