So he designed a convex wall with floor-to-ceiling divided-lite glass and recessed it under an arched loggia, giving the homeowners views and natural light, while keeping it all within the context and proportion of the Tudor style.

"You can have a sense of quaintness, but you also need a sense of openness," says Pak. "One trick I use to brighten a Tudor home is to make it a thin house -- make it one room wide so you get light from two or three different directions."

As for the patina, he explains, "we create history quickly." It's all about the materials and how they're handled. Pak chooses handmade bricks and has them laid unevenly. To avoid the giveaway of uniform materials (a modern building concept), he'll specify an ivory buff mortar made from river sand, rather than sifted builders sand. Then he'll make sure the mason reinforces the brick using a period-appropriate mortar joint.

The designer doesn't stop there. "We try to integrate the exterior and interior architecture so they make sense," he says, by adding coffered ceilings and stained oak paneling. Good installed an intentionally short mudroom entry door (five-and-a-half feet tall) as a nod to the diminutive stature of a 16th-century squire.

"Those kinds of intricate details tell a story about a house," says Pak.