For a 1930 Longboat Key building that once gathered students to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic as a one-room schoolhouse, the sum of its updated parts is a lesson in transformation. Converted into a single-family home long ago, its owners approached Hannah Boehmer, design director at Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors in Sarasota, when they decided to expand both vertically and horizontally. For Boehmer, the key laid in approaching the structure’s old Florida vernacular with a contemporized point of view.
“Blending styles can be a challenge,” says the architect. “The homeowners showed me an image of an old historic stone structure in a vineyard in Europe that had a modern addition they really liked. Seeing it helped me understand the contrast they were hoping to achieve.”
The house was flanked by porches on the east, south, and west sides that extended outward to shade the interiors, a quintessential hallmark of the Florida architecture of the 1930s. Two of those porches were repurposed as interior spaces in the new design, while the one off the living room remained. FEMA regulations drove the elevation of the new wing that now holds the primary bedroom suite. The three to four feet above ground that would satisfy the requirement would not have been tall enough to serve as a room, so Boehmer increased the height to give the homeowners a usable space. “Woodworking is a hobby the husband enjoys, and he had been using a small shed, so we added enough headspace so he could create a nicer workshop there with plenty of outlets for all of his equipment,” she explains. “The other big consideration was not interfering with the large banyan tree on the west side of the home.”
Perspective is everything when such a dynamic natural feature is in the mix. “The first or second time I went for a site visit, they walked me to the farthest northwest corner of the property to look at the tree from that angle,” notes Boehmer. “It was the best view of the home, and they didn’t want an addition that would interfere with that experience. The massing of the glass portion of the primary bedroom was designed so that the views were toward that tree and other landscaping features; the solid portions ensure that the neighboring residences cannot be seen from the room.”
The way the design team framed the scenery with the thick surround on three sides makes a stylistic statement and serves as a sun-management feature. “By elevating the structure, we gave the homeowners the feeling they were up in the canopy,” explains Boehmer. “We love to do this with architecture.”
The opportunity to bring a new perspective to a building set within the lushness of the home’s surroundings made this project a powerful one for Boehmer. “I enjoy designing on sites with existing structures because I find them the most interesting,” she says. “Having something to work with makes the process more dynamic because the constraints require more imagination; my creativity spins faster in this situation because it’s a bit of extra work to accommodate what exists.”
Story Credits:
Architecture by Hannah Boehmer, Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors, Sarasota, FL
Text by Saxon Henry
Design Photography by Ryan Gamma
Architect Photo by Lori Sax
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