A curvy canopy with a rooftop reflecting pool is among the standout features at a Long Island house designed by US studios Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts & Partners to embrace its sand-dune setting.

Located on a hilly site in the Hamptons, the project was created for an urban, art-loving couple who wanted a family holiday home that embraced the coastal terrain and was suitable for entertaining.

"The clients, New York executives, desired architecture in the midcentury modern tradition that showcased the dune-filled landscape and created space to enjoy time with friends and family," the team said.

The project was designed by two Manhattan studios that have worked together in the past: architectural studio Steven Harris Architects and the landscape and interiors firm Rees Roberts & Partners.

To help shape the project, the studios took cues from the site's rolling topography and views of the Atlantic Ocean.

The team also turned to the work of Roberto Burle Marx, the late Brazilian landscape architect who often incorporated organic forms into his designs.

The result is a house U-shaped in plan, with both straight and sinuous lines incorporated into the form.

"The form of the house itself was conceived of as a series of cantilevered, rectilinear volumes pivoting about solid brick masses," the team said.

"The orthogonal geometries were then offset against a series of more biomorphic forms at all scales."

For the exterior material palette, the team opted for low-maintenance and durable options that could endure the harsh marine environment, where rust and rot are common problems.

"To that end, pale stucco and Petersen Tegl brick were selected due to their resilience to heat, wind, salt and sand," the team said. "Similarly, all windows were specified to be marine stainless."

The front door is found on the north, set deep within an entry courtyard. One steps into an airy foyer punctuated with a sculptural staircase that is meant to be reminiscent of a shell.

The 12,000-square-foot (1,115-square-metre) home features an unusual floor plan, in that the kitchen, dining area and living room are located on the upper level.

"This contradicts convention, which normally holds that such public spaces be placed on the entry level," the teams said, noting that the elevated position enables views of the water.

"The public areas enjoy a panoramic vista of the ocean over the nearby dune, which would otherwise have blocked the view."

The upper floor also encompasses the primary bedroom, a sleeping and sitting area for children, two offices and a media room.

On the ground level, one finds multiple guest bedrooms, back-of-house spaces and an indoor basketball court.

There also is a gym that opens through a pneumatic door onto a garden with a private shower, enabling users to rinse off in the open air.

The home features a range of interior finishes, such as plaster, stone, walnut and teak.

Furnishings include pieces by Isamu Noguchi, Kelly Wearstler and Louise Liljencrantz, along with many custom pieces by Rees Roberts & Partners.

The extensive artwork includes a mural in the entryway by abstract artist Mig Perkins.

Throughout the home, large stretches of glass provide a connection to the coastal landscape, and roof overhangs create shade without obstructing views.

A range of outdoor spaces include an infinity-edge swimming pool and pavilion covered by a sculptural canopy inspired by the work of both Roberto Burle Marx and Oscar Niemeyer.

Atop the canopy, the team added a reflecting pool.

"The pool deck looks out at a sculptural pavilion with a curved underbelly and reflecting pool on top, reflecting the sky and accentuating the immediacy of the ocean from the home's living room," the team said.

The project also involved landscape enhancements, such as the addition of tall grasses, to help "blend the house with the dunescape".

Other projects in the upscale hamlet of Bridgehampton include a home by Young Projects that is a cluster of wood-clad, gabled volumes and a residence by Roger Ferris + Partners that consist of three distinct volumes wrapped in glass and garapa wood.

The photography is by Eric Petschek and Scott Frances.

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Architectural studio Worrell Yeung has completed a two-storey, black-coloured home extension called Springs Artist Studio that is meant to offer the "experience of being perched in the trees".

The Brooklyn-based firm was tasked with designing the 800-square-foot (74-square-metre) addition for a Long Island house belonging to a florist and a painter.

The couple has an extensive collection of art and special objects. Their home is located in Springs, a hamlet in East Hampton that is popular with artists.

"The hamlet of Springs has a strong history of painting," said Max Worrell, co-founder and principal of Worrell Yeung. "We were drawn to that lineage; Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler and Jane Freilicher all painted out here."

The team conceived a two-storey addition that contains a painting studio on the upper level and an exhibition space down below that doubles as a garage.

The ground floor also has a powder room.

In response to strict zoning rules and environmental sensitivities, the studio created a small-footprint building that preserved existing trees and minimised the overall impact on the landscape.

Rectangular in plan, the building has a gabled roof and walls clad in pine boards that were stained black to match the main house.

Different-sized boards were used "to create a sense of shifting, lateral scale that counters the vertical massing of the structure".

The lower portion of the building is covered in 12-inch-wide boards (30 centimetres), while the upper areas are clad in 4-inch and 1-inch versions (10 and 2.5 centimeters).

"From afar the studio reads as an abstract volume," the architects said.

"Up close, the textured wood and varied-sized planks break down the scale of the building to something more accessible and rich with detail."

The black cladding is interrupted on the upper level by a band of ribbon windows.

The architects worked with Silman Structural Engineers to create the continuous windows, which are supported by steel-rod cross bracing and slender steel columns that match the mullions.

Within the building, the four-foot-tall (1.2-metre) ribbon windows offer immersive views of the landscape.

"Natural light streams in while unique views appear from each direction, framed by unobstructed glass corners," the team said.

"We wanted to create this experience of being perched in the trees – a retreat for working," added Jejon Yeung, cofounder of Worrell Yeung.

Interior finishes include birch plywood, which was used for flooring, walls and cabinetry. In the powder room, the plywood is stained a rich shade of blue.

The decor includes vintage Eames molded fibreglass chairs and a vintage chandelier by David Weeks.

The addition is connected to the main home by a glazed passageway that brings in the natural surroundings while "providing a moment of respite between home and the studio/work environment".

Other projects by Worrell Yeung include a series of gabled timber buildings on a New York farm and a refresh of a cedar-clad dwelling on Long Island that was originally designed by famed US architect Charles Gwathmey.

The photography is by Naho Kubota.

Project credits:

Architecture: Worrell Yeung
Design team: Max Worrell, Jejon Yeung, Yunchao Le Structural Engineer: Silman
Contractor: Fifth and Dune

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A cluster of wood-clad, gabled volumes form a sculptural home by architectural studio Young Projects that nods to historic Long Island architecture while reimagining the barn typology.

Located in Bridgehampton, an upscale hamlet on the island's South Fork. Six Square House is an irregularly shaped dwelling that sits on a verdant, two-acre (0.8-hectare) lot with an historic farmhouse.

Brooklyn-based Young Projects made a range of updates to the property including adding an addition to the 1850s farmhouse, which sits at the front of the site, and a pool, terrace and pool house in the rear of the lot.

The main residence was designed as a "contemporary counterpart" to the farmhouse – now used as guest quarters – and draws upon the region's vernacular architecture.

"The studio set out to create a new residence that nods subtly to the historic architecture of Long Island, while radically reimagining a traditional barn typology as an elegant, innovative home," explained Young Projects.

The house, which totals 2,600 square feet (242 square metres), consists of six gabled forms, each 24 by 24 feet (7.3 by 7.3 metres). Five of the volumes were placed around a small, triangular courtyard, with one set off to the side.

"This arrangement offered a compelling visual balance between symmetry and asymmetry, depending on the inhabitant's point of reference in the home," the team said.

To create visual continuity, the team aligned the roof ridges of all six volumes. The roof planes vary, however, contributing to the home's sculptural look.

'"Each module's roof eavesflow upward and downward, which results in a variety of undulating surfaces and unexpected sight lines across the exterior and interior of the home," the team said.

Roofs and outer walls are clad in a grey rainscreen made of charred accoya wood. Other walls are sheathed in Western red cedar rainscreens.

Slatted siding was designed to enhance the undulating roofscape.

"These are durable and low-maintenance engineered woods that play off of the farmhouse's historic cedar facade while reading as distinctly contemporary," said Young Projects.

"The slatted roof aligns with slatted exterior walls to create long, vertical striations that begin at the roof ridge and cascade to the ground," it said.

Within the home, there is a division between public and private spaces.

The front portion encompasses the public modules. One contains the kitchen and mudroom, while another holds the living room. Adjoining the living room is a patio module with dining furniture.

The back part of the house comprises two modules – one for the primary bedroom, and the other for a guest room and den. The sixth module, which is offset and detached, holds the garage.

Each module was oriented toward a different view of the property. For instance, the primary bedroom looks upon a mature, purple beech tree that is beloved by the client.

Interior rooms were designed to feel comfortable and calming, with the team intentionally avoiding "high contrast or loud materials".

Finishes include light-toned woods, vanilla-hued gypsum plaster walls and marble countertops. For the flooring and millwork, the team used white oak and ash.

"The interior palette was selected to have a general lightness and warmth appropriate for a summer house in the Hamptons," said Noah Marciniak, a partner at Young Projects.

Other projects by the New York City studio include the overhaul and expansion of a mixed-use building Brooklyn that features black zinc cladding and a sinuous staircase.

The photography is by Brooke Holm unless otherwise stated.

Project credits:

Architecture: Young Projects
Interior design: Young Projects with Verso
Art consulting: Fritz Advisory
General contractor: Taconic Builders
Structural engineer: Silman
Landscape architecture: Coen+Partners
Landscaper: Landscape Details
Rainscreen supplier: reSAWN TIMBER Co.
Millwork: Chapter+Verse

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A sculptural facade defines the Allan & Geraldine Rosenberg Residences, a housing block with affordable senior apartments in Freeport, New York, designed by architecture firm Studio Libeskind.

Located in Freeport on Long Island, north of New York City, the Allan & Geraldine Rosenberg Residences is a 41,833-square-foot (3,886-square-metre) apartment building.

It was developed by the local NGO Selfhelp Realty Group to house low-income senior citizens and a percentage of formerly houseless seniors with support from the state government.

The 44-room structure is Studio Libeskind's first completed building in New York State, though the German studio was responsible for the masterplan of the redeveloped World Trade Center site in Manhattan.

Though the project is smaller in scale than many of the architecture studio's other recently built work, founder Daniel Libeskind said that these projects are important for communities at large.

“Senior housing isn't just about accommodation; it's about people," said Libeskind. "It's about creating a home where occupants feel secure, dignified, and emotionally connected to their neighbors."

"Above all, it's about creating a vibrant community," he added.

The five-storey structure's facade features a white-coloured cladding and a standing-seam metal roof.

A series of facets and lines create visual interest as they cross the face of the building, bringing the roofline lower at points and creating asymmetrical protrusions on the facade.

Differently sized windows are arranged across the minimal facade, with a series of dormer windows above the roofline.

Besides providing light from the outside, windows also face inwards, towards an interior void that serves as a courtyard for the residents. The rear of the building includes a covered car park underneath.

"Large windows within units and hallways and multiple landscaped outdoor spaces create an open dialogue between inside and out, imbuing the interiors with natural light," said Studio Libeskind.

"The units are organized around a common corridor that looks out onto the central courtyard space, encouraging activity and communication," it added. "All aspects of this development are dedicated to bolstering seniors' quality of life."

The studio prioritised creating light-filled amenities spaces such as the laundry and recreation rooms.

Minimal interiors with white walls and grey flooring were interspersed with blocks of colour in the hallways and on the doors to the individual units.

To further encourage exercise, the studio placed a terrace and walking track on the rooftop of the building and added"active design elements" such as windows in the stairwells.

It also aimed to organise the hallway in a way that would encourage the building's residents to choose the stairs rather than elevators.

According to the studio, passive design principles were used in the construction to ensure sustainable operation of the building after construction.

These include an energy-efficient envelope, a green roof, stormwater storage and infiltration, as well as fully electric heating and appliances.

The electrical system has been hooked up to a backup power generator to ensure the proper functioning of life-saving machinery in the event of a power outage, and the community space can be converted to a "resilient hub" with emergency outlets.

Residents began moving into the apartment building late last year.

The studio is currently planning a similar housing block in nearby Brooklyn.

Studio Libeskind was founded in Germany in 1989 and moved its headquarters to New York City in 2003, around the time that work on the World Trade Center rebuilding began.

It has completed a number of high-profile buildings across the United States and globally including a number of museums such as the Holocaust Museum in Lisbon.

The photography is by Inessa Binenbaum.

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US studios Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design have collaborated on a minimalist home clad in blackened wood in the Hamptons village of Amagansett that starkly contrasts the surrounding dunes.

The Amagansett Beach House was completed for a friend of Starling Architecture founder Ian Starling who grew up in California, but moved to the East Coast for school and then stayed for work.

Missing the beach, the client began a search for a property in Amagansett Dunes with Starling's help, and found a bungalow that was "frozen in the 1960s".

"It was amazingly well located - in a wooded area, minutes away from both the beach and town center on an unpaved sand road," said Starling, although he noted that the layout was less than ideal. "The second floor was tucked underneath the gable and the ceiling was so low, you had to duck to walk around."

In its place, Starling designed a crisp minimalist house clad in timber treated with Shou Sugi Ban, the Japanese blackening technique.

Intended as a "communal home" for gathering with friends, the building is organised around a central swimming pool built into a raised wooden deck.

All of the communal ground-level spaces face onto the pool-courtyard area through floor-to-ceiling windows and are connected to one another in a U-shaped layout.

To the west is a double-height living room with glass panels reaching to the roof, while the dining room to the north features a fully retractable glazed wall.

A den with a library and workspace occupies the east volume, along with two bedrooms and a bathroom tucked at the back.

