Beauty is in the Details: A Look at a New Jersey Manor Home

Tradition provides a boundless source of aesthetic inspiration for crafting works of enduring value, particularly when the designer possesses the acumen to masterfully blend heritage with personal creativity.

Such a celebration of tradition and innovation is stunningly exemplified in the New Jersey manor home designed by Peter Pennoyer Architects. At a casual glance, the classical stone façade of the home appears to be that of a quintessential manor.

Upon closer inspection, however, intricacies emerge: elements from English country estates, colonial farmhouses, and European chateaux come together in a design that not only pays homage to traditional architecture but also asserts its distinct, individual character.

“I like the enrichment of it beyond the more limited vocabulary of an English manor house,” says the project’s lead architect, Peter Pennoyer. “It doesn’t look like we’ve tried to recreate some strict Palladian vision.”

You can see that sense of enrichment—the highly-considered, multiple layers of detailing—at work before you even enter the home. The modest-sized front door is painted in pale marine blue and paired with simple white sidelights and an arched transept. The large stone frame around it features a tasteful frieze and cornice, above which an oval window provides an intriguing accent.