The Modern Farmhouse

Twenty-twenty is an auspicious year for CahillStudio, in which we celebrate ten years of innovative, custom residential design. Founding principal Chris Cahill has held a passion for modern interpretations of vernacular forms since his Bay Area career began in 1990.

The essential character of a specific place – defined by its natural habitat, light exposure, topography, and views – is the source of inspiration for every CahillStudio project. Our work is site-specific, informed by the environment, with outcomes that bring a client’s vision, needs, and desired lifestyle to three-dimensional form. The result of a successful collaborative process honors place and is a complement to the landscape.

We do not practice a style of building design. However, we do find the enduring aesthetics and design principals of the farmhouse to be timeless and fit the indoor/outdoor lifestyle our clients seek. The Modern Farmhouse we interpret is the best of both worlds, old and new: pared-down and clean yet warm and welcoming, with an emphasis on comfort, livability, and a direct connection to the outdoors.

Our success with the Modern Farmhouse relies on authenticity, remaining true to the original organizing principles of space. The kitchen, for example, is the gathering place for friends and family, where cooking, dining, and entertaining combine. Large interior convening spaces open to the outdoors utilizing deep porches and bi-fold doors for expansive, unobstructed openings.

A palette of locally sourced natural materials ties a building to its landscape and the interior to the outdoors. Metal-framed windows, wide-plank wood floors, oxidized metal, bronze, and natural stone are materials sympathetic to the environment. Steeply pitched gable roofs, dormers, breezeways, wide porches, and standing seam metal roofs are traditional farmhouse design elements that translate perfectly to contemporary needs and aesthetics.

The Modern Farmhouse we interpret is fresh, practical yet elegant, and fits our studio’s contemporary perspective on building design in a rural setting. With a deep respect for our natural environment, the expression of natural materials, and enduring design principles, we’re entering the next decade with projects in development ranging from a rural hilltop compound to a contemporary renovation of a San Francisco townhome.

A love of process, collaboration, and modernist design keeps us inspired.