"All these spaces are physically or visually connected to the pool deck, creating a constant sense of connectivity with the outdoors," said Starling.

The primary bedroom and ensuite bath are lofted above the kitchen, and accessed via a staircase from the living room.

The building's dark exterior is juxtaposed inside by the warm tones of the exposed glue-laminated Douglas fir timber structure, and white oak floors, millwork and panelling.

Rhode Island and NYC-based interior designer Emily Lindberg, with whom Starling previously collaborated on the renovation of a townhouse in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens area, was tasked with bringing colour and a casual atmosphere into the pared-back spaces.

Seating areas are oriented towards the views, while custom millwork pieces including the kitchen island and dining area feature exaggerated forms.

Bright hues are introduced through artworks and fabrics, and a mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings helps create a lived-in feel.

"Overall the interior palette plays with colors of the seaside setting under the bright summer sun," Lindberg said.

The landscaping by Brooklyn studio Design Projects embraces the coastal setting, with meadow grasses loosely planted between pines and oaks at the front.

"Building on the natural beauty of Amangansett's dunes and beach plant communities, the front garden features predominantly native species," said the studio.

Pebble paths lead to the front door and around past an outdoor shower to the pool, around which evergreen hedges aid privacy and climbing roses add colour and scent through the summer.

Combined, the architecture, interiors and landscape offer a casual, coastal retreat that both stands out in and feels appropriate for its surroundings.

Located at the eastern end of Long Island, Amagansett forms part of East Hampton but has a more laid-back feel than its better-known and pricier neighbour.

For this reason, the village has grown in popularity as a vacation spot – as these six holiday havens prove.

The photography is by Eric Petschek.

Project credits:

Contractor: Hagerman Builders
Millwork: Armada NYC
Wood structure: Cascadian Wood Tech
Curtain wall fabricator: Blackcomb Facade Technology
Landscape contractor: Coastal Arbor Care
Styling: Eric Wink

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Cedar siding wraps the exterior of the Shelter Island House, which was designed by KoningEizenberg Architecture to exhibit a sense of "deliberate informality".

Los Angeles studio KoningEizenberg Architecture designed the beach house for a couple that architect Julie Eizenberg has known for years, and for whom she designed an apartment in New York City in 2009.

The home is located on Shelter Island, which sits between the North and South Forks of the Long Island peninsula. The island has a year-round population of 2,300 and is only accessible by boat.

For the secluded site – which formerly held a caretaker's cottage – KoningEizenberg Architecture conceived a "modern cabin" that is meant to complement the landscape.

The Shelter Island project was envisioned as a casual retreat for the parents – one is an academic, the other is a psychoanalyst – and their two children.

"The clients' must-have list included ample shade, as well as an outdoor shower, big fireplaces and good ventilation," the team said.

"The architecture has a deliberate informality," the architects said.

The 2,500-square-foot (232-square-metre) building consists of a single-storey volume attached to a slightly taller box, with the main entrance placed between them.

Facades are wrapped in cedar siding that will weather over time.

"The cedar rain-screen siding is quickly turning gray, and it will continue to gather more character as it ages," the team said.

The home is approached from the north, where trees and a mostly solid facade "create an edge to the property to increase privacy without adding fences".

The home opens up on the south, where it looks toward the water and an abandoned, overgrown boathouse.

Stretching across the home's southern elevation is a long, covered porch that recalls a similar feature in the former cottage.

The porch offers a comfortable spot to engage in family activities and enjoy the scenery. A row of columns was incorporated for practical and aesthetic purposes.

"Columns create a bold visual effect and add a sense of rhythm and texture while protecting the house from the elements and bringing light into the interior," the team said.

Within the home, there is a clear division between public and private areas. The communal space occupies the lower portion of the house, while the sleeping zone is found in the taller volume.

The interior features ample use of wood, including cedar wall slats and Douglas fir structural beams and columns.

In the kitchen, the team incorporated a glazed-brick backsplash, birch plywood cabinetry and concrete countertops. A clerestory brings in soft daylight.

Sustainability was a concern for the team. Photovoltaic panels were placed on the roof to generate energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels. On the south wall, wooden vent flaps supplement airflow.

To improve drainage and protect from flooding, the ground was raised up and graded in a way that directs water away from the house.

Other projects on Shelter Island include a General Assembly-designed pool house that has blackened timber cladding and a central pergola, and a concrete dwelling with a micro vineyard that architect Vibeke Lichten created for her family.

The photography is by Michael Moran.

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Ryall Sheridan Carroll Architects has created a cedar-clad, pavilion-like house on the North Fork of Long Island that includes a detached garage and pool.

Based in New York City, Ryall Sheridan Carroll Architects designed the 2,500-square-foot (230-square-metre) home, called the Tree Farmer's House, for a one-acre lot.

In elevation, the light-coloured home has the shape of a low-lying triangle with the corners cut off, but the plan consists of two rectangular forms that shift past each other.

"We looked to the simple forms of the agricultural buildings of Eastern Long Island and arranged these pieces to create a modern farmstead," the team said.

The three-bedroom home "creates a sense of containment and release in the landscape."

The scale and form of the house and detached garage and studio keep with vernacular farm buildings in the area.

The project's exterior material palette references the surrounding agricultural area with whitewashed cedar siding and an aluminium standing-seam roof. Square steel columns rise out of mahogany decking.

The interiors are characterized by "a diverse series of spaces with both vertical and horizontal compression followed by areas that open up in unexpected ways," the team said.

A double-height, pavilion-like porch frames one side of the house and has a wood-burning stove. This porch flows inside through floor-to-ceiling class to the primary living space.

This airy living room has west-facing windows that overlook the adjacent tree farm. It features a rough stucco wall that accents the inset fireplace.

Ash flooring continues from the primary room into the more enclosed rooms like the primary bedroom, where large white-framed windows direct views.

The home's second section includes a kitchen with an eat-in banquet, a primary suite with a connected porch and a staircase that wraps around a powder room as it ascends to the upper floor, where the other bedrooms were placed.

The bathrooms were brightened with colourful tile, rounded mirrors and floating countertops, and include skylights.

Across a gravel driveway sits the shed-shaped, two-car garage and studio space with sliding doors that open onto a manicured garden. A rectangular pool sits at the north edge of the property.

The studio prioritised resilient design, integrating energy-efficient aspects such as high R-value walls, roofs, floors and windows; and vapour-permeable membranes for an airtight assembly.

The house uses all-electric systems including a high-efficiency ERV that conserves 90 per cent of energy from the conditioned air. The energy use is offset by a small-rooftop solar panel array.

Nearby, in another project, the studio lifted a holiday home with concrete pillars to raise the living space above the floodwaters of the site's tidal wetland.

The photography is by Keith Scott Morton.

Project credits:

Architects: Ryall Sheridan Carroll Architects (Niall Carroll, Bill Ryall)
Structural engineer: Ed Armus Engineering
Interiors design: Christine Churchill

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Cedar shingles and asymmetrical, pyramid-shaped roofs form the exterior of Lilla Lane, a multi-volume house by New York studio Oza Sabbeth Architects.

The project is located on a leafy, suburban-style lot in East Hampton, Long Island. It was designed for a child-free couple who wanted a home with a strong indoor-outdoor connection and plenty of space for entertaining.

"They wanted to be able to comfortably host a crowded party, and feel like it was full enough with just the two of them," said local studio Oza Sabbeth Architects.

The property was sandwiched between neighbouring homes and offered little in terms of views.

Rather than design a home that spans the width of the lot and forms a big backyard, the architects decided to create a more linear home that makes the most of the property.

The house consists of several volumes positioned around a series of outdoor spaces, including a pergola-covered central patio and an adjoining swimming pool.

The volumes are topped with asymmetrical, pyramid-shaped roofs and are connected by "alleys" that contribute to a feeling of compression and expansion.

Exterior walls and roofs are wrapped in cedar shingles.

"After running through multiple siding options, they chose shingles, adding an additional layer that runs along the seam from exterior wall to roof – detailing that junction so as to produce the feeling of single, monolithic forms," the studio said.

Within the 3,000-square-foot (279-square-metre) home, the layout feels clear and fluid.

A central volume encompasses an open-concept kitchen, dining area and living room. Adjacent to that area is the main bedroom suite.

A glazed corridor connects to a private wing, where one finds three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. A third volume contains a garage.

Earthy finishes, high ceilings and ample glazing help establish a feeling of calmness.

"The interiors are modernist and straightforward, punctuated by the long, linear views created by those connections between the volumes, and illuminated by large expanses of window," the studio said.

Certain areas were designed with flexibility in mind. For instance, the kitchen – created in collaboration with Seattle-based Henrybuilt – is designed to accommodate a range of uses, from hosting cocktail parties to preparing intimate dinners for two.

The outdoor spaces act as a unifying agent. The grounds were designed with local studio Geoffrey Nimmer Landscapes.

"Outdoor spaces, particularly the covered patio, create cohesion by drawing the spaces together and re-articulating some of the interior details," the studio said.

The home's construction was handled by Oza Sabbeth's sister company, Modern Green Home.

Other residential projects in the Hamptons include a long, barn-shaped house by Birdseye that is wrapped in wooden slats and a secluded, low-lying house by Jerome Engelking that was designed to avoid metaphors and "overt symbolism".

The photography is by Conor Harrigan.

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Vermont architecture studio Birdseye has wrapped a Hamptons cottage in thin wooden slats based on those used in local, traditional buildings for lighting and ventilation.

The project was completed in 2020 and is located on the South Fork of Long Island, in the town of Sagaponack.

While today the area is mostly known as an upscale retreat for New Yorkers, architecture studio Birdseye drew inspiration from some of the traditional constructions found in the area.

"The architectural context of Sagaponack, New York is a unique layering of modernism, contemporary refinement, historicism and rural farmland," the studio explained.

"Lathhouse is a home inspired and conceptually influenced by the region's local agricultural history," it added.

Thin wooden slats cover the entire home, drawing cues from historical structures that are meant to provide shelter and natural ventilation at once.

The wooden slats that make up the exterior were repurposed from old fences. This choice is intended to develop a patina over time that will reflect that of surrounding buildings.

"The singular exterior material of weathered wood cladding reflects a timeless patina reminiscent of the barns and outbuildings in rural landscapes," said Birdseye.

"The architecture of Lathhouse is conceptually inspired by the eponymous lath house; a traditional gabled farm structure made primarily of wood laths or slats spaced to reduce sunlight while permitting ventilation."

"This wood detail is also found most notably in corn cribs, drying barns, and livestock shelters," the studio added.

Two buildings are found on site, a residence and a pool house. The latter sits between the home and a tennis court and is characterized by an expansive cantilever that provides shade to an outdoor seating area.

The main residence has three storeys and seven bedrooms, including a bunk room that can accommodate many children.

Visitors enter in the middle, where a double-height living space offers views of the rolling hills surrounding the property.

There is a guest bedroom on the ground floor, while the rest of the areas are occupied by the home's shared spaces.

The open-concept kitchen, living and dining room anchor the west end of the property and opens onto another outdoor dining area covered by a large overhang.

"Operable glass walls open to a large stone terrace off the living room and the kitchen opens to a wood-slatted, pergola-covered porch," said Birdseye.

The upper floor contains four bedrooms laid out along a corridor lit by large skylights covered by slats. The primary suite is located above the living and dining room, where it overlooks the property's pool and tennis court.

Two separate staircases lead down to the basement level, which is split into two areas. Although there is a door between these, having separate entrances gives each side more privacy.

To the east is a bunk room that can accommodate several children.

On the opposite end is a standalone guest apartment with its own ensuite. The cellar also includes a playroom and home gym.

Besides the wooden slats, several sustainability features were included in the design, including the use of geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater collection and high-efficiency windows.

Other properties located in the Hamptons include a home by A+I with an elevated bridge that is meant to protect the site's natural flora and a 1970s home by Norman Jaffe that was carefully renovated by  Neil Logan.

The photography is by Michael Moran unless otherwise indicated.

Project credits:

General contractor: Wright & Co. Construction Inc.
Structural engineer: Engineering Ventures
Landscape architect: Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture Survey: Barylski Land Surveying
Interior design: Brooke Michelsen Design

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US studio Architensions has designed an asymmetrical addition with pink tile and grey stucco called House on House for a home in Long Island that is meant to "subvert the typology" of the suburban dwelling. 

The project entailed the renovation and expansion of a compact, 1960s home in the suburban town of Babylon, New York.

The name stems from the addition of an upper-level volume that "looks as if another house has been placed on top of the house", said Brooklyn-based Architensions, which was founded by Alessandro Orsini and Nick Roseboro.

The project started in 2018, when the owner commissioned Architensions to update his 850-square-foot (79-square-metre) residence in a way that "reflected his adventurous design ambitions".

The client desired a larger, less introverted home that offered a feeling of porosity between the interior, the backyard and the neighbourhood.

"Rather uniquely, the client was not interested in approaching the project from the perspective of resale value," the studio said.

"The idea of the commodification of architecture as a real estate asset did not emerge throughout the development of the design."

After deeply researching the local area, the designers put forward a design that represents a juxtaposition of past and present and "challenges the cookie-cutter, single-family suburban typology typical of the surrounding area".

On the ground level, the home's original shape and grey vinyl siding were retained. Up above, however, the team added a sculptural, gabled mass clad in thick grey stucco and smooth ceramic tiles coloured pastel pink.

