You are on page 1of 12

EXTENSIONS | RENOVATIONS | SELF-BUILDS | SMALL PROJECTS | INTERIORS

GRAND February 2019 £4.40

DESIGNS
MAKE 2019
THE YEAR TO START
YOUR DREAM
PROJECT
TV HOUSE EXCLUSIVE
GAIN EXTRA
‘We built a home to protect SPACE & LIGHT
our family’s health’ SIDE-RETURN
Unique allergen-free house EXTENSIONS

BUILT-IN
NEW YEAR, LIGHTING IDEAS

NEW KITCHEN!
Design ideas for GLAZING
cabinets and more SOLUTIONS
SHOWER & TAPS
BUYER’S GUIDE

HOW TO BUY A PLOT ONLINE


PLUS MORE WAYS
TO FIND YOUR
SELF-BUILD SITE

10 INSPIRING

RENOVATION PROJECTS
EDWARDIAN EXTENSION • MODERNISED TOWNHOUSE • VICTORIAN REFURB • UPDATED APARTMENT
Of form and
function
This low-level house is a design masterclass
in clean lines and geometric shapes
WORDS JULIET BENNING
PHOTOGR APHY COSTAS PICADAS

IN BRIEF

NAMES Bryan Young and
Marina Vidal-Young
AGES Mid-forties
LOCATION Westhampton, New York
TYPE OF PROPERTY
Single-storey family home
BEDROOMS 4
BATHROOMS 3, plus cloakroom
PROJECT STARTED Autumn 2014
PROJECT FINISHED Summer 2015
SIZE 195sqm

54 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM


HOMES AMERICA

With a long, horizontal


profile, the house
is built on a concrete
plinth raising it out
of the flood zone

MAGAZINE.COM / FEBRUARY 2019 55


HOMES AMERICA

W
hen recounting the story of how his As if paying respect to the burnt remains of the ranch
Westhampton, New York home came house, Bryan opted for a charred cypress wood cladding
into being, architect Bryan Young for the exterior. The process, known as shou sugi ban, is a
appears remarkably cool considering Japanese technique for preserving wood by charring it with
the circumstances. ‘We were fire. ‘The finish is low-maintenance so you don’t have to
renovating our 1960s ranch house when it was destroyed re-stain it every few years. And although it’s dark, it brings
in a fire. Thankfully, there were no personal belongings a tactile quality to the grain of the wood,’ explains Bryan.
lost and no one was hurt. All things considered, we were Towards the rear of the property, to define the outdoor
very grateful that it wasn’t more serious.’ dining area, and to offer relief from the dark cladding,
Turning a tragedy into a triumph, Bryan and his natural cedar wood brings warmth to the scheme.
wife Marina built a new home from scratch that was Entrusting his vision to the project contractor, Vital
perfectly tailored to their needs. ‘We used the foundations Habitats, Bryan was a regular visitor to the site, creating
of the original house as a starting point,’ says Bryan. a collaborative relationship. ‘Many of the details were
‘They amounted to about 75 per cent of the new resolved after we started construction, which allowed
property’s footprint. It was an interesting parameter to
be working within.’ The concrete base, built to raise the
property out of the flood zone, became an important
design element, prompting the long horizontal envelope
of the architecture. Grass was laid on the slope up to
this plinth to give a curving shape to the landscape.

‘We used the


foundations of
the original house
as a starting point’

The ceiling height at the


front of the house is lower,
prompting more intimate
spaces such as the family
room. The mass of the
dividing wall, painted in
Benjamin Moore’s stormy
sky, emphasises the
incline of the ceiling

56 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM


The centre of the house
acts as a free-flowing space
that is perfect for family
gatherings. From here two
wings, north and south,
separate the bedrooms

F L O O R PL A N

EN SUITE

LIVING ROOM MAIN BEDROOM

BEDROOM

BEDROOM

KITCHEN
LIVING/DINING ROOM
BATHROOM
BEDROOM
EN SUITE

POOL

MAGAZINE.COM / FEBRUARY 2019 57


58 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM
HOMES AMERICA

Bryan used cast


aluminium panels to
create an artwork
for the living room

us to work really quickly,’ Bryan recalls. Although the


project was started in autumn 2014, faced with a bitter
winter, the majority of the work was completed in a swift
four months between April and July the following year.
‘It was a smaller project than my architectural studio
usually handles, so we were well-equipped to deal with it
from a technical perspective,’ Bryan says. The planning
process also ran smoothly with the local design review
board approving the drawings with no amendments. ‘It’s a
unique house in comparison to neighbouring properties but
I think it also fits into its context and is widely appreciated.’
Working with a tight budget, the priority was for an
efficient use of space. In spite of being single-storey, a series
of ceiling level changes gaining height towards the rear
of the house have created large internal spaces, which
direct the view towards the pool and the deck. The wall
height at the front door is 2.4 metres climbing to 3.6 metres
at the back of the central atrium, allowing the spaces to
shift in mood from intimate to more lofty and formal as
you pass northwards through the property.
The floor plan is arranged with the centre of the house
The contemporary as its heart; a wing of three guest bedrooms is found to the
space is filled with north and the main bedroom and bathroom are to the
mid-century furniture south. ‘It creates a sense of privacy between our rooms and
against a backdrop
of white walls and the guest bedrooms,’ Bryan explains. ‘Everybody comes to
a pale wood floor the middle of the house to meet, dine and live together, and
that space spills out into the garden.’

