This project consisted of a complete renovation of a house located in a historic neighborhood. The original 1940’s house suffered an unfortunate addition in the 1980's. The main goals of the project were to restore the homes 1940's vocabulary on the exterior while transforming the interiors to bring more light and provide a better connection with a fantastic backyard. A simple material palette was used to maintain a balance between the traditional aspects of the original house and the modern updates.
The architects made subtle changes to the front door and entry landscape, and concentrated on transforming the confined and dark interiors to bring in more light and establish a better connection with the outside. In the existing house, the backyard views were blocked by a heavy fireplace, small windows with thick mullions. This sense of disjuncture was also present at the existing rear yard where a fenced-in pool, brick terrace and roofed arcade served to divide rather than unify the landscape.
Responding to these spatial liabilities, the architects opened the backyard by shifting the new lap pool to the side and aligning it with the new sliding glass doors of the den. The re-alignment in conjunction with a new largely transparent rear façade then created the opportunity for multiple points of prospect between interior spaces and outdoor zones, blurring the line between the two.
The existing garage was also remodeled to include on the upper level a fully equipped gym, bathroom, and guest bedroom. The strategic additions and subtractions to this project allowed the thoughtful recapturing of outdoor spaces: a courtyard with a fountain off the living room, a terrace off the gym, an outdoor living room with a cooking area, fireplace and projection screen behind the garage and a sunbathing deck off the den.
A Sol Lewitt sculpture, visible from the main rooms of the house, increases the depth of the yard and provides a crisp and geometric focal point.
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