Wanting to maximize space, the client initially requested a six-bedroom, two-story single family home. Realizing that an elevated view would expose the upper floor to the Montauk Highway. So, instead of building up, they decided to build out, producing a ranch-style house complete with exposed beams, double height vaulted ceilings, and spacious public and private space, all situated within a 5,5000 square-foot L-shaped layout.

The aim was to evoke an intelligent design that at once mitigates the proximity to the highway by creating natural barriers and built barriers between the inviting lawn and the road, while minimizing the sight and presence of cars passing by. Between the road and the property line a hundred feet of a little reserve provide a sense of boundary, a section of lush vegetation that creates a thick and visually textured wall of privacy from the main highway.

To avoid a formulaic design where cost-effective decisions compromise long term livability and charm, wall-to-ceiling windows were placed to frame the backyard view since the house was oriented to the pool—like a reflection pond flowing out of the living room, a chic and private threshold with seamless indoor to outdoor passage. The length of the house along the highway acts as a sound-blocking wall for potential future parties either at the residence or nearby; an element borrowed from a previous project with the same client. An open floor plan is framed by hallways and intuitive foot paths as one room flows into another, linking recessed outdoor patio to kitchen nook to formal dining room. Bathrooms are sleek but earthy, offering a cozy but atmospheric enclave. Overall, spacious but restrained interiors with broad wall- windows give way to glowing natural light and open breezeways punctuating the house’s flow with green space.