Houzz Tour: Traditional Meets Modern in a Missouri Farmhouse

The name Porch House is apt for this home for a family of four in southwestern Missouri, given how a porch wraps four sides of the L-shaped plan. But a quick glance at the design, by Matthew Hufft of Hufft Projects, reveals that the porch is ... very un-porch-like.

Where are the columns holding up the roof? Where are the railings? The cantilevered roof and open sides signal that this house is a blend of traditional and modern. Let's take a tour through a home that manages to strike a good balance between these usually irreconcilable extremes.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Hannah and Paul Catlett and their 2 boys
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Size: 6,000 square feet on 3 acres
That's interesting: Paul Catlett and Matthew Hufft have been friends since they were 17.

From a distance the porch isn't very prominent. If anything, the gable form, the standing-seam metal roof, and the oversized dormers attract the most attention. These elements reference the farmhouses of this part of the Ozarks, but in a minimalist vein.

In this view we're looking toward the entrance, below the roof overhang at the end of the stone steps from the driveway, which extends past the stone wall on the right to a three-car garage that occupies one leg of the L.


The entrance is on the east side of the house, which is also the start of the wraparound porch. Small windows are found next to the entrance, underneath the cantilevered porch. The dormers overhead seem to stretch up to soak up the sun's rays.


Another interesting twist comes across in the dormers. For one, they extend all the way to the exterior wall below, rather than being set back, as in traditional gable houses. What might not be apparent from the outside is that these fairly large dormers are part of a one-story house; there isn't a second story for them to serve. Later we'll see how much light this brings to the interior, but first let's walk around the house to see the rest of the porch.


As we turn the corner to the south, so does the cantilevered roof, where it engages the large chimney. Double glass doors just to the right of the chimney give direct access from the dining room to the porch.


The southern portion of the porch serves as an outdoor eating area. A fire pit is an extension of the chimney behind it, which also has an appendage for storing firewood under the roof. Corner steps provide access to the backyard. It should be noted that the porch is never more than 1 or 2 feet above grade, hence the ability to dispense with a guardrail.


This view from the west shows the end of the porch, which starts at the entrance on the other side of the house and continues in a P shape. The rectangular window in the foreground serves the master bath; behind it immediately is the master bedroom, looking south.


One section of the porch is without cover, and here Hufft added some wood slats on the face of the glass walls to cut down on direct sunlight's entering the house in the late afternoon and early evening.

From here let's head inside via the glass doors to the living area just to the right of this photo.


As would be expected with the tall gable and only one story, the interior is very open and light. Like the exterior, the inside of the house is very modern, with light finishes on the walls and ceilings and minimal details. The oak floors and occasional wood detail (the peninsula in the kitchen here) add some warmth.


From the kitchen we're now looking toward the south side of the house and the split-face concrete block fireplace.

In this element we see another departure from the traditional: Instead of the fireplace's being centered on the gable, it's centered on the living room that occupies the right half of the great room. (The dining room is just out of the frame on the left.)

Even the hearth is off center from the brick chimney.


Here we're looking from in front of the fireplace to the dining room and one of the dormers facing east.

The dormer brings in large amounts of light, necessary for illuminating such a grand space. Barely visible between the lower window and the dormer is a horizontal projection housing concealed uplights that create the same effect after the sun goes down.


Both of the boys are blessed with dormers in their bedrooms. In between their bedrooms is a shared private bathroom, accessible from their bedrooms but not the corridor.


Visible on the gable end of the house we saw in the first photo are two squarish windows, one above the other. Like the dormers, these give the impression of a two-story house. But as this view of the laundry room attests, those windows serve one space.

Considering how many laundry rooms are tucked in basements or windowless spaces, this looks like a space where I'd want to hang out, not just do laundry!


A corridor leads from the kitchen, bedroom and laundry area past the garage (on the right) to the master suite. Family photos hang about head height on one side of the hall, opposite south-facing windows shaded by a cantilevered roof.

A glass door at the visual terminus of the hallway provides a view of the backyard and direct access to the porch.


The master suite is so far removed from the rest of the house (beyond the three-car garage) that it does not have a door; a door is provided at the bathroom but not otherwise. Like the corridor, the bedroom faces south. A full-height curtain on a track blocks out direct sunlight while maintaining direct access to the porch from the hallway (seen in previous photo).


A sliding barn door separates the bedroom and bathroom. It is another touch of warmth in the light and bright spaces.


The large bathroom is open to the backyard on the south, where the roof overhang (larger, given the setback of the bathroom from the corridor wall in plan) shades the space in the summer to help keep it cool.

Blinds tucked at the header of the window provide privacy when desired.

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