Rustic Meets Modern in This Vermont Poolside Partybarn

More than your typical pool house, this newly built “party barn” is a multipurpose and much-used addition to a Vermont vacation home that Smith & Vansant Architects built a decade ago.

The party barn’s gabled roof, weathered-looking siding, and large open interior pay homage to—and were inspired by—traditional New England barns.

Thermally modified spruce siding and a Corten steel-faced chimney contribute to the building’s low-maintenance exterior and add textural character.

Interior designer Denise Welch-May chose indoor/outdoor furniture that could be easily relocated (and reconfigured poolside) so the one-room party barn has enough space for large gatherings. Suspension lights by Moooi add a festive touch.

A bar with a concealed refrigerator looks out onto a patio. The surrounding walls are wrapped with custom-stained fir shiplap.

The barn’s only bathroom serves the pool and showcases oversize concrete tiles.

Pops of orange complement the neutral palette and tie into the warmth of the fir walls and ceiling.

A west-facing patio offers sunset views and space for overflowing crowds to gather around a precast concrete firepit.

“Something different. Something unique.” That’s how Ira Clark, principal architect with the White River Junction, Vermont-based firm Smith & Vansant, describes the brief he received from his clients for their new poolside building. The structure would complement the 5,400-square-foot vacation home he’d built on the same Vermont property more than a decade ago.

“Ever since we finished their main home, a farmhouse that blends both traditional and modern design elements, our clients said that someday they would add a separate space near their pool for entertaining,” says Clark. After much conversation, Clark and the owners, who often host large groups of friends, came up with the idea of what they dubbed “the party barn.”

Imagine a pool house that takes its cue from the classic New England barn vernacular but is also cleverly designed to accommodate everything from cozy TV-viewing to intimate fireside parties to catered indoor and outdoor affairs. Weathered wood and post-and-beam construction help give the structure a barnlike feel, but modern elements, such as a tinted polished-concrete floor, weathered Corten steel cladding, and nineteen-foot-wide sliding Marvin doors, make it feel contemporary.

The steel, wood, and concrete carry over from the main house. “It builds a linear relationship between the two structures,” explains Clark. “And by aligning the party barn with the pool, it resonates with the existing landscape and completes the project. Everything speaks to one another.”

Interior designer Denise Welch-May of dpf Design worked with Clark and his team to choose furnishings that would complement the new structure’s subtle blend of styles and ensure the space could serve multiple functions. “It’s a pool house but so much more,” she says.

She developed a palette for both the interior and exterior consisting of natural materials juxtaposed in warm and cool tones with vibrant pops of orange. To bring coziness to the interior, she stained the gapped fir ceiling and shiplap fir walls a deep brown using a custom finish comprised of vinegar and dissolved steel wool. She also chose low-backed, neutral-toned, weather-resistant furniture that can be reconfigured indoors or out depending on the size of gathering.

According to Clark, the party barn has become a welcome addition to the owners’ Vermont getaway. “They’ve told me it works on so many levels,” he explains. “It’s as different and unique as we had hoped. And it’s as much fun as it is functional.”

Project Team
Architecture: Smith & Vansant Architects
Interior design: dpf Design
Builder: G.R. Porter & Sons
Landscape design: Janet Cavanagh Landscape Architect