When Jody and Gary Peterson bought their 1905 Victorian farmhouse, they loved it so much that they overlooked the house's small rooms and lack of a fireplace. Instead, they were enchanted by the tall ceilings, deep moldings and storybook wraparound front porch.

They also planned to remodel. Their goal was to add lots of family-friendly space and plenty of light without destroying the home's classic character. On their wish list? A large family room with a fireplace.

“When I'd go into newer homes, I was envious of the light and the windows,” Jody says. “Our challenge was to create that feeling without making an addition look tacked on to the house.”

The Petersons hired an architectural designer who incorporated the new room into their older home by echoing the gabled roof and pale-gray siding.

Adding nearly an entire wall of windows allowed sunlight to stream into the once-dark house. New windows included paned double doors, eyebrow lights and a palladium window.

The room was designed with the entire family in mind; it's now the place to hang out, in front of the handbuilt fieldstone fireplace. The natural wood floors gleam with the light from outdoors and the glow of a warming fire. Multiple couches and chairs make a conversation grouping large enough to include guests as well.

Not long ago, Jody says, she was in the kitchen and looked up to see her son doing homework, her daughter reading and her husband on the computer.

“I thought, ‘This is it!' ” she says. “This is what we did the addition for. This was the point where we could all be together.”