MAGAZINE.COM / FEBRUARY 2019 59


HOMES AMERICA

‘It’s a unique house


in comparison to
neighbouring
properties but it also
fits into its context’

The property, including the swimming pool, is by Bocci and Muuto. ‘The house has a mid-century The dining area has
environmentally friendly. The pool is heated via solar modern feel, although the ceiling and roof geometry is views of the pool
and outdoor spaces
panels, which take advantage of the roof’s sloping pitch. more modern,’ says Bryan. ‘It’s a good line to straddle in through two full-
Spray foam insulation within the roof and walls make terms of being both welcoming and contemporary.’ height windows
the house efficient at retaining heat, while carefully The four bedrooms make it possible for Bryan and his
positioned windows maximise thermal gain. The sliding partner Marina to host another two families, which they
glass panels look south and the length of the roof’s do frequently throughout the summer weekends, and being
overhang shades the summer sun when it’s higher in the situated in the west of The Hamptons, the house is easily
sky, and captures all of the winter sun when it’s lower. accessible from the centre of New York. ‘It has offered us
The uncluttered, contemporary interior is filled with a way to escape the intensity of the city, where we live in a
a collection of stylish vintage furniture and old film small apartment,’ says Bryan. ‘It’s a major part of our lives
posters, alongside the occasional statement light fitting and we feel so fortunate to have it.’

60 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM


HOMES AMERICA

The kitchen, with its


teak cabinets, brings
warmth to the white
scheme and offers
contrast to the oak
flooring, which has
a light whitewash
HOMES AMERICA
Guest bedrooms have
been kept relatively small
so there is more space
for communal areas
A clean, white decor
for all the bathrooms
ensures they are
low-maintenance

S U PPL I E R S

PROJECT TEAM Bathroom plumbing fixtures Dornbracht
Architect Young Projects (+49 2371 4330; dornbracht.com),
(+1 718 330 9101; young-projects.com) Hansgrohe (01372 472 056; hansgrohe.co.uk)
Structural engineer Silman and Kohler (kohler.co.uk)
(+1 212 620 7970; silman.com) Dining table chandelier pendant light
Contractor Vital Habitats Bocci (07794 587 325; bocci.ca)
(+1 631 537 8287; vitalhabitats.com) Kitchen island drop light DWR
MEP Engineer Engineering Solutions (+1 203 614 0600; dwr.com)
(+1 212 840 1030; engsolu.com) Bedroom pendant light Muuto
(+45 3296 9899; muuto.com)
STRUCTURE
Windows Arcadia (arcadiacustom.com) FURNITURE & ACCESSORIES
Doors Arcadia (arcadiacustom.com) and Tre-Piu Dining chairs Vintage Eames (eames.com)
(+1 786 570 6867; trep-trepiu.com) Exterior zinc dining table Arxe
Cladding (+1 512 385 1812; deltamillworks.com) (+34 629 544 677; arxe.info)
Exterior dining chairs
FIXTURES & FITTINGS Vintage Eames (eames.com)
Kitchen appliances Miele Sculptura living-room wire chairs Woodard
(0330 160 6600; miele.co.uk) (+1 800 877 2290; woodard-furniture.com)
Bathrooms are fitted Kitchen sink Elkay (+1 630 574 8484; elkay.com) Sofa CB2 (+1 630 388 4555; cb2.com)
with inward-opening
Kitchen woodwork Henrybuilt (henrybuilt.com) Large scale wall art in living room
hopper windows
for ventilation Kitchen tap Kohler (kohler.co.uk) Cast aluminium panels by Bryan Young

62 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM


‘Many of the details
were resolved after we
started construction,
which allowed us to
work really quickly’

The main bedroom is


separated from the rest
of the house in its own
south-facing wing.
It is bounded on three
sides by large windows,
one of which leads to
an exterior shower

MAGAZINE.COM / FEBRUARY 2019 63


HOMES AMERICA

The roof’s overhang shades the


summer sun when it’s higher
in the sky, and captures all of
the winter sun when it’s lower

Lighting, built into the


rendered underside
of the overhang,
illuminates the decking
and pool at night

64 FEBRUARY 2019 / MAGAZINE.COM

You might also like