"In several places, the tile descends onto exterior walls of the original home in inverted arcs, arches and swoops, as if the new is slowly overtaking the old," the team said.

The street-facing side of the addition is carved away to form a semi-circular terrace – a subversion of patios found in the area, which are typically oriented toward the backyard.

The existing structure was also revamped inside; the kitchen and living room were opened up, and a study area and guest room were added.

A service core houses a bathroom, laundry equipment and a closet.

Windows and doors were repositioned in order to strengthen the relationship between inside and out.

These changes are hinted at on the exterior – as the windows were moved on the existing structure, the tiles from the addition were extended down.

"We introduced the ceramic tiles to establish the duality between new versus existing," said the studio.

A new, cylindrical staircase – its shape informed by space constraints – connects the ground level to the extension above.

"The stair needed to be compacted to save on space, but it also needed to be part of the layout as an element of separation, without being a wall," Architensions said.

Upstairs, one finds a primary bedroom held within a large, open space. The staircase serves as a partition between the sleeping area and the front patio.

The bathroom features a window bench and grey-and-white terrazzo. A "communal sink" – located in a niche between the bathroom and a walk-in closet – is meant to question "traditional concepts of modesty and privacy", the studio said.

The team used yellow throughout the interior to define spaces, emphasize transitions and brighten up the atmosphere.

"The interior was originally painted white, which conveyed a numbness, or fear of colour," the studio said.

As noted, the project was informed by extensive research, specifically in regard to the "cultural history and architectural taxonomy" of the surrounding area.

The home is near Levittown, a planned community of standardized, affordable homes that were built by Levitt & Sons, Inc between 1947 and 1951 – just after World War II – and served as a catalyst for suburban developments throughout America.

While these communities made home ownership possible for many Americans, they often were not accessible to Black or Indigenous families, said Architension.

Moreover, they tended to have "architectural features and layouts that fostered the isolation and introversion of the nuclear family, rather than community".

The designers noted that the wood-framed homes were made with industrial techniques that did not permit much customization. Generally, variation was found only on the facade via decorative elements influenced by neo-classical and Victorian styles.

While conceiving House on House, Orsini and Roseboro produced a taxonomy of architectural elements – such as windows, porches and roofs – typically found on suburban homes, which they would then hack and remix.

"In order to subvert the typology, we needed to become intimately familiar with it – then remix and subvert it," said Roseboro.

"We explored design solutions that addressed the existing home's relationship with the history, context and vernacular," added Orsini.

"We wanted to discover a new spatial paradigm that would link the architecture of the house to its social narrative."

Architensions has created a variety of projects in New York and beyond, including a tiny writer's studio in a Brooklyn garden and an installation at the 2022 Coachella music festival that looks like a giant, surreal playground.

The photography is by Michael Vahrenwald at ESTO.

Project credits:

Architecture: Architensions
Design team: Alessandro Orsini, Nick Roseboro, Anna Laura Pinto, Gerald Rubia, Giorgia Gerardi
Architect of record: Hany Rizkalla
Structural engineer: Seborga Engineering
General contractor: Thomas James Construction

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New York studios A+I and Unionworks have completed a house near Long Island's Sagaponack Pond with two volumes connected by an enclosed bridge, allowing the site's native shrubbery to grow beneath.

Bridge House is the first ground-up residential project by A+I, or Architecture+Information, which typically works on office interiors.

The studio collaborated with Unionworks on the expansive private home, located near the Hamptons town of Bridgehampton and totals 12,000 square feet (1,115 square metres)

Responding to the property's fragile ecosystem, the architects decided to partially raise the house to safeguard against flooding and minimise the impact on the land.

"Because the lowest of the three volumes is elevated 12 feet (3.7 metres) above the ground plain, evoking a bridge, the home seems to float above a bio-swale with native grasses, shrubs and wildflowers created by LaGuardia Design," said the team.

"This strategic landscaping allows water during major storms and coastal flooding to pass underneath the structure without harm," they added

Each end of the "bridge" is supported by a grounded volume that contains part of the home's communal areas. The two ground structures are parallel, intersected by the bridge, bringing the total of connected volumes to three.

These buildings were constructed with slender grey bricks and clad in vertical wooden siding, a choice that the architects describe as "a significant departure from the typical Hamptons shingle style".

"[The property] needed to be unlike any other Hamptons home," said the architects.

On the ground floor, the exterior finishes alternate between the exposed grey bricks and floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open, extending the living space into the home's multiple terraces.

"Dark-stained, quarter-sawn wood wraps the facade, lending dimension and character," said the architects.

The bridge extends over the grounded volumes and becomes the top floor, cantilevering where it meets the grounded volume on the north side.

Stained wooden planks also clad its elevations and underside, which shelters a walkway between the two ends of the building.

The home's interior palette includes accents like bronze kitchen cabinets, which are intended to develop a patina over time.

White oak-paneled walls offers plenty of storage space, and a dramatic, suspended staircase creates a screening effect with the spacing of its slender metal supports.

The bridge structure contains five bedrooms, including the primary suite at one end, which opens out to a rooftop terrace. Downstairs, there are four additional bedrooms in one of the wings.

The Hamptons has long served as an escape from New York City, and this stretch of Long Island's southern shore is home to many impressive properties. Others to recently complete include Worrell Yeung's renovation of a 1970s house designed by Charles Gwathmey and a stone-clad residence with a pyramidal roof by Neil Logan.

The photography is by Magda Biernat.

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In this week's comments update, readers are debating the demolition of modernist architect Marcel Breuer's Geller I house in Long Island and discussing other top stories.

One of the first homes that Hungarian-American architect Breuer built in the US has been "demolished in the dead of night" to make way for a tennis court.

The home in the village of Lawrence, Long Island, was demolished on 25 January, according to preservation society Docomomo.

"They could have dismantled it and offered it free to a design school"

Readers are divided. "Countries that demolish their past also demolish their future," said Nicholas Tesdorf. "This applies even more to architecture than most categories."

"I wonder what the owners were thinking when they bought the house," added Leo. "'Let's destroy a unique piece of architecture to build a tennis court because there is not a suitable plot for our tennis court anywhere else?'"

"They could have dismantled it and offered it free to a design school to assemble at a new location," continued Tom.

ElephantInTheRoom disagreed: "This house may be historically significant, but it's not one of Brueuer's best examples. And it is ugly. Sorry to call out the obvious. It was not historically protected when the current owners bought it, so they have the right to raze it. Ever heard of private property rights?"

Should the building have been demolished? Join the discussion ›

Commenter thinks bee bricks becoming a planning requirement is "terribly long overdue"

The city of Brighton and Hove in England has introduced a planning law that calls for new buildings to include special bricks that provide nests for solitary bees. Readers are buzzing.

"Man, this seems so terribly long overdue," said Steve Hassler. "What other simple solutions should we be incorporating into our lives to commune more with other lives?"

"We should also consider planting more wildflowers than fancy blossoms," replied Zea Newland. "Wildflowers can be accessed by bees more easily than 'conventionally pretty' flowers that are a lot of work but have little payoff for bees."

"This legislation can only be a good thing," concluded Comments Please. "Small measures like these can add up to make a big difference over time. We've to start being positive about any attempt to give nature a helping hand. After all, we're part of nature too."

Should bee bricks be compulsory for all new buildings? Join the discussion ›

Reader calls banning cars from Berlin's city centre "a fantastic idea"

Commenters are showing support for a campaign group named Berlin Autofrei, which has proposed a law to limit private car use within the Ringbahn train line in Berlin.

"Fantastic idea," said Ken Steffes, "and now needs to be done in many more cities around the globe."

Paul Horton continued: "This will have to be normal everywhere eventually. Some are just ahead of the curve! I hope it gets implemented."

"Berlin's not a bad city to cycle in already," replied Ian Byrne. "It's reasonably flat and public transport is reasonably good, so it probably does need some stick as well as carrots to reduce car usage much more. Whether an almost complete ban is the way to go, it's hard to say."

What do you think of the idea to ban cars in Berlin's city centre? Join the discussion ›

Commenter criticises Heatherwick Studio proposal for being "an utterly pointless waste of resources"

Readers are discussing The Leaf, a multi-level pier proposed by Heatherwick Studio for a site on the Han River near Seoul's Olympic stadium.

"Yes, let's pour tons of concrete into the ocean and give it a whimsical name," said Sharad Majumdar. "What an utterly pointless waste of resources."

竜皐一 agreed: "What's the point of building an artificial forest and grass field on the water where obviously there is active natural vegetation present on the coast? Should it be in the desert, maybe? Still, a bit of a waste of money as we all know Pier is not such a success."

"Same sh*t, different city," concluded Ralph Kent.

Are readers being harsh? Join the discussion ›

Comments update

Dezeen is the world's most commented architecture and design magazine, receiving thousands of comments each month from readers. Keep up to date on the latest discussions on our comments page.

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Modernist architect Marcel Breuer's Geller I house in Long Island, which was one of his first homes in the US, has been "demolished in the dead of night" to make way for a tennis court.

The home in the village of Lawrence, Long Island, which was one of Hungarian-American architect Breuer's first buildings in the USA, was demolished on 25 January.

"Marcel Breuer's first binuclear house, Geller I in Lawrence, New York has been demolished in the dead of night," revealed non-profit preservation society Docomomo US in a post on its website.

"Most significant loss in recent memory"

Named Geller I after its clients Betram and Phyllis Geller, the house was the first building designed by Breuer after leaving the studio he ran with architect Walter Gropius.

The house was reportedly demolished as the owners wanted to combine two plots and create a larger home, with a tennis court expected to be built on the site.

Docomomo US executive director Liz Waytkus described the demolition as "a devastating loss".

"Individual houses are hard to save but this was by far the most significant loss in recent memory," she told Dezeen.

"The house was not just any Marcel Breuer designed home but really the first of his own design blending American ideas, materials and his own upbringing in Hungary. You just don't expect a Breuer house to come down and certainly not for a tennis court."

Docomomo US was in the process of trying to protect the house from demolition after reports that its owners intended to demolish the property.

The preservation society made an application for the building to be listed as a local landmark in December.

Early example of Breuer's house ideals

Geller I was designed to align with the modern needs of the US family. It was the first in his series of bi-nuclear homes, where the architect separated the sleeping areas and the living spaces into two wings divided by an entrance hall.

Both the home and adjacent guest house were topped with butterfly-pitched roofs.

"The Geller House, as one of the earliest executions of Marcel Breuer's bi-nuclear design, helped set the stage for a trend in residential modern design on Long Island in the years following world war two," explained Docomomo US on its website.

"Its butterfly-pitched roof and its efficient design scheme that distinguished between daytime and nighttime uses became a prototype for how modern family living could be ideally achieved."

Breuer was one of the 20th century's most significant architects and furniture designers who was awarded the AIA Gold Medal in 1968. He was a student at the Bauhaus who went on to become a master in the carpentry workshop.

After fleeing from Germany to London as the Nazis gained power he moved to USA, establishing his studio in New York in 1946. He designed over 100 buildings in the US including New York's Whitney Museum of American Art, which is now occupied by the Frick Collection.

The photography is courtesy of Docomomo US, unless stated otherwise.

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New York studio Neil Logan Architect has added glazing and completely renovated the interior of a beach house on Long Island originally designed by architect Norman Jaffe.

The project, called Heller Lane, is located on a coastal site in East Hampton. Designed by Manhattan-based Neil Logan Architect, the project involved an interior revamp of a two-storey house dating to 1978.

Featuring a massive roof with cedar shingles, the house was originally designed by Norman Jaffe, an American architect who created many sculptural dwellings on Long Island.

Known as the Gruss House, the residence is an example of the architect's self-described Zeus style.

"Referencing the mythological god of the sky, Jaffe found formal inspiration in the sky, clouds, and coastal dunes of eastern Long Island," said Logan.

U-shaped in plan, the 6,250-square-foot (581-square-metre) home consists of rooms organised around a central courtyard. Next to the main dwelling are a swimming pool and guest house.

Facades are clad in Tennessee sandstone and cedar. The home's large, pyramid-shaped roof is cut away in several areas to form openings and balconies.

The interior underwent several renovations over the years. For the recent update, Logan and his team sought to create more space and an enhanced feeling of openness.

Limited changes were made to the exterior. The windowless, front facade, which looks north, was preserved. On the south, however, large stretches of glass were introduced, providing views of the ocean and a stronger connection to the landscape.

The home is entered from the inner courtyard, which features heat-treated ash decking and a Japanese maple tree. One steps into a home with a fluid layout, earthy finishes and ample natural light.

The team removed a staircase, along with a large, masonry fireplace, which freed up space on both floors. New columns were installed to provide structural support.

"Due to the removal of the enormous fireplace and the uninterrupted expanses of perimeter glass, the house was reframed with steel," the architect said.

The ground level encompasses a kitchen, dining room, living room, study and two bedrooms.

The kitchen features an elongated island made of Caesarstone and streamlined cabinets made of European oak. Oak was also used for flooring and wall panels throughout the dwelling.

In the dining area, an existing stone-clad fireplace was kept in place. A slender, wood-burning fireplace was placed in the study, where a projector and screen are concealed in the ceiling.

Upstairs, one finds a main suite and three new bedrooms, which were made possible by the removal of the fireplace. Skylights were added to the new sleeping areas.

