Shore House

Northaven, NY, USA

Photo © Scott Frances

Architects: Leroy Street Studio Architecture

Location: Northaven, NY, USA
Year: 2015

This home is partially sunken into a bluff where a wooded site meets the ocean. The living spaces within span the overlap between the forest and water’s edge -- form and detail exploring the tension between the natural and the man-made.

From afar, the house is an abstract cedar-clad facade, the wood charred to match the color of surrounding tree bark. However, upon approach a cut in the earth clearly provides entry to a glass-enclosed court with sweeping water views.

On this lower level, windows slide to combine interior and exterior spaces for large gatherings, and the center structural core acts as is a large exterior hearth. Sheltering these public spaces is the singular black volume which contains bedrooms and quiet spaces for solitude.

A sense of intimacy is created with nook-like rooms, hand-worked details and a raw materiality-- a counterpoint to the expansive glazing and crisp lines. Assuming the roles of interior designer and builder allowed the architect to refine framed views, and incorporate careful punctuations of color and texture.