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Architects: BMA Architects
- Area: 17000 ft²
- Year: 2016
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Photographs:William Waldron
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Manufacturers: Dornbracht, Miele, Blanco, Connecticut Stone, Pantheon Light, Poliform, Waterworks
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Lighting: Orsman Design, Nathan Orsman
Text description provided by the architects. Designed by BMA Architects with interiors by Purvi Padia Design, this 17,000 square foot family compound is located on a flat, four-and-a-half-acre flag lot in the Hamptons with views of Sagg Pond. It was conceived of as a ‘garden wall’ in that the landscape connects agrarian inspired ‘outbuildings.’ The garden wall comprises the main entrance to the house, as well as the living and dining rooms. The outbuildings contain a family wing, guest wing, game room, pool house, and freestanding garage.
The design explores the contrasts of rustic and luxury, casual with formal, modern versus traditional. This dichotomy begins at the approach and drive under an alley of trees, through a meadow of native grasses. The contrast notably is present in the palette of exterior materials, inspired by longstanding construction techniques being utilized on simple gabled roofed structures, and yet the compositions of these materials form very modern buildings. Major materials are simple and classic– cedar wood, stone and glass, and occur inside and out.
Another contrast occurs– this by foot, along a stone path appearing to float across a large reflecting pool to the main entry. To create a resort-like feel, BMA Architects designed the main entry as a tall ‘lobby,’ which during summer months remains open from front to back, with entry doors located on both the living room and guest wing sides of the house. As the months' progress to more inclement weather, these doors are tucked into pockets and the previously unused doors at the front and rear openings are then closed, organizing the house into a more traditional sequence.
The formal living and dining room that occupy the garden wall take advantage of a one and half story glass curtain wall on both sides and are only interrupted by stone piers. A cedar clad roof cantilevers and appears to float above the glass and stone structure below, supported only by a few columns, hidden inside the space. Outdoor spaces such as a screened dining pavilion, a terraced lounge, a seating area under a bosque, and the pool and spa link spaces between the outbuildings, while connecting interior spaces to the landscape.