"With the removal of the fireplace and additional stair, the second-floor space below the enormous roof was transformed," the team said.

In the main suite, the team created a separate bathroom with a sauna, steam shower and freestanding marble bathtub, along with a new shower, vanity and water closet.

Beyond the main dwelling, updates were also made to the guesthouse. The team added windows, installed a kitchen and refurbished the bathroom. Moreover, the ceiling was clad in European oak.

Other projects by Neil Logan Architect include the conversion of a Brooklyn warehouse into a store with a freestanding skate bowl for streetwear brand Supreme.

The photography is by Christopher Sturman.

Project credits:

Architect: Neil Logan
Project architect: Max Golden
Project assistant: Helga Hansen
Landscape architect: Farm Landscape Design, Edwina von Gal
Construction: Trunzo Building Contractors

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A cedar-clad dwelling on Long Island that was originally designed by famed US architect Charles Gwathmey has received a sensitive refresh by New York studio Worrell Yeung.

The House in the Dunes is located in the Hamptons beach town of Amagansett. Formerly called the Haupt Residence, the dwelling was designed in the 1970s by Charles Gwathmey, a noted modernist architect who died in 2009.

Worrell Yeung, a Brooklyn-based firm, was tasked with updating the home to meet the needs of a new owner while preserving the integrity of the original design. Gwathmey's drawings served as a guide throughout the project.

"We were very excited when we got the call about the house – especially given that it was in its original condition, totally untouched," said studio co-founder Max Worrell. "Our intention, at first, was really to do as little as possible."

Situated on a one-acre site with ocean views, the rectilinear, 4,400-square-foot (409-square-metre) home has two levels and a basement. Facades are wrapped in grey cedar and large stretches of glass.

Exterior work entailed a full refurbishment of the building envelope. The roof, siding, doors and windows were all replaced, as was the deck surrounding a generous swimming pool.

Within the light-filled home – which has four bedrooms and a den/library – the architects used materials that were sensitive to the original finishes.

In the kitchen, for instance, the team swapped out laminate countertops with Corian in a glacier white hue. The kitchen floor is covered in full-body porcelain tiles from Lea Ceramiche.

The architects reconfigured the home's primary bathroom suite to make it larger and more efficient. New ceramic tiles match existing tiles.

The most notable spatial change to the home was the removal of a half wall between the kitchen and living room, resulting in a more open public area.

"This small move was one of the most significant changes made to the original structure," the architects said.

Other modifications include a redesign of the living room's fireplace wall, where shelving and a television were removed to provide a cleaner surface for displaying art. The team also restored the room's built-in furniture and coffee table.

The architects made sure to preserve the dwelling's strong connection to the coastal landscape.

"The house's interiors have a direct connection between the indoors and the outdoors, extending beyond the polygonal pool to the ocean," they said.

The home was sold in July after being put up for sale earlier this year. The asking price was $9.25 million (£6.67 million), according to the Wall Street Journal.

Other recently completed projects in the Hamptons include a waterfront home by KOS+A wrapped in teak and charred cedar and a holiday dwelling by MB Architecture that is composed of stacked shipping containers.

The photography is by Naho Kubota.

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The Hamptons is an exclusive enclave of private holiday homes and sandy beaches at the eastern end of Long Island in New York. We've rounded up ten houses that make the most of the ocean views.

Atelier 216 in Amagansett, the Hamptons, by Studio Zung

Architecture firm Studio Zung looked to the traditional barns of the area for inspiration when designing this house in the seaside town of Amagansett.

Three cedar-clad volumes are arranged around a deck with an outdoor swimming pool, and an indoor dining room features huge windows and a 16-foot-high (five metres) ceiling supported by reclaimed pine beams.

Find out more about Atelier 216 ›

Atlantic in Amagansett, the Hamptons, by Bates Masi + Architects

Local practice Bates Masi + Architects referenced a nearby historic lifeguard station when designing this house. Called Atlantic, the residence is clad in slats of weathered cedar.

The upper level is reminiscent of a lookout tower and cantilevers over the pool deck, with a hanging chair suspended underneath.

Find out more about Atlantic ›

Old Sag Harbor Road in Southampton, the Hamptons, by Blaze Makoid Architecture

Blaze Makoid Architecture, which has offices in the Hamptons and Miami, designed this house for a couple who wanted a hideaway amongst the trees.

The three-storey house is clad in cedar and has interiors that include a long fireplace made of blackened steel and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

Find out more about Old Sag Harbor Road ›

Red Creek Road Retreat in Peconic Bay, the Hamptons, by Marvel

This three-bedroom weekend home overlooks Peconic Bay, with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame views of the ocean and an infinity pool on the back terrace.

The exterior is clad in horizontal planks of cedar and the interior features a monumental fireplace made of board-marked concrete that separates the kitchen and dining rooms.

Find out more about Red Creek Road Retreat ›

Island Creek in Southampton, the Hamptons, by Cary Tamarkin

New York City architect-developer Cary Tamarkin looked to Long Island's history of mid-century modern architecture – particularly the houses built on Fire Island in the 1950s and 1960s – when designing this three-storey house.

Set on a base of stone, the boxy house is clad in locally sourced old-growth cypress wood and features a terrace that cantilevers from the second floor.

Find out more about Island Creek ›

Pierson's Way in East Hampton, the Hamptons, by Bates Masi Architects

Long Island's 18th-century potato barns were a reference for Bates Masi Architects when the studio designed Pierson's Way.

The house, which was created for a young couple, has a gabled form and is clad in cedar shingles. The residence is composed of four volumes connected by walkways lined with weathering steel.

Find out more about Pierson's Way ›

Watermill House in Water Mill, the Hamptons, by Office of Architecture

New York-based Office of Architecture responded to the challenge of building on wetlands by creating three raised volumes that effectively straddle the floodplains of the site in the hamlet of Water Mill.

The zinc-clad house features a first floor that projects out and rests on a concrete pillar above an infinity pool.

Find out more about Watermill House ›

Cube House in Westhampton Beach, the Hamptons, by Leroy Street Studio

New York architecture firm Leroy Street Studio designed this house for multiple generations of a family who wanted a relaxing holiday home.

Due to flood risk, the house has a compact footprint and is raised 11 feet (3.4 metres) above the wetlands on wooden stilts. An outdoor terrace is also raised up on piles and the exterior is clad in slim horizontal cedar slats.

Find out more about Cube House ›

Peconic House in Peconic Bay, the Hamptons, by Mapos

A green roof planted with grasses tops this house set into a hill on a five-acre plot of land overlooking Peconic Bay. New York architecture studio Mapos used reclaimed ipe wood and cedar to help blend the building with the landscape.

A staggered wooden deck runs down the length of the house, with steps connecting various outdoor seating areas and a long, slim swimming pool.

Find out more about Peconic House ›

Grove House in Bridgehampton, the Hamptons, by Roger Ferris + Partners

A trio of gabled volumes clad forms this house designed by Connecticut architecture firm Roger Ferris + Partners for a family relocating from a Tribeca apartment.

Each volume is clad in garapa, a type of Brazilian hardwood. The two main structures are connected by a glass walkway, while a separate structure contains a garage and an artist's studio.

Find out more about Grove House ›

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Tall windows and timber framing feature in this 1830s church building in New York, which has been converted into a cultural facility by Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership.

The Church is located in Sag Harbor, a former whaling village that spans the towns of East Hampton and Southampton on Long Island.

The original building, which dates to 1836, housed the Methodist Church of Sag Harbor until 2008 when the congregation moved to a new home.

After several proposals for the building fell through, the property was purchased by the married artists Eric Fischl and April Gornik, who have lived in the area for decades.

They set out to transform the building into a community arts centre with living quarters for an artist-in-residence – and they hired the New York firm Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership to oversee the adaptive reuse project.

The design team, working closely with the clients, devised a renovation plan that preserves many of the building's historical elements. The original design draws from a range of styles, including Italianate and Greek Revival.

"Our approach recognises the rich history of the facility, while celebrating contemporary interventions that facilitate a transcendence of typology," the team said.

Roughly rectangular in plan, the building has three levels and encompasses 12,000 square feet (1,115 square metres). The exterior was largely restored to the original specifications.

The building has a stone base, while its upper portion is a timber-framed structure with facades wrapped in white clapboard siding.

A gabled roof covers the bulk of the building. The entrance elevation features a restored belfry, including the original bell.

In the rear of the facility, the team constructed a modest, cube-shaped addition that will eventually be covered in vines. The two-storey extension holds living quarters for resident artists.

Inside the converted church, one finds bright spaces and a fluid layout.

Upon entering, visitors encounter a lofty foyer with a wide staircase leading up to the middle level. Suspended overhead is a circular chandelier with a wreath-like appearance.

The middle level formerly held a sanctuary and now serves as a vast space for exhibitions and events.

The double-height room is surrounded by walls with exposed timber columns and beams, establishing "a compelling dialogue between past and present". The wooden roof structure was also left exposed.

Tall, glazed apertures usher in daylight and offer a connection to the surrounding neighbourhood. Mounted within the windows are portraits of notable local artists that were painted by the client, Fischl, and transferred to translucent film.

"They present themselves as a modern interpretation of traditional stained-glass windows," the team said.

The exhibition space is ringed on three sides by a mezzanine clad in pale white oak. On the east side of the mezzanine, just below the bell tower, the team created a cosy library with built-in shelving and a custom-built wooden study table.

In photographs, the building's ground storey reads like a basement, owing to its lower ceiling and 22-inch-thick (56-centimetre) masonry walls.

This level holds an open-plan maker space and studio, along with the bottom level of the residential extension. A south-facing door leads to a sunken terrace and public garden.

"Window and door openings around the perimeter bring ample light into the space, highlighting the richness and texture of the natural materials," the team said.

The three levels of the building are connected by a glass elevator, which serves as a counterpoint to "the rustic qualities found in the original wood framing". Various staircases also connect the different levels.

The project was completed last fall. Once it's safe for people to gather, The Church plans to host exhibitions, artist talks, readings, lectures, performances and educational classes.

Deconsecrated churches have become popular venues for adaptive reuse. Other conversions include a church building in Los Angeles that has become a co-working and event space, a 1960s church in Quebec that has become a modern library, and a Methodist church in London that now serves as a minimalist home.

Photography is by Scott Frances.

Project credits:

Architect: Skolnick Architecture and Design Partnership
Lighting design: The Seed
Structural and civil engineer: SL Maresca & Associates
General contractor: Moises Cerdas Builder
Surveying services: F Michael Hemmer
Landscape architect: Hollander Design Landscape Architects
Client: The Church

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New York designer Athena Calderone has renovated her mid-century home in the Long Island town of Amagansett with plaster walls, linen fabric, marble and second-hand finds.

Calderone originally redesigned the house when she purchased it in 2009 with the help of her neighbour, Paul Masi, the founder of local firm Bates Masi Architects.

Ten years later, she has decided to revive the interiors with a pale palette and a combination of contemporary and vintage pieces. Walls are covered in plaster by Kamp Studios, which also added a fluted plaster design on a kitchen island.

"I wanted to choose new materials and new surfaces, and clad things differently and also brighten things up because everything was just feeling a little bit dark, dated and heavy," Calderone told Dezeen.

"The walls were just crisp white, and I wanted to make them plaster and a bit warmer and creamier, so that really changed the house a lot."

In the kitchen, Calderone has replaced reclaimed wood cabinets and shelves with hacked IKEA cabinets featuring doors and drawer-fronts by Semihandmade.

Calderone painted the cabinetry a pale green tone, Ash Grey by Farrow & Ball, that pulls from the veining on the new Calacatta Monet marble counters. "From the marble, the palette of my kitchen was born," said Calderone.

Brass hardware is intended patina over time and vintage finds include the Spanish 1970s woven rattan stools as barstools and a decorative lamp. Calderone has continued this combination of old and new across the home.

"Design is always about a balance," she added. "It's about the yin and the yang. It's about the elevated being pulled down with something that feels a little more artisanal with the touch of a hand."

In the dining area, there is a farmhouse table surrounded by 1960s Italian Sapporo chairs made of walnut with brown leather seats. Overhead is a white, sculptural light fixture by Calderone's friend and sculpture artist Rogan Gregory.

"I love a clash of materials," she said. "I love a clash of periods. I love the tension and the friction that it creates because I think that's what makes beautiful design, and that's what causes people's eye to linger just a little bit more."

Vintage furniture and accessories are a major aspect of the design. "I would say probably 80 per cent of this home has vintage furniture," Calderone added.

"I love what vintage does to home. It adds an unknown history and a timeworn patina."

Linking the dining area to the living room is a custom-made walnut console by Green River Project, two white stools and contemporary art above by Ethan Cook. A column, bulbous pieces of French pottery and Median wall sconces by Apparatus round out the arrangement.

The living room has two cream-fabric vintage chairs of contrasting designs, a pale marble coffee table and a Pasha sofa by Caravane covered in outdoor linen fabric, which is also used on a couch in a den and the kitchen stools.

Calderone said she chose the durable fabric so her home could feel comfortable but still look fresh and clean.

Other pieces in the home are Apparatus sconces on the kitchen ceiling, and an Apparatus Drum table and a rug from Morocco by Beni in the master bedroom. The den has a rug that New York designer Tali Roth did with Empire collection rugs, a sconce by Calderone with Simone Bodmer-Turner, a 1960s French walnut table and a wooden block by Milo Baughman.

