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Aimee and Kevin Buccellato designed a new 6,000-square-foot farmhouse in Momence, Illinois, to look as though it had developed over generations. The project also restored the property’s original 19th-century barn and corn crib; the designers say the aim was to fit the home into the agricultural setting rather than make it appear conspicuously new.
Buccellato Design and Architecture has completed a 6,000-square-foot farmhouse in Momence, Illinois, designed to appear as though it had taken shape over generations rather than been built all at once. The project for a retired couple returning to the region also included restoring the property’s 19th-century barn and corn crib, according to House Beautiful’s report on the home.
The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home was designed by Aimee and Kevin Buccellato, who founded Buccellato Design and Architecture. The homeowners had grown up nearby, and Aimee Buccellato said the property carried strong memories of the area. Their stated goal was for the new house to seem so at home on the site that neighbors might think the original farmhouse remained, altered through renovation and discreet additions.
The designers drew on traditional farm complexes, where buildings and additions accumulated over time. House Beautiful describes a material palette that supports that impression: antique white oak floors, salvaged beams, heritage-patterned fabrics and rooms colored to echo the surrounding landscape. The interior also includes antique furnishings and vintage pieces, though the source does not claim that the new house itself is historic.
Several design choices connect the rooms to the property. In the kitchen, windows looking over farmland take the place of upper cabinets, while a nearby dish room and larder hold practical storage. Salvaged oak beams and barnboards appear overhead, and leathered black quartzite provides a durable countertop surface. A glass porch looks toward the Kankakee River, and a small speakeasy references the original farmhouse’s stone foundation.
A New Home That Fits the Farm
The project shows how a new build can be designed to acknowledge a place’s history without being presented as an old building. That distinction matters for readers interested in renovation and rural architecture: the appearance of age here comes from proportion, materials and accumulated-looking details, while the house itself is new construction.
The work also combines the new residence with the restoration of existing agricultural structures. The barn and corn crib give the project a direct link to the site’s past, while the house’s windows, colors and salvaged materials connect daily life to the surrounding farmland and river. The designers describe their approach as restrained and neighbor-conscious; that is their design intention, not a measured claim about how local residents have received the home.
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The Site’s Farmhouse Legacy
The property sits on a country road in Momence, an agricultural community in northeastern Illinois. According to House Beautiful, the clients were a retired couple returning to their Midwestern roots, and the site held personal as well as local significance for them. The project therefore had two aims: create a home for the owners’ next chapter and retain a sense of continuity with the place.
The Buccellatos refer to the home’s influences as Folk-Victorian and farmhouse traditions. Their description of farmsteads growing gradually over time informed the way the new residence and older outbuildings relate to one another. The source identifies the barn as dating from the 19th century, but does not provide a construction date for the former farmhouse or a detailed account of what was rebuilt, retained or removed.
“At the outset of the project, and throughout, our clients wanted the new house to feel like it had always been there.”
— Aimee Buccellato, founder of Buccellato Design and Architecture, as quoted by House Beautiful
Details the Report Does Not Specify
House Beautiful’s account does not give the project’s completion date, construction cost, contractor, or the precise extent of the original farmhouse’s demolition or reuse. It also does not identify whether the work required historic-preservation review or describe permits and approvals. The designers’ aim to make neighbors think the original house remained is presented as a design ambition; the report does not document neighbors’ reactions or establish that they were actually mistaken.
The available account focuses on the home’s design and selected rooms rather than its energy performance, accessibility, construction methods or long-term maintenance. Those details cannot be inferred from the finishes and photographs described in the report.
No Further Milestone Reported
The supplied report presents the finished home and does not identify a pending construction phase, public opening or follow-up announcement. The project’s next known step is its use as the homeowners’ residence; the source does not describe their plans beyond returning to the Midwest and creating a home on a meaningful property.
Further reporting would be needed to clarify what parts of the prior farmhouse were retained, how the barn and corn crib restoration was carried out, and how the project was received locally. For now, the confirmed account is a new residence designed to evoke a long history, paired with restoration of two older farm buildings.
Key Questions
Where is the new farmhouse?
It is in Momence, Illinois, on a country road in an agricultural setting near the Kankakee River.
Who designed the house?
Aimee and Kevin Buccellato of Buccellato Design and Architecture designed the home, according to House Beautiful.
Is the farmhouse actually hundreds of years old?
No. The report describes it as a newly built home designed to look as though it had developed over time. The property’s barn, by contrast, is identified as a 19th-century structure.
What historic structures were part of the project?
The project included restoration of the property’s 19th-century barn and corn crib. The source does not specify the full scope of that restoration.
What remains unknown about the project?
The report does not state the project’s completion date or cost, explain exactly what happened to the previous farmhouse, or provide details about permits, construction methods or local reaction.
Source: housebeautiful.com
