Vermont’s bucolic countryside without farmhouses would be like Ben without Jerry. The charming homes, most neighbors to equally enchanting barns, are threads in a landscape that becomes entwined in people’s hearts—people like Kevin and Heidi Naughton. “We looked at renovating a house, but my husband has a thing about long views,” Heidi says. “When we hiked through knee-deep snow to look at this property and saw its views of the Green Mountains, we knew this was it.” The couple enlisted architect Lee Grutchfield of TruexCullins to draw up their dream home, which was built by Roundtree Construction. Following the local vernacular, Grutchfield paired the main house with outbuildings, in this case a “back house” that is actually a garage and a “barn” that is the Naughtons’ guesthouse and gathering spot. Calm hues enlivened with subtle pattern let outdoor views shine. Antiques, including the eagle-topped cabinet, infuse a sense of history. Classic farmhouse elements, such as shiplap and salvaged wood, mesh with fresh elegance from textural fabrics and floor coverings. Kevin and Heidi, daughters Daly and Claire, and Labrador retriever Hunter can lounge by the pool or warm up by the fireplace. “On a typical weekend, we walk the dogs up and down the driveway and through the fields. We sit outside and watch the moonrise, the changing colors of the sky over the mountains,” Heidi says. “It’s captivating, idyllic, a pinch-yourself kind of place. We never want to leave.”