The low-slung house is single storey and contains four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Wood floors, clerestory windows and ceilings covered in rope round out the interiors. The residence is complete with a patio, grassy lawn and outdoor swimming pool.

Amagansett is on the far tip of Long Island on the Atlantic Ocean and is home to a number of residences.

Other designers and architects based in New York that have designed their houses include Camp O by Maria Milans del Bosch, a  dark cabin by IDS/R and a concrete block house by the husband-and-wife team behind J_spy.

Photography is by Nicole Franzen.

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Brooklyn design-build studio Desciencelab has overhauled a gabled house in Montauk on the furthest tip of Long Island with greyed cladding and teak interiors.

The two-storey house was stripped back to its concrete block shell and turned into a contemporary holiday home by Desciencelab.

While the exterior was updated with horizontal boards of Meranti wood, also known as Philippine mahogany and commonly used for wooden boats, the studio maintained the house's footprint, linear form, gabled roof and openings.

New windows, sliding glass doors and a large skylight were added to bring more natural light inside.

The home's existing wrap-around balcony was also updated to offer better views of a nearby bay to the north, while a new patio, landscaping and two outdoor showers are among other new elements.

"The site was reimagined as a familial refuge," the studio said, adding that the house is nestled among wetlands with a fragile ecosystem.

The design and build studio led the renovation, from conceptual design to fabrication and installation. It split the project into two phases to suit the family, which only use the house in the summer.

"The renovation began with updating the exterior of the dwelling in preparation for the family's summer arrival," the studio said.

"Once the summer months faded out and the family departed for the fall, the second phase of the project began."

Inside, the house has an open-plan kitchen, dining and living room upstairs, whose pitched ceiling was retained during the renovation. The top floor has windows that offer views of the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

Also on the first floor are three bedrooms, including a master suite, while downstairs contains another bedroom, laundry, a den, storage room and children's playroom.

A new staircase was added to lead down to three rooms that were enlarged. Their dropped ceilings were removed leaving exposed ceiling rafters that are painted in high gloss white paint.

The interiors feature a pared-down aesthetic with walls clad in wood, wide-plank white pine flooring, built-in cabinets and wood furniture custom made by Desciencelab, which also specialises in millwork.

"Pretty much everything was built in our 8,000-square-foot (743-square-metre) woodshop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, allowing the design to happen organically," said the studio.

"As certain rooms started to take shape, they informed the next room and things could change and evolve as we went."

The kitchen and master bedroom feature teak, as well as much of the lower level panelling and built-in furnishing. Cedar wall panelling decorates the kids' rooms, master closet and master bathroom.

Other pieces that were designed and fabricated by Desciencelab in teak include an L-shaped couch, a dining table with a bench, built-in beds, cabinets, bookcases and closets.

Each piece was designed to be integrated into the home and to "unify the spaces and provide a state of harmony," according to the studio.

Founded in 2000 by Simrel Achenbach, Desciencelab's other projects include millwork for a house in New York's Dutchess County by Desai Chia Architects and Glenstone Museum with Thomas Phifer and Partners in Maryland.

Montauk is a popular beach town on the tip of New York's Long Island. Many houses in the area similarly feature rectangular volumes with wood cladding, including Bates Masi Architects' Hither Hills residence, a dwelling by Desai Chia Architects and East Lake House by Robert Young Architects.

T W Ryan Architecture has renovated a home in Montauk in a similar style with exterior and interiors of wood, including a pitched ceiling in the kitchen painted white.

Photography is by Danny Bright.

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Long Island seaside town Amagansett has become a hotspot for New Yorker’s holiday homes. We’ve rounded up six retreats for welcoming warmer days.

A two-hour drive from New York City, Amagansett is on the eastern end of Long Island in the Hamptons area.

While not as famous as nearby Montauk, it is home to a number of striking houses that have sprung up in recent years. Many feature a combination of contemporary and traditional details like expansive glass walls, gable roofs and wood cladding.

Read on to discover six houses in Amagansett:

The House in Amagansett by 1100 Architect

This white house is built on a sandy plot close to the ocean and comprises the renovation of a 1970s cottage.

A recent renovation designed by New York studio 1100 Architect – which also has an office in Frankfurt, Germany –  opened up the interiors, added more windows and created a new deck and swimming pool.

Find out more about The House in Amagansett ›

Amagansett Dunes House by Bates Masi Architects

Board-marked concrete and screens characterise this dwelling by Bates Masi Architects.

The home is designed to take advantage of its breezy property close to the coast and built on dunes that back up to a wooded nature preserve.

Find out more about Amagansett Dunes House ›

Amagansett Modular by MB Architecture

MB Architecture created this black, two-storey unit as a vacation home for a couple with three kids.

The studio used shipping containers to cut costs, as the clients had a limited budget but were open to exploring new ideas.

Find out more about Amagansett Modular ›

Amagansett Beach 3 by KOS+A

Alaskan Yellow cedar shingles cover this residence as a nod to the vernacular architecture of Long Island by local architecture studio KOS+A.

The project contains two gabled wings linked by a lower, one-storey portion whose roofline nestles into their sides.

Find out more about Amagansett Beach 3 ›

Wuehrer House by Jerome Engelking

Long glass walls define in this low-slung house that New York architect Jerome Engelking created for his Austrian in-laws.

The house is a retreat for family gatherings and glazed portions on its rear overlook a grassy garden, while the front is more concealed for privacy.

Find out more about Wuehrer House ›

House in Amagansett by MB Architecture

MB Architecture designed another house in Amagansett with concrete and timber to "accommodate the owner's wish for a maintenance-free house with longevity".

The residence is perpendicular to the street to minimise its visual impact, for it is on one of the town's The Lane – a set of walkable streets perpendicular to Main Street.

Find out more about House in Amagansett ›

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US firm Bates Masi Architects has lifted this New York home above the ground and added lower-level screens to let water pass underneath, helping ensure that "flooding becomes a non-threatening event".

Named after the Mohegan tribe's word for ocean, the Kiht'han house is located in Sagaponack, a seaside village on Long Island. The home sits on a one-acre property that straddles agrarian and coastal landscapes.

Bates Masi Architects, which is based in the nearby town of East Hampton, was tasked with creating a home that embraced is natural setting, including the incorporation of flood-protection measures. The architects strove for a solution that met flood protection requirements in a genuine, holistic way.

"Too often the architectural response to flood-prone sites is to distort conventional designs and methods to meet the flood protection requirements, masking the issue at best," said Bates Masi.

"In contrast, the design for this property overlooking a coastal pond and the ocean beyond, celebrates the periodically rising water levels."

Encompassing 5,000 square feet (465 square metres), the home consists of "vertical volumes" placed at different angles and connected by glass-enclosed bridges. The team elevated the home and broke it up into different parts so that water can flow around the residence, reducing the "hydrodynamic pressure of coastal flooding".

"Perched safely above, flooding becomes a non-threatening event, a periodic change in the home's relationship with the ground," the firm continued.

"Rather than hiding the flood damage prevention measures, the design takes advantage of them, thereby embracing the duality of the wetland landscape to intertwine nature and built form," it added.

The placement of each volume was governed by the interior programme and a desire to provide views of the natural landscape.

On the north side of the house, the architects created a two-storey volume that encompasses four guest rooms. The southern portion of the dwelling contains an open-plan cooking, dining and living area on the ground floor and a master suite up above.

A centrally placed volume houses a foyer, laundry/mudroom, stairs and an elevator on the ground floor, and a family room on the upper level. On the east side of the plan, the team created a single-storey pool house, which adjoins a terrace and swimming pool.

The glazed bridges that connect the different volumes enable occupants to "appreciate the dramatic spaces between them, whether flooded in wet periods or interconnected by flows of native plantings in the typical drier periods".

Exterior walls are clad in large stretches of glass and pale-toned cedar. Drawing upon vernacular traditions, the architects used board-and-batten siding – with a twist.

The lowest portion of the facade is made of battens, which form a screen that allows water to flow under the house. The middle portion consists of both boards and battens, which form an opaque surface that blocks view of neighbouring homes. The top-level comprises boards with thin gaps between them, enabling the passage of light.

The different facade treatments also serve an aesthetic function.

"The transitions between the varying opacities occur along horizontal datum lines that ring the towers, breaking up the verticality of the facades and referencing tide lines left by fluctuating water levels," the team said.

The facade vocabulary is carried indoors. On the ground level, walls are wrapped in wooden boards, which transitions to wainscoting and light-painted walls on the upper storey. The transition is meant to mimic the gradations on the exterior.

"The horizontal datum lines are visually transcribed onto the interior walls by means of material transitions for interior finishes and wall claddings," the firm added.

"This visual link expresses the seamless connection between interior and exterior as one travels throughout the house," it continued.

The home is fitted with earthy finishes and contemporary furnishing, including select pieces by Wyeth, which specialise in mid-century modern decor. Large windows offer extensive views of the terrain, and communal spaces flow through sliding glass doors onto elevated decks, providing opportunities for indoor-outdoor living.

"By creating a homogenous relationship between the architecture and nature, one is constantly reminded of the place in which they reside," the team said. "Natural elements are invited into the home and are experienced on a daily basis, thus becoming a part of everyday life."

Based on Long Island, Bates Masi Architects has completed a number of residential projects in coastal settings, including a slatted wooden home in Annapolis that was created for a sailing family, and a Hamptons dwelling that takes cues from historic lifeguard stations.

Photography is by Bates Masi Architects.

Project credits:

Architect: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: K Romeo Inc

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Long Island architecture studio Kevin O'Sullivan + Associates has created a house in Amagansett, New York with wood prevalent inside and out to highlight the vernacular architecture in the region.

Called Amagansett Beach 3, the family home comprises two gabled wings that are linked by a lower portion whose roofline nestles into their sides.

Kevin O'Sullivan + Associates (KOS+A) clad the entire property in Alaskan Yellow cedar shingles because the material is prevalent to the Long Island beach town.

"The house was designed for a young New York City-based creative family who originally grew up in the Hamptons and South Africa," the studio told Dezeen.

"They wanted something that fit with the vernacular style of the area with a warm and modern interior."

Amagansett Beach 3 also features a combination of woods inside, as well as cream and grey tones to make a uniform palette.

Wood is used on the floor, accent walls, built-in closets and bathroom vanities, and ranges from bleached walnut to live-sawn white oak.

On the ground floor in the main living area, which is in the middle of the home, is an open-plan kitchen, dining room and lounge with ceiling beams sourced from a local barn.

A row of glass doors opens to a patio, where there are lounge chairs and an outdoor swimming pool.

KOS+A designed several custom pieces for the home, including oak kitchen cabinets and pantry storage, a stone dog bath in the mudroom nearby, and a cream sofa in the living room covered in Kravet fabric.

The kitchen island, which is topped with white marble, was custom-made by the studio. It also created the millwork closets in the foyer made from white oak that has been bleached, fumed and whitewashed.

Accents include a Capo Lounge Chair that Chinese studio Neri & Hu designed for De La Espada, a white dining table and black versions of Danish designer Børge Mogensen's Soberg chairs

Lights designed by US studio Apparatus are found throughout the home, while black pendants by Allied Maker hang over the kitchen island. A black fireplace is by Danish company RAIS.

The heart of the home is flanked by several rooms on either wing.

An office and a television room with an L-shaped sofa are on one side, and on the other are a mudroom, foyer, laundry room, pantry and guest bedroom.

Upstairs are a second home office and three bedrooms, located within either wing of the house. One of them is a kid's bedroom with a circle window overlooking the great room below.

The master bedroom has accesses to a rooftop deck overlooking the pool and backyard.

KOS+A is based in Bridgehampton, New York, and is led by Scottish architect Kevin O'Sullivan and Long Island native Luke Ferran.

Founded eight years ago, the studio specialises in residential projects in the region.

Amagansett one of a number of small towns in Long Island, which is a popular summer destination. Other properties in Amagansett include a farmhouse clad in charred cypress by MB Architecture and a cedar-clad home by Studio Zung.

Photography is by Read McKendree courtesy of JBSA.

Project credits:

Project team: Kevin O’Sullivan, Luke Ferran, Dina Abu-Jawdeh, and Kate Wirth
Landscape design: Harmonia Inc
Contactor: Jonathan Wirth, JT Wirth & Co.

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Bi-national studio 1100 Architect has renovated a cottage in the Hamptons to create spaces where "old and new are impossible to distinguish from each other".

The House in Amagansett takes its name from the Long Island hamlet where it is situated. Nestled into grassy dunes, the 1,609-square-foot (150-square-metre) dwelling serve as a "quiet retreat away from the city – a place to cook, entertain, read, work and swim".

Designed by 1100 Architect – which has offices in New York and Frankfurt, Germany – the project is a renovation of a three-bedroom cottage dating to 1973. The dwelling's interior layout was reconfigured to suit contemporary needs and to improve energy performance.

"We carefully studied the original dune cottage – designed by Harry Bates in the mid 1970s – and adapted its DNA to make a contemporary living environment, such that old and new are impossible to distinguish from each other," said Juergen Riehm, a founding principal at 1100 Architect.

The interior was made more open, allowing for a clear sight line through the house and into the surrounding terrain. Large sliding doors usher in daylight and facilitate natural ventilation, in turn helping reduce energy consumption.

