Hither Hills in Montauk sits at the furthest end of Long Island, blissfully removed from the stresses of urban life and open towards the calming expanses of the ocean. It is here, in an idyllic, sloped site facing the water, that New York architect Robert Young was called upon to create a holiday home for a family living in the city. The result is a unmistakably contemporary, but open and relaxing retreat that appears to cascade into its green surrounds.
A Hither Hills house embedded in its context
Embedding the structure into the site, the architects worked with charred Shou-Sugi-Ban timber exteriors, broken down in smaller, rectangular volumes to better fit into their natural surroundings. This way, the home's generous size, spanning three levels, is cleverly concealed from the street frontage – where the Hither Hills house presents as a fairly low-slung, single-storey pavilion. At the same time, with this material palette, the team nods to the wider region's local vernacular of timber structures – and a green roof helps it all merge further into the landscape.
Young, whose practice has offices in New York and nearby Montauk, worked with design specialist Meyer Davis on the interiors. The relationship between inside and outside is emphasised through the journey into the retreat by clean surfaces and large openings that draw the eye towards the green vistas and the blue waters beyond. The facade's Delta Millworks darkened natural cedar cladding is swapped for minimalist white walls inside, complemented by dark accents and contemporary furniture throughout in this welcoming and site-specific year-round family getaway.
-
Waiting for Ideas have recast the turntable as a minimal aluminium altar for vinyl worshipThe PP-1 turntable is an ultra-minimal, all-aluminium record player designed to enhance the vinyl experience
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with an all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Rebuilding LA: Altadena architects talk after the fireA discussion with Altadena’s architects about bringing a devastated Los Angeles back to life after the January 2025 fires launches our ‘Rebuilding LA’ series
-
This narrow home in San Francisco is a modern take on treehouse livingIn San Francisco, a narrow home by Dumican Mosey Architects, Dolores Heights House, is a demonstration of how to make the most of an awkward plot, creating an expansive home overlooking the trees
-
This Rocky Mountains house is a ski-lover's dream escapeBozeman, a Rocky Mountains house by Pearson Design Group and Frederick Tang Architecture, is a contemporary retreat that sits low in its natural, Montana setting
-
Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism WeekNew book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond
-
A wavy roof tops this sophisticated take on a backyard cabin in CaliforniaThis Californian Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) by Spiegel Aihara Workshop (SAW), offers an aesthetic and functional answer to housing shortages and multigenerational family living
-
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025: let the desert architecture party beginPalm Springs Modernism Week 2025 launches on 13 February, marking the popular annual desert event’s 20th anniversary, celebrated this year through more midcentury marvels than ever
-
On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreatDekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
-
The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to knowWe profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
