Millbrook, Upstate NY [USA] 2015

Few recognized that a most striking fact about the New World was its baffling hospitality to radically opposed interpretations. If America seemed to promise evertyhing that men always wanted, it also threatened to obliterate much of what they already had achieved. 

Leo Marx, The Machine in the Garden

Design Concept 

This design transforms an Upper East Side apartment's layout into a home that responds to the site's slope, with cascading spaces from social areas to private retreats divided by a service band. It offers an alternative living arrangement adapted to the landscape, meeting both visual and functional needs.

The design shifts from a transversal to a longitudinal layout, using the slope to create cascading spaces that move from social to private areas. A central band of services, furniture, and structure temporarily separates the home's continuous interior from open circulation.

The house guides residents through sequential spaces, starting from The Nutrition Lab_—which redefines the traditional kitchen—to The Self_, a private area for rest, body care, and meditation. Between these zones are relaxed social areas for gathering and discussion. All spaces are unified by views of the Hudson Valley, grounding the home in its natural environment.

Continuity

The house is designed for uninterrupted visual and spatial flow, with all rooms able to open at once. By connecting different areas, it creates a unified space defined by varied heights, atmospheres, objects, and views.

The plan’s porosity extends in all directions, allowing the house’s layout to merge with the landscape and create a continuous experience that peaks at the hilltop. The roof appears to float above a lively scene of lights, social events, and informal gatherings.