This Vermont Vacation Home has Swings in the Kitchen

“Our client had a wonderful vision to incorporate swings into the house after seeing them on Pinterest,” designer Gina Baran says. Located between the kitchen island and the dining table, the three swings are adorned with soft tufted-leather cushions and are a coveted place to chat during cocktail hour.

The pantry’s sliding barn doors are made from reclaimed wood and add to the rustic aesthetic.

The pantry’s sliding barn doors are made from reclaimed wood and add to the rustic aesthetic.

In the open living room, Baran’s goal was to highlight the panoramic views out the windows—and imbue the space with furniture choices that would stand the test of time.

More really is merrier for Gina Baran’s clients. Case in point: the Newburyport, Massachusetts-based designer recently installed enough bunks and bedrooms to sleep twenty-five in her clients’ newly built, barn-inspired getaway that crests a mountain in Vermont. That’s right, twenty-five. As in more folks than you’ll find on the
roster for the Celtics.

“They’re both from Connecticut and grew up skiing a lot in Vermont,” Baran says. “Their goal was to build a vacation home where they could spend the holidays, inviting all their friends and family.”

The resulting lodge is certainly the type of place where you’d want to put your hiking boots up—and stay awhile. In three words? Elevated, approachable, and comfortable. “I envisioned a lot of Ralph Lauren mixed with straight lines and simplicity because the views outside really speak for themselves,” Baran notes. “I wanted the interior to complement the exterior, not deter from it or compete with it.”

It helped that Vermont itself was one of the home’s major muses. The structure was built using reclaimed barnwood that Ambrose Custom Builders salvaged from tumbledown barns all around the state. The marble, too, was locally quarried in Danby. “We wanted to instill and honor all of that but really take it up a notch and make it more for these times,” Baran says.

And of course, in any vacation house a sense of FUN—all caps—is a must, and that’s where the bunks came in. The builder hatched a plan to fill the catwalk’s cavernous space with enough bunks to sleep fourteen guests. “We wanted each one to be very cool with its own reading light and little drawer underneath—your own little cozy section, like you’re at sleepaway camp,” Baran explains. Adding to the vacationland feel: a trio of tufted swings that beckon in the kitchen, a thrill for all ages.

Project Team
Interior design: Gina Baran Interiors + Design
Architectural design and builder: Ambrose Custom Builders