In one of the bedrooms, a sliding door was added, enabling it to flow into the main living area. The room now serves as a guest room, a study, or an extension of the public zone, depending upon the owner's needs.

The cottage is fitted with simple finishes, such as white cabinetry and wooden flooring. Rooms are sparsely furnished with contemporary decor, such as plush leather sofas and a marble-topped coffee table.

Original elements were restored where possible, including a series of linear skylights in the public zone. The home's cedar siding was also refurbished, as were wooden terraces and a fence that surrounds them.

Just outside of the living room, the team added a slender, concrete swimming pool and a wooden deck, enabling the owners to easily cool off during the warm summer months.

Founded in 1983, 1100 Architect has a diverse portfolio of projects, ranging from office and cultural buildings to single-family homes.

Other work by the studio includes a concrete holiday home on a Japanese island, which was designed to provide optimal views of the sea, and a student centre at the University of Pennsylvania that consists of a renovated historic cottage and an angular addition.

Photography is by Nikolas Koenig.

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Coloured skylights offer rainbow-hued illuminations on one side of this holiday cottage that Nina Edwards Anker has designed in Long Island, while the other is covered in cedar shingles.

Architect and designer Edwards Anker, who runs New York's Nea Studio, completed the Cocoon House in Southampton, a seaside town on the South Fork of Long Island.

The cedar shingles cover the curved, northern side of the property, which was designed to adhere to restrictions for the house to remain a 150-foot-radius (46-metre-radius) from wetlands and 35 foot (12 metres) from neighbouring properties. Large expanses run along the souther side offering views of the garden.

"The Long Island cottage is split in two: 'cocooned' into a soft opaque shape that provides privacy, and transparent and crystalline to allow for views onto an undisturbed landscape," said the studio.

Two huge rounded windows punctuate each end of the glazed side of the property, fronting the large open living area and the master bedroom. A single-storey glass wall runs in between to flank the hallway that connects these two end.

The coloured skylights are angled over the walkway to reflect light from the pool and cistern that wraps the rear of the house.

"The colours range from vermilion red, which signals sunset and rest, above the master bedroom, to deep yellow, which signals zenith and activity, nearest the living room," said the studio.

The skylights above the hallway of the bedroom wing are based on the way thay JM William Turner's 19th century paintings that depicted sunlight above water. Turner created his works according in response to a colour theory developed by German writer and politician Johann Wolfgang von Goethe that explored colour as a result of  perception, and not just light.

Inside, the wall facing the windows is white and left bare, apart from doorways and small windows, so that it provides a backdrop to the geometric patterns.

"It's meant to serve as a cinematic screen, its round shape abstracting the play of light and shadow, cocooning the interior like an ocean wave with light hitting its surface," the team added.

The interior decor is kept simple throughout, with white walls paired with wooden flooring. A curved white wall wraps one side of the open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, and is punctured with openings for a fireplace and log storage.

Edwards Anker designed most of the furnishings, which include coiled, rattan chairs, a geometric, monochrome chandelier, and a soft bean-bag-like sofa.

The dining table and chairs are curved white and glass, providing a nod to the aesthetic of the house. The kitchen is slotted behind here and fitted with white cabinetry to provide an almost seamless connection with the surrounding walls.

In one of the bedrooms, curving timber woodwork created as part of the building's structure is left exposed. A wooden ladder provides access to a mezzanine bedroom tucked into the roof, with wooden railings running along the front picking up on the structural details.

The master bedroom at the end of the property is complete with a white marble bathtub designed to fit in with the rounded walls. Black glass doors lead from here to the rest of the bathroom. Other details include a white desk with a huge dip that tapers into one of its leg. The table is paired with an angular seat that contrasts its rounded shape.

Cocoon House is an LEED-certified home and was created to align with Passivhaus principles. The northern, shingled-covered side supported by timber to form thick walls with a high thermal mass that retains heat and blocking humidity during warmer months.

Large expanses of south-facing glazing enables heating gain during winter months, with interior blinds providing shade during strong sunlight. Sliding glass doors also open up to allow for breeze from the ocean, which is then ecouraged to circulate by the curved walls. The pool at the rear, is also designed to gather and filter rainwater.

The house is built on wetlands, so is slightly elevated to allow for flooding in the case of an extreme weather event.

Edwards Anker is among many New Yorkers that have weekend and holiday getaways in Long Island. Other properties include a bayside residence with an infinity pool and a beachfront home topped with grass.

Photography is by Caylon Hackwith.

Project credits:

Designer and architect: Nina Edwards Anker, Nea Studio
Prefabricated structural laminated timber trusses: Unalam
Structural Engineer: Will Laufs, LaufsED
Jordan Goldman
Mechanical Engineer: Zero Energy Design: Mechanical Engineer
Electrical Engineer: Michael Edwards, Avioworks
Sound engineer: Charles von Mueffling, Obelisk Consulting
Additional credits: Anna Agoston, Raphael Walter, drafting

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Hospitality company Bridgeton and Studio Tack have collaborated to open the Marram hotel, formerly the Atlantic Terrace, in Montauk influenced by the colours and textures of the sand that covers the neighbouring landscape.

Marram, which is named after the wild grass that grows on the property's sand dunes, has 96 guest rooms, a cafe that serves South American cuisine and a freshwater pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on New York's Long Island.

The renovated hotel is situated steps away from the restaurants and stores of downtown Montauk and the Atlantic Ocean and the Terrace surf break, which has some of the best waves in the world.

"Marram has both an innate and intimate sense of place that evokes the spirit of its natural, untouched landscape," said the design team, led by Atit Jariwala of Bridgeton.

A light, muted colour palette is used throughout the space to mimic the soft cues of the surrounding nature.

In the lobby walls were left "unfinished" to expose uninsulated white oak panels, with a teal blue check-in desk and artwork by Rhode Island artist Sean Spellman serving as focal points in the entry space.

Ceilings in the guest rooms are latticed with intersecting white oak lumber beams, while walls are coated with hand-textured plaster and handwoven jute rugs cover the concrete floors. Furnishings are white and sandy coloured, with one-off pieces made from salvaged wood.

"Bedside tables and stools made from solid Suar wood reclaimed from old homes and fishing boats, cultivate a space reminiscent of a cozy guest room at a seaside summer surf cottage," said the team.

White oak bathroom vanities are topped with mauve and grey-toned marble countertops in the guest bathrooms. Showers feature exposed piping to mimic the look and feel of an oceanside outdoor shower.

Beachfront rooms feature private balconies that overlook the water. While courtyard rooms provide easy access to a central courtyard space complete with fire pits and adirondack chairs.

A railed fence closes in the pool and patio area which is situated directly on the beach. Red umbrellas and white lounge chairs line the wooden pool deck, where ocean views are interrupted.

Also on the site is Mostrador Marram, a South American cafe, that hones the classic Latin American mostrador in an oceanside communal environment.

Bridgeton is a hospitality company founded in 2009 led by Atit Jariwala. It has offices in New York and San Francisco and has designed restaurants, bars and boutique and lifestyle hotels in New York City and East Hampton.

Studio Tack recently renovated another boutique hotel on Long Island that features a restaurant designed to feel "like a ferry crossing the sound".

Photography is by Read McKendree.

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Brooklyn firm Studio Tack has revamped a mid-century motel on the North Fork of Long Island to include cabin-like bedrooms and a restaurant that feels "like a ferry crossing the sound".

Completed in 1953, the waterfront Sound View property is located on a private beach in the town of Greenport, less than 200 kilometres from New York City.

Studio Tack redesigned the hotel's guest rooms, restaurant, piano bar and lobby lounge with subtle nods to a traditional nautical aesthetic – a reference to Greenport's boating and fishing heritage – as well as New England modernist architecture.

Since Sound View overhangs the shoreline, few modifications could be made to the exterior.

"Current zoning regulations would never let these structures be built so close to the shore in modern times," lead project designer Tiffany Rattray told Dezeen.

"This meant that any exterior work had to be carefully considered, which was extremely limiting."

Inside the lobby is a blend of custom, semi-custom and vintage pieces that aim to "soften the newness of the space", like rewired light fixtures from Upstate New York and porcelain shades made by a local ceramicist.

For the hotel's restaurant, The Halyard, Studio Tack employed a simple palette of white-painted walls and pale oak floors to make the water view the focal point.

The shapes of the chandeliers and sconces reference the Fresnel lenses typically found in lighthouses.

"In the end, we wanted to celebrate the horizon line and expanse of water, making the restaurant feel like a ferry crossing the sound," Rattray said.

The team preserved the Piano Bar’s red vinyl banquettes and mahogany bar, while upgrading the space with navy beadboard ceiling panels, painted hardwood floors, and a hand-painted seascape mural.

A private dining room called The Library sits just off the lobby lounge with wicker furniture, merlot painted walls, and vintage artwork hand sourced from the Brimfield Antique Market in Massachusetts.

All of Sound View's 55 guest rooms overlook the Long Island Sound with private or boardwalk-style outdoor decks. Walls are lined with cedar wood shiplap, and a mix of recycled rubber and cork forms the flooring.

"We needed a material that was durable enough to withstand constant foot traffic from the beach directly indoors," said Rattray.

"Not only did this material work for us functionally, the granular mix of colours reminded us of the texture and colouration of sand."

Nearly all the guest room furniture and lighting was custom designed by Brooklyn-based furniture fabricator Uhuru Design.

Instead of the more expected nautical blues, Studio Tack threaded pops of burgundy throughout the property. In collaboration with Greenport-based awning and sail fabricator WM J Mills & Co, a burgundy fabric was developed for the exterior awnings above the lobby and entrance to The Halyard, as well as the bespoke outdoor and pool furniture.

Founded in 2012, Studio Tack has given new life to a number of properties dating back to the middle of the 20th century. Others include a mid-century motel in Wyoming, an old motor lodge in New York's Catskills and a rundown hotel in California.

Photography is by Read McKendree.

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Brooklyn designer Michael Yarinsky has renovated a home on Long Island's eastern-most tip with crisp white interiors, several lights by Ladies & Gentleman and ethereal Calico wallpaper.

The Cedars is a three-storey, wooden home built in 1883 in Orient, a coastal town on the tip of Long Island in New York state. The historic residence features a steeply pitched roofline and moments of cedar cladding, which give the house its name.

Michael Yarinsky Studio sought "to breathe life" into the project, and designed the home for a young couple that envisioned a space that would "not only pay homage to the history of the place, but also fit their personalities".

"They wanted something design-forward, light, bright, and full of art and design," the team said.

The house features a host of designs by Brooklyn studios, including lights by Ladies & Gentlemen and Calico Wallpaper. Caroline Z Hurley, a designer also based in the New York borough, created a wall treatment for the powder room.

Another aspect of the interior design is the series of bright, white spaces with white walls and pale wood floors. These give a contemporary feel and strongly contrast with the traditional style of the home.

"The interior references the moment when the ocean meets the sky," the team said. "The colour selection consists of muted blues and greens, contrasting with white-washed floors".

Pale wood beams overhead anchor the main living spaces, while wood furnishings reference back to its historical charm.

Other signature details are custom millwork by locally based David Nyce and metalwork by Kristian Iglesias, who also lives nearby.

The ground floor has an entry, sitting nook and living room with a cobalt blue sofa. A wall with a fireplace divides these areas from an open-plan dining room and kitchen.

"The space is kept open with many moments of congregation with the intention of welcoming family and friends over communal meals, shared stories, and intimate conversations," the team said.

Cabinetry and J77 dining chairs by Danish designer Folke Pålsson's are in black for contrast, while a dining table is light wood.

Upstairs comprises four bedrooms, each with unique light fixtures and patterned accent walls. Wall treatments have muted colours and abstract details to evoke the "ethereal mood and movement of the water".

A white upholstered bed, navy curtains to conceal a closet, pale wood bedside tables and a turquoise-and-white wallpaper are among the details in the master bedroom.

Another room has a darker teal wall and a terracotta light by Virginia Sin of Brooklyn studio Sin affixed to it. A light grey side table pops against a wooden headboard.

Black bedsides bedrooms in another room pop against wallpaper that evokes water with white, grey and light blue tones.

On the upper floor of the house is a smaller bedroom nestled within the pitches of the roofline. It has abstract dotted wallpaper in grey and purple tones, wood floors painted a soft shade of blue and Crisp wall lights by Brooklyn studio Rich Brilliant Willing.

Also on this top storey is a play area with a colourful wall mural by New York illustrator Nastia Kobza. Plenty of rugs and swooped cushioned chairs decorate the space.

In addition to this house, other houses nearby in Long Island's North Fork area are Westlands House by Ryall Sheridan and North Fork Bluff House by RES4.

Yarinsky is based in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighbourhood, and he also designed Greenpoint's Vietnamese cafe Di An Di with fellow designer Huy Bui.

Photography is by Charlie Schuck.

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New York's Studio Robert McKinley has created a rentable vacation home on Long Island that doubles as a showroom, where guests can test out a range of carefully selected decor, from z-shaped dining chairs to Noguchi lighting.

The McKinley Bungalow is a four-bedroom home in Montauk, a coastal hamlet at the eastern tip of the island. Situated in a residential neighbourhood near a popular beach, the dwelling serves as a comfy getaway that is "fully shoppable with the designer's favourite brands".

Encompassing 2,400 square feet (223 square metres), the ranch-style house was built in 1971. Robert McKinley, who runs his eponymous studio in Manhattan, took cues from the coastal landscape and European villages while conceiving the home's refurbishment.

