The Simple Life (9 Photos)
“Attic Bedroom, Delhi, NY.” © Trevor Tondro.
The farmhouse, an icon of the leafy, winding roads and staggering farm lands of rural New England, is more than just an emblem of the American homestead. Many of these dwellings stand as relics of the Dutch, English, French and Scotch settlers who built these simple structures as early as the seventeenth century. This series of photographs, by Brooklyn, New York-based architectural photographer Trevor Tondro, were made for his forthcoming book, A Simpler Way of Life: Old Farmhouses of New York & New England, to be released by Norfleet Press in Fall 2013. His images are a chronicle of the cozy, rustic interiors and painterly exteriors of these modest structures, made by carpenters and farmers in the New York and New England countryside.
– Lindsay Comstock
“Tavern Ball Room, Delhi, NY.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Architect’s Office, Ashway, RI,” “Pine Stairwell, Brookfield, NH.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Barn, Alna, ME.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Farmhouse Kitchen, Ashfield, MA.” © Trevor Tondro.
“1876 Shirt, Brookfield, NH,” “Summer Kitchen Bathtub, Ghent, NY.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Wooden Divan, Brookfield, NH.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Farm Road, Alna, ME.” © Trevor Tondro.
“Converted Ballroom, Ashfield, MA.” © Trevor Tondro.
Tags: farmhouses, New England, New York, Norfleet Press, Trevor Tondro
February 1st, 2013 at 11:13 am EEDT
Beautiful. Captured amazing light.
February 1st, 2013 at 12:57 pm EEDT
Exquisite home. Exquisite photographs.
February 1st, 2013 at 1:08 pm EEDT
Beautiful, still, and a little ghostly.
February 1st, 2013 at 2:01 pm EEDT
Wow! All are suffused with a remarkable calm and stillness that feels eternal. I can feel the early morning dew on my face in the photo of Alna farmstead. Simply beautiful!
February 1st, 2013 at 3:04 pm EEDT
Artists speak of chiaroscuro, the value of light. Trevor uses illumination with a focused intensity in the interior shots to dramatize the texture of a pillow, the stripes on a bed cover, or the grain of old wood. These details are elements, small dramas, that make these rooms tell their stories. The photographs catch history: they’re haunting!
February 1st, 2013 at 3:08 pm EEDT
How do you find your barns? Great photos!
February 1st, 2013 at 4:08 pm EEDT
The expressive interplay of texture and light entice the eye, beckoning us to explore the storied lives of these houses, and wonder at the generations who gave life to these resplendent spaces.
February 1st, 2013 at 4:08 pm EEDT
Hello Trevor,
I am a person who finds beauty in being simple, and found your photography absolutely beautiful! Pictures take me on a journey to places I may never have an opportunity to visit. Thanks for sharing your work. Wishing you the best!
February 1st, 2013 at 4:13 pm EEDT
What is most striking to me is the intensity of each photo. It’s as if you were really in the room or on the farm. I feel like I’m actually at the top of that staircase, worried about being careful not to trip and fall.
February 1st, 2013 at 4:16 pm EEDT
So Beautiful!!! Romance and Melancholy in these!
February 1st, 2013 at 5:49 pm EEDT
These are fantastic, perhaps some of the best examples of photos where I feel that I’m actually in the space that I’ve ever seen. I really appreciate your eye for light and color – I love the images where the brightest color is off-centered or balanced by very neutral colors.
February 6th, 2013 at 12:07 pm EEDT
Love these images. I am big fan of Trevor’s work an enjoy his pieces in the NY Times. Nice to see a photographer who can capture the essence of both rural and urban spaces.
February 6th, 2013 at 12:17 pm EEDT
Hi Trevor
Nice work here, we really feel the spirit of the house
The Photo “barn alna” is great, in the morning shot ?
Good job,
Ben
February 6th, 2013 at 12:22 pm EEDT
En ce qui concerne les intérieurs, quel est le degré de mise en scène de la part du photographe ?
February 6th, 2013 at 12:41 pm EEDT
Gorgeous homes. Simple life looks gooood.
February 6th, 2013 at 3:59 pm EEDT
Look at how the wood steps have worn; it makes you wonder about the folks who lived there. I’ve always loved available lighting from windows – and I love the sloping ceilings. So cozy. Old houses and barns are so comforting I think, like big old trees. They’ve been around a long time and have seen so much, but they’ll never tell. It’s like they’re old souls, comfortable with themselves. Love all these shots.
February 6th, 2013 at 4:50 pm EEDT
The light is wonderful in all the photos. You have been able to capture a moment in time in each image.
February 6th, 2013 at 4:51 pm EEDT
absolutely beautiful, what struck me was how norwegian many of the home looked – take care gab
February 6th, 2013 at 5:01 pm EEDT
Wonderful use of light, Trevor.
February 6th, 2013 at 7:12 pm EEDT
Well, that’s it, I can never show Trevor my photos! Excellent
February 6th, 2013 at 9:52 pm EEDT
In those old weathered spaces I love how you capture the light tip-toeing across the rooms…
February 7th, 2013 at 1:32 am EEDT
Great photos! Good job Trevor, done photos very well.
February 7th, 2013 at 2:20 pm EEDT
I especially love Farm Road. It makes me feel like I’m approaching and my shoes are getting wet from the puddles left from the rain. That’s Trevor’s magic.
February 7th, 2013 at 2:26 pm EEDT
neat picz
February 7th, 2013 at 2:31 pm EEDT
Trevor te felicito. Las fotos son hermosas. Saludos desde argentina
February 8th, 2013 at 8:19 pm EEDT
Extraordinarily beautiful photos, with an indescribable sense of stillness and immutability…windows streaming light…they touch the paranormal, the richness of old wood and a sense of pride in spareness and simplicity. Vermeer comes to mind, so does Andrew Wyeth.
February 10th, 2013 at 10:53 am EEDT
Trevor, you have done an amazing job of using the light to sculpt the elements in these spaces, drawing our eyes to the textures and shapes of these simple farmhouse spaces, giving them depth and life. I especially like the farmhouse road lined with trees, whose muddy path beckons us towards the farmhouse. I can imagine myself walking this path on a damp early spring morning. I look forward to seeing your book in print! Thank you for taking us to these wonderful spaces.
February 16th, 2013 at 7:39 pm EEDT
Feels like I’m dreaming looking at these photos. Don’t wake me!