On an infill lot in a residential neighborhood of Sarasota, the Bougainvillea House stretches gently outward to fill its site, its asymmetrical floor plan subtly referencing the 1940s Art Moderne home whose place it occupies. A series of interior and exterior spaces — solids and voids — define the spatial sequence, which includes a two-story detached studio that we renovated and incorporated into the overall design for the house.  

This studio comes together with the main house to three-dimensionally carve out an exterior space that houses a lap pool, connected to the front yard by a thread of large concrete pavers. Inside the main house, a double-height living space reaches upward toward a second-story den, where a glass-lined corner lets northern light in and creates a perfect treetop-height perch.

This glass corner is one of many Art Moderne-inspired details in the home. Streamlined forms, smooth surfaces and porthole windows complete the reference to the history of the site. On the second story, a deep window carved into the facade focuses the view outward, its cerulean blue head, jambs and sill casting a calming glow.

A simple, pared-back material palette backdrops these special moments. In the main space, a deep gray polished concrete floor gives the space a sense of warm depth, while a ceiling of golden wood leads the eye upward as it wraps around the depth of the second floor, creating a cohesive space as reverent of the past as it is forward-looking.