In the early days of the response to COVID-19, we witnessed the sudden reversal of densification trends in New York City. Lockdowns intensified the sometimes claustrophobic feeling of apartment living, just as people discovered the appeal of small towns just a short train ride away.
Within this context, we conceptualized a spec house, aimed at a specific type of family that was emerging from this shift – relatively young and wealthy, able to work remotely on most days, valuing access to nature and inclusion in a local community.
The Hudson Valley offers inexpensive plots, often with incredible views of forested hills. Small affluent towns dot the region, with excellent restaurants, cultural institutions, and farmers markets. Rail connections to the city are plentiful and maintained. It was perfect for what we were trying to do.
We have designed and built a house that sits at the high point of a ten-acre lot, overlooking a rapid downslope towards a valley creek. Conceived for a young family, the roughly 3,000 SF house has four bedrooms, two living rooms, and a home office. The architectural language is modernist, with clean lines and discernable volumes neatly stacked. Materials are used honestly, selected to complement the house’s location.
Tree clearing was minimized, to protect the site’s existing character and to maximize the presence of the forest. Five outdoor spaces were designed, each with unique qualities: an upper deck for entertaining; a lower deck for lounging; a lawn for games; a sun-drenched garden; and a tree-lined swimming pool. Varied in their relationship to the house and to the horizon, each connects in unique ways to the surrounding forest that serves as their backdrop.
Within the house, rooms are arranged to draw in distinct views through panoramic windows. Upon entry, an expansive living room offers elevated views of unadulterated nature, floating above the tree line to overlook forested hills in three directions. Bedrooms are arranged on corners of the house’s two floors, facing different directions to provide private and unique views of the forest floor. Bathrooms have windows, carefully located to afford privacy while allowing views.
The house is carefully oriented for the kitchen and dining room to receive morning light, and for the garden and lawn to receive evening light. The bedrooms and lower deck are south-facing, lit naturally throughout the day. Residents will be immersed in the passing of time over the course of days and seasons.
If one of our primary goals was to make the house feel ensconced in nature, the other was to make it viable to maintain a cosmopolitan lifestyle in relative seclusion. The two living rooms and two outdoor decks offer ample space for socializing. Including the office, the house has five spaces suitable for remote work, giving the family variety and separation. Spaces are connected, but distinct, allowing for multiple simultaneous activities to occur in the house without disturbance.