Rivermill Restoration

A woolen mill on the Mascoma River restored and converted into office space

Rivermill Restoration

The project restored of a portion of the Mascoma River woolen mill in Lebanon NH.  When found, the ceiling had been strung with lights, wiring, and Modine heaters and the heavy timber truss work and ceilings had been painted black. Poor quality walls and fixtures obstructed views. The object of the renovation was simple: restore the timberwork, wood ceilings, and plaster walls to their original condition, clear the space of unnecessary structures, update the mechanical systems, and re-use enclosed rooms as practicable.

The budget for the project was modest, and a majority of the funds went into removal of years of abuse. After that, a simple palette of orange, grey and white was applied, and inexpensive materials were used to create pattern and interest: pre-finished oak plywood on the existing restroom/mechanical volume, acrylic panels on metal studs to create a divider wall. IKEA cabinetry, off-the-shelf lighting, FLOR carpet tiles, and re-used furniture from the Veson Nautical’s main office helped to give the space a finished look. Custom inexpensive artwork was created by mounting large nautical photos onto plywood triptychs hung with cable.

Project Team:
Architecture & Interiors: Studio Watt O’Keefe
Artwork Design: Studio Watt O’Keefe
Furniture: Environments at Work
Lighting Design: Collaborative Lighting
Builder: Colby & Tobiasson, Woodstock VT
Mechanical: Vermont Mechanical
All images by Richard Mandelkorn