"McKinley drew inspiration from Montauk's coastline, paired with the casual elegance of Europe's seaside towns filled with rich colour and pattern," the studio said in a project description.

The project involved an extensive overhaul of the residence, including opening up the plan to create a smooth flow between the living room, kitchen and backyard – engendering a more suitable atmosphere for entertaining. The team also removed the home's attic, resulting in a double-height living room, and added a wooden screen to the rear elevation.

White walls, wooden flooring and tiles in neutral shades are among the finishes within the bright and airy dwelling. The colour palette is meant to feel "fresh and light", with lime-washed whites intermixed with earthy materials.

The "shoppable bungalow" features a range of contemporary decor, along with vintage items and eclectic artwork. The pieces are listed on the bungalow's website, and also are featured in a printed brochure that is displayed in the home. Guests purchase items at retail price directly from the brand.

In the living room, the designer placed a custom sofa with a Wright mattress, a circular coffee table and rattan ottoman by Vintage, and a playful rocking chair by Marni. A spherical, paper lantern by the Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi hangs overhead.

The dining area features a Pyramid Table by Hay and z-shaped Kangaroo chairs by German designer Ernst Moeckl. A tapestry by Aelfie – one of several in the home – hangs on the wall.

The kitchen has travertine countertops, linoleum cabinetry by Reform, and bar stools made of wood and wicker. Lining one wall is a timber shelf for storing books and tableware. Plates and bowls were sourced from Heath Ceramics, a well-known California studio started in 1948.

The sleeping areas have a subdued aesthetic. The designer incorporated wooden bed frames by Flloyd, light-toned bedding by Wright, and side tables by either Hay or Flloyd. In one room, a black-and-white rug and a colourful tapestry with a nude figure enliven the otherwise quiet, restful space.

The dwelling also offers a library that boasts dark green walls, chunky wooden tables and brass lighting fixtures. A similar look was deployed in a detached pool house, where guests can enjoy a Moroccan-style daybed and wet bar.

The home is meant to embody the "same sense of approachable luxury" found in McKinley's other hospitality projects, including a revamped motor lodge in California's Laguna Beach. The designer also converted another ranch-style home in Montauk into a rentable vacation dwelling, which opened in 2018.

Nightly rates at the McKinley Bungalow start at $1,700 (£1,362).

"I've spent much of my career creating hospitality spaces, and I think the bungalow speaks to the way we travel now," said Robert McKinley in a project description.

"It feels very much like a home, where we mixed products from our design partners together very organically – whether they be books, textiles, ceramics or furniture – so there is a sense of inspiration and discovery."

Photography is by Nicole Franzen, unless stated otherwise.

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Attorney Kristen Pennessi has designed this boutique hotel in Greenport Village, Long Island, as a modern reference to the area's fishing and whaling heritage.

Pennessi and her husband Dan partnered up with Manhattan architect Tom Pedrazzi to design the 16-room property at the town entrance – formerly the site of a famous antique carousel that was moved to Mitchell Park in 2011.

The interior public spaces of The Menhaden – named after a local fish – are flecked with nautical artifacts hidden in plain sight, including bottles, bricks, horseshoes and a mast from one of Greenport's whaling ships. Many of these items were discovered during the hotel’s construction.

Clean lines, black lacquer and brass accents characterise the hotel's ground floor, including the lobby, adjacent lounge area and grab-and-go cafe.

"We chose something contemporary and bold for the lobby floor and softened it with shiplap walls and modern finishes," Pennessi told Dezeen.

Guestrooms are designed to "evoke a feeling of home that varies from room to room".

White walls establish a setting that is "light and airy", complemented by whitewashed furniture and a neutral colour palette that leverages green accents and salvaged driftwood. Furniture is almost exclusively sourced from Restoration Hardware.

Abstract photography by Long Island artist Scott Farrell showcase maritime subjects like boat hulls.

Bathrooms are intended to be ''spa-like", featuring a soaking tub or walk-in shower with amenities from Roam, a female-owned enterprise that makes American-made vegan, gluten and cruelty-free items.

Pennessi also created "galleys" on each floor with gloss black Smeg refrigerators filled with complimentary snacks and beverages.

The Menhaden also includes a restaurant called The Merchant's Wife.

For lounge-style dining, Pennessi custom designed two raw oak banquettes finished with caning and black mohair, and accompanied them with Fyrn Bartlett and De Haro stools. Marble table tops were included for a more formal dining experience.

The black shuttered bar is topped with a poured concrete counter, and overhung by spherical black wicker pendant lamps and tea lights. Floor-to-ceiling botanical murals were hand painted in greyscale by local artist Kara Hoblen.

There is also an outdoor terrace that overlooks Greenport Harbor, and features a bar, firepits and lounge seating.

The greater area of Long Island is a thriving holiday spot for those working in New York City. Other recently completed accommodation in the area includes A Room at the Beach, a boutique hotel once owned by American fashion designer Donna Karan, and a Hamptons wellness retreat.

Photography by Read McKendree.

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New York architect Debbie Kropf has designed a boutique wellness retreat in the Hamptons, Long Island, which teams Japanese details and elements of the local architecture.

Shou Sugi Ban House is the brainchild of Amy Cherry-Abitbol and her business partner, Kathleen Kapnick. They purchased land in Water Mill hamlet in the Long Island town of Southhampton in 2015, including a barn, with the aim to create an upscale wellness project.

Local architect Debbie Kropf of DSK designed the property to draw on the "ryokan" – a traditional Japanese inn. It accommodates 13 guest studios, a gathering barn and a spa, along with a Japanese-style tea lounge, meditation hall and gardens.

The project's name also refers to the ancient Japanese technique shou sugi ban, which describes a process of burning wood to make it black and resilient to damage. The volumes at the retreat, however, are clad in pale timber.

Wood shingles cover some of the buildings to provide a nod to the traditional houses in the Hamptons. Others are clad in vertical boards that take cues from other new beach houses in the popular holiday spot.

"The property boasts two Hamptons architectural vernaculars – renovated old barns and modern beach cottages – which have been cohesively integrated," said a statement from Shou Sugi Ban House.

For the meditation building, Kropf built a rectangular, flat-roofed structure lined in sliding glass doors that open up the interior space on either side. This allows a breeze to pass inside, where cushions and a gong are used for meditation.

There is also tea lounge, featuring a black counter, stools and shelves. This starkness complements the grey walls and wood floors.

The grounds are intended to form an important element of the upscale retreat. They comprise a pebbled courtyard and a three-acre (1.2-hectare) garden that landscape firm Studio Lily Kwong, who arecently completed a pop-up for Glossier, designed with Lisbon-based Topiaris.

"Winding pathways, reflective pools, fountains, and a landscape inspired by the local dunescape and Japanese gardens allow guests to connect with the natural world around them," said Shou Sugi Ban House.

Guests can enjoy a suite of outdoor activities, including dining among a cherry orchard, relaxing on a roof deck with a spa, and walking meditations among garden paths. There is also an organic vegetable and herb garden, where the retreat grows plants for both spa treatments and culinary creations.

Other amenities include a saltwater swimming pool, hydrotherapy plunge pools and different saunas and steam rooms. A "ceremonial fire circle" with a fire bowl, designed by local artist Elena Colombo of Fire Features, and a large Buddha sculpture also feature on the property.

The Buddha fronts a linear building called the Main Barn, designed around a light-filled space for gathering. It also comprises conference rooms and a demonstration kitchen for culinary workshops.

Each guest studio measures 400 square feet (37 square metres) and is equipped with a gas fireplace adjacent to a tokonoma – a raised alcove that is a traditional fixture in Japanese homes. Other elements include a Japanese wood soaking tub, called Hinoki ofuro, modern air massage soaking tubs and private gardens.

Rooms feature a "stone and biscuit" colour palette with pale walls, wooden floors, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, custom-made Kobe-style wood bedframes and wall finishes by paint studio Anthony Chase.

Shou Sugi Ban House also incorporates solar energy, a geothermal heating and cooling system and structured water filtration.

The greater area of Long Island is a thriving holiday spot for those working in New York City. Another project closeby includes A Room at the Beach, a boutique hotel once owned by American fashion designer Donna Karan.

Photography is by Fredrika Stjarne, courtesy of Shou Sugi Ban House.

Project credits:

Architect: Debbie Kropf of DSK Architect
Site planning: Araiys Design
Construction and furniture: RLW4
Lighting: Orsman Design
Plantings: Julian Kohl of Coastal Arborcare

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Architect Jerome Engelking sought to avoid metaphors and "overt symbolism" while conceiving this glass-and-wood holiday home for a secluded site on New York's Long Island.

Wuehrer House is located on gently sloping, tucked-away property in the East Hampton town of Amagansett. Surrounded by nature preserves, the dwelling is nestled within a forest clearing and is accessed via a gravel driveway.

The home was designed by New York architect Jerome Engelking for his Austrian in-laws, who use it as a retreat for family gatherings. While conceiving the house, Engelking sought to capitalise on the idyllic setting.

"To celebrate this serene location, the design of the house mutes architectural metaphors, avoids overt symbolism, and conceives of a contemplative structure that is simple, discreet, rational and generously open to the surrounding landscape," said Engelking's studio in a project description.

Rectangular in plan, the home consists of a long bar adjoined to an outdoor terrace. The dwelling is configured using a series of "dematerialised" modules.

"This subtractive strategy highlights the tactile qualities of the carefully curated palette of materials: unadorned wood, glass and concrete," the architect said.

Facades consists of large stretches of glass set within dark frames. On the western elevation, retractable timber shutters reduce solar heat gain while helping the home blend with its wooded setting. On the east, which faces the driveway, vertical cedar slats provide privacy.

The building's columns and beams are made of glue-laminated southern yellow pine. Engelking turned to the Canadian company IC2 Technologies to create the facade elements, as it was one of the only fabricators able to elegantly combine the mullions with the structural columns.

Encompassing 2,500 square feet (232 square metres), the house is divided into two distinct zones.

An open-plan public area is located on the western end, while a series of bedrooms, including a master suite, were placed on the east. Each room has direct access to the outdoors.

The interior design makes use of contemporary decor and a neutral colour scheme. Timber structural elements were left exposed, eliminating the need for drywall, paint and ceiling elements. The wood is meant to offer a "warm counterpoint to the minimal design".

The large windows provide an intimate connection to the surrounding landscape, while also ushering in ample daylight.

"Natural light becomes the prominent element defining the space, celebrating the ever-changing seasons and the remarkable wooded vistas," the architect said.

To reduce the home's energy consumption, the architect incorporated strategies such as radiant floor heating and the exterior blinds.

"Natural air ventilation in every room and cross-ventilation between opposite facades keeps the need for air conditioning to a minimum," the architect added.

The Wuehrer House is one of many modern-style homes in the Hamptons. Others include a summer retreat by Bates Masi Architects that consists of sharply gabled forms wrapped in oversized shingles, and a cedar-clad dwelling by Marvel Architects with a void that reveals reviews of an infinity pool and the Peconic Bay.

Photography is by Nic Lehoux.

Project credits:

Design architect: Jerome Engelking
Architect of record: Kirsten Youngren
Structural engineer: Stutzki Engineering
Structural facade manufacturer: IC2 Technologies
Glue-laminated timber: Art Massif
Timber frame installer: Les Constructions FGP
Curtain wall system: Raico THERM+ H-I
Exterior wooden blinds: Skirpus

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As the weather warms up in the US, we've picked out eight houses in New York's Long Island that are perfect for relaxing, including a bayside residence with an infinity pool by Marvel Architects and a beachfront home topped with grass by Mapos Studio.

Peconic House by Mapos Studio

This linear home by New York architecture firm Mapos Studio is sited on a lush yet sandy property in Long Island. Nestled into a hill, the house is clad in steel and untreated wood, and topped with a green roof to blend in with its surroundings.

Find out more about Peconic House ›

Bellport Bay House by Toshihiro Oki

New York architect Toshikiro Oki has paired off-white clay bricks and glazing in this holiday home. The low-slung property is located in the Long Island village of Bellport and overlooks Bellport Bay.

Find out more about Bellport Bay House ›

Wetlands House by Ryall Sheridan Architects

This marshland residence is perched on stilts to allow floodwaters to pass underneath. Designed by New York-based Ryall Sheridan Architect, the home is set in an isolated hamlet called Orient at the tip of Long Island, and provides a getaway for a Brooklyn couple.

Find out more about Wetlands House ›

Eco House by Vibeke Lichten

A forest clearing on Shelter Island provides room for this isolated concrete home New York architect Vibeke Lichten designed for her family. The project features an outdoor pool, a micro vineyard, a rooftop garden and an abundance of artwork.

Find out more about Eco House ›

North Fork Bluff House by Resolution 4 Architecture

A steely prefabricated residence on Long Island's northernmost tip of North Fork was designed for easy assembly by local studio Resolution 4 Architecture. The home comprises four equal-sized volumes and is a summer retreat for three generations of family.

Find out more about North Fork Bluff House ›

Old Sag Harbor Road house by Blaze Makoid Architecture

Blaze Makoid Architecture envisioned this two-storey rectangular house as "a secret enclave in the trees". The cedar-clad house features large stretches of glass that slide open to a neighbouring pool and woodlands in Long Island's Hamptons community.

Find out more about Ols Sag Harbor Road House ›

Red Creek Road Retreat by Marvel Architects

New York firm Marvel Architects designed this home around an infinity pool overlooking Peconic Bay in the popular vacation town of Southampton. The house is a weekend retreat with three bedrooms and ample room for entertaining.

Find out more about Red Creek Road Retreat ›

Hither Hills by Bates Masi Architects

An elevated deck with an outdoor pool defines this wooden house by Bates Masi Architects. Located in Montauk at the furthest tip of Long Island, and close to the Atlantic Ocean, the home nestles into a hillside as protection against the area's extreme winds.

Find out more about Hither Hills ›

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A micro vineyard, a rooftop garden and an abundance of artwork are among the features in an island retreat that New York architect Vibeke Lichten has created for her family.

The Eco House is located on Shelter Island, which sits between the North and South Forks of the Long Island peninsula. The small island, which has a year-round population of 2,300, is only accessible by ferry.

The house was designed by architect Vibeke Lichten's eponymous studio as a nature retreat for her family. It was constructed on a sloped one-acre (0.4-hectare) site, just above Crescent Beach. The prime location offers picturesque views of the water and the area's dramatic sunsets.

The 4,105-square-foot (381-square-metre) residence consists of a main dwelling and detached pool house, which together form an L-shaped plan. Both structures overlook a saltwater swimming pool. Outdoor terraces link the two buildings and provide opportunities for socialising and relaxing.

The home was designed to allow for optimal solar exposure in the winter and shading in the summer. Plus, westerly winds from the ocean help cool the home during warm months. These passive design features help decrease the need for heating and cooling, in turn reducing energy consumption.

The home is built of concrete – a material chosen for its "rapidity of construction, durability and ease of upkeep". Facades feature round holes that are created when formwork panels for concrete are tied into place. While often filled in, the holes were left open in order to establish an "aesthetic rhythm".

The upper portion of the pool house is partly clad in cedar boards that draw upon the local vernacular. The wood is meant to weather over time.

"Eventually the cedar will turn light grey and will add shimmer in warm hues of grey wood to complement the grey of the concrete," the team said.

The main dwelling is single storey and rectangular in plan. The two ends of the rectilinear volume contain bedrooms and a master suite. The central portion encompasses an open-plan living room, dining area and kitchen.

Sliding glass doors bring in natural light and air while offering a strong connection to the surrounding scenery. The west side of the home looks toward the water, while the east elevation faces a forest, where it is not uncommon to spot wild turkeys, deer, rabbits and even foxes.

Interior details include raw concrete walls and polished concrete flooring. The home features an abundance of artwork, much of it created by the architect, her daughter and her mother.

Additionally, the architect designed many of the home's lighting fixtures and furniture pieces, along with a series of glass display cases in the great room. Her daughter, Arielle Assouline-Lichten, founder of Slash Projects, also created contemporary decor for the dwelling. Moreover, pieces by renowned female designers such as Eileen Gray, Ray Eames and Charlotte Perriand are incorporated into the home.

Unlike the main dwelling, the pool house rises two levels. Two bedrooms occupy the top floor while a living room, kitchenette and sauna are situated on the ground floor. A lower level house a two-car garage.

The residence has a number of sustainable features, including electric car chargers, rooftop solar panels and dry wells that collect rainwater and allow it to slowly seep into the ground. On the roof, a vegetable garden provides fresh food grown by the family in the spring, summer and fall.

The property also features a micro vineyard, which lines the western front of the property and extends down to a road. The vines were brought in from California.

"The unique south/west sun exposure of this area and the sandy soil on the island should allow for the vineyard to succeed," the team said. "It will take a few years for the plants to mature, but they should eventually produce a great rose to be served on hot summer evenings."

Numerous trees were planted on the property – including maples, pines and birches – to replace those felled during construction. Grasses and lavender bushes have also been added to the verdant property.

Bluestone pavers and pebbles serve as unifying elements in the landscape. Mindful of environmental concerns, the team used porous paves for driveways and crushed bluestone for parking areas – materials that enable rainwater "to percolate and replenish the groundwater for conservation of water on the island".

While difficult to access, Shelter Island is a beloved spot for vacationers in the summer. Other projects on the island include a pool house by General Assembly, which is clad in blackened timber.

Photography is by Evan Joseph.

Project credits:

Architect: Vibeke Lichten
Structural engineers: Keystone Structural Group Inc
Civil engineer: Matt Sherman
Contractor: A2 Investment Group
Construction manager: Vibeke Lichten

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American studio Ryall Sheridan Architects has elevated this cedar-clad holiday home on New York's Long Island to allow floodwaters to pass underneath.

Wetlands House is located in the hamlet of Orient, which occupies the very tip of Long Island's North Fork. Designed as a weekend getaway for a Brooklyn couple, the three-bedroom dwelling sits on a 15-acre (six-hectare) waterfront property that was once used for growing potatoes. A third of the site is a lush tidal wetland.

The design team had several key goals, including providing a strong connection to the landscape and ensuring the house could withstand the elements, including salty sea air and coastal flooding.

In response, the team conceived an irregularly shaped dwelling made of durable materials.

A portion of the building sits atop poured-in-place concrete piers, enabling water to pass underneath, while also providing occupants with elevated views of the terrain.

"Because of the ever-increasing severity of storm surges, the owners agreed to raise the main living floor 10 feet (three metres) above the natural grade, which consequently allows for wide, unobstructed views over the protected wetlands of Peconic Bay," said Manhattan-based Ryall Sheridan Architects in a project description.

Each facade has a different look. Several exterior walls are clad in dark-stained cedar that appears black from a distance. The east-facing elevation features a glass wall that ushers in natural light and draws in the natural scenery.

The main floor of the 3,275-square-foot (304-square-metre) home is divided between public and private areas. A master suite occupies the far west end of the dwelling, while the east end encompasses a kitchen, dining area and living room. The central portion contains a media room and storage.

Extending from the south side of the home is a generous porch, which is wrapped in industrial-grade steel screens that are resistant to rust. A concrete fireplace allows the porch to be used on chilly days.

A half-flight below the main level is storage space and two guest rooms. Both rooms open onto a meadow that is raised slightly to protect the dwelling from floodwaters.

Interior finishes include Douglas fir flooring, woven sisal carpeting and walls wrapped in white-washed pine. In the kitchen, the team incorporated grey cabinetry, granite countertops and an island topped with white marble. Birch plywood millwork with blackened steel supports was incorporated in several rooms.

A subdued colour scheme was employed throughout the dwelling, with the occasional pop of vibrant hues. In the guest bathrooms, the team used bright yellow and red paints from Le Corbusier's "architectural polychromy" collection, which consist of palettes created in 1931 and 1959.

The home was designed to align with Passivhaus standards. Among the energy-saving features are triple-glazed windows, wall insulation made of eco-friendly cellulose, and a heat-recovery ventilation system. The dwelling's power needs are met by a rooftop solar array.

The property also features a detached structure containing a garage and a cabana. Nestled into the landscape is a saltwater swimming pool lined with flowering bushes. It is not uncommon to see birds, bees and butterflies fluttering around the site, due in large part to the reintroduction of native species.

"Even though most of the land was untouched by construction, the entire property was restored to a natural state by removing the invasive, non-native species and adding indigenous plants," the team said.

Just a few hours outside of Manhattan, Long Island is a favoured spot for vacation homes. Other projects on the peninsula include a dwelling by Toshihiro Oki with walls made of pale clay bricks, and the Hither Hills home by Bates Masi Architects, which consists of terraced volumes wrapped in stone and wood.

Photography is by Ty Cole at Otto.

Project credits:

Architect: Ryall Sheridan Architects (William Ryall)
Builder: Manuele Contracting (Philip Manuele)
Structural engineer: Silman (Ben Rosenberg)
Civil engineer: Cameron Engineering (Michael De Giglio)
Landscape design: Lillian Ball Studio
Lighting design: Star Lighting
Interior design: Shaker Studio
Cabinetry design: Robert Russell Design

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Clay bricks "stacked in a random pattern" create varying hues across the walls of this holiday home in Long Island, which New York-based architect Toshihiro Oki has designed for a client to host friends all year round.

The low-slung house is located in the Long Island village of Bellport and overlooks Bellport Bay.

Toshihiro Oki chose clay bricks for their durability against the salty ocean air, as well as the freezing and thawing cycles that take place during the area's winters.

The earthen slabs slightly differ in tone so that when stacked together, they offer subtle colour changes across the facade.

"The bricks are stacked in a random pattern to break its rigidity and give a more fluid feel to its clay materiality," said Toshihiro Oki in a project statement.

Like many other properties in Long Island – a popular getaway for New Yorkers – the 4,800-square-foot (446-square-metre) Bellport House is a weekend retreat. Toshihiro Oki's client however also wanted space to host plenty of their friends.

"They entertain guests throughout the year, so someone is always staying there," the firm added.

The firm has linked together a series of brick volumes to form the property and mark out different functions.

Two offset longitudinal volumes contain the home's five bedrooms and meet at a central point, which contains the main social spaces.

Four of the bedrooms are located on the ground floor, with an additional bedroom perched on the level above.

The upstairs suite enjoys its own terrace with an elevated view of the landscape surrounding the home and waterfront beyond.

All of the bedrooms have doors that open to the exterior, providing guests with the option of stepping outside without passing through the home.

The owner's master suite, meanwhile, is located in a separate volume at the western end and is connected to the main home via a glazed breezeway.

Entry to the residence leads into a foyer, which has floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking the ocean.

Additional views of the landscaped property and the shore beyond are provided by expansive glass walls throughout the property. "Large sliding glass doors open these areas out to the exterior, allowing people to flow easily between inside and outside," said the firm.

"As people pass by in boats, or birds fly by and the tide changes, the activity of the waterway is on full display from the house."

Off to one side of the foyer is the open-plan living and dining area. Guests can gather here in a sunken lounge overlooking the water, which is separated from the dining room by a two-sided fireplace.

The dining room is adjacent to a library, which is more enclosed for a private study.

The kitchen is in a separate room, but also opens onto the back yard, with access to the swimming pool. A large stainless steel counter provides plenty of workspace for hosting gatherings.

Apart from large glass walls, skylights also brighten the interior spaces, and which are finished in light materials such as natural wood and white plaster.

Heated travertine floors run throughout and help provide thermal comfort during the region's harsh winters.

Other vacation homes on Long Island include a home overlooking the nearby Peconic Bay by Marvel Architects and a modernist home clad in weathered wood planks and topped with a swimming pool by Bates Masi Architects.

Photography is by Dean Kaufman.

Project credits:

Architect: Toshihiro Oki architect
Design team: Toshihiro Oki, Jared Diganci, Jen Wood, Carolina Ihle
Structural and mechanical engineer: Condon Engineering, P.C.

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Terraced volumes wrapped in stone and wood form a weekend dwelling by Bates Masi Architects on the eastern tip of New York's Long Island.

Designed to have strong ties to nature, the Hither Hills house serves as a retreat for urban dwellers. The home is located in the village of Montauk, within a planned beach community dotted with small lots.

Built on a steep property, the 3,355-square-foot (312 square metres) dwelling has multiple levels arranged in a terraced formation.

"The property lacked a level ground plane that would accommodate the typical flush relationship between a house and its yard," said locally based Bates Masi Architects in a project description.

"By nesting the house's volumes into the hillside and stepping them into six distinct levels, the spaces contained within seamlessly connect to the landscape," it added.

To support the stepped composition, a large portion of the project budget was devoted to earthwork and site infrastructure. Integrated into the site are several retaining walls made of bluestone, which step back with the natural grade and run parallel to the shoreline.

"The bluestone walls' joints run vertically, expressive of their insertion into the earth and supportive structural role," the studio said.

The bluestone walls, along with ageing wood and large stretches of glass, form the facades of the home. Mahogany, which will weather over time, forms the exterior decking and stairs.

"A refined palette of materials is articulated to enhance the effects of nature and harmonise with the landscape," the architects added.

The home has an "upside-down" plan, with public spaces placed on the top level and bedrooms situated below. The upper level opens onto a terrace that steps down to a swimming pool, which is set on a patch of land that required no levelling.

Throughout the dwelling, large openings are intended to strengthen the connection to the landscape. The open-plan kitchen and living room features a retractable glass wall, which ushers in sunlight and ocean breezes, while also delivering views of the sea.

In the kitchen, an elongated skylight is covered with oak louvres on canvas hinges. The louvres gently sway in the wind, "casting dynamic patterns of light and providing cooling shade much like a tree's canopy", according to the team.

"Lightweight curtains activate similarly under the effects of natural light and air, rendering the intangible tangible," it added.

The home is fitted with contemporary decor, white walls and wooden flooring. A neutral colour palette helps establish a serene and earthy atmosphere.

"By integrating the house with its terrain and animating its details to enhance appreciation of the environment, this carefully positioned and developed design provides a vibrant sensory immersion in nature on a challenging site," Bates Masi Architects said.

"For owners and visitors alike a stay in the home is both rejuvenating and enriching."

Based in East Hampton, Bates Masi Architects has an extensive portfolio of modern homes on Long Island, many of which take cues from vernacular architecture. For example, its Georgica Cove residence is modelled after historic farmsteads, while its Underhill residence features simple forms and materials that were informed by a Quaker settlement.

Photography is by Bates Masi Architects.

Project credits:

Architect: Bates Masi Architects
Contractor: K Romeo Inc

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