Step inside this Sag Harbor house, where strategic views ‘blow everyone’s mind’
Meadowlark, a Sag Harbor house by Garnett.DePasquale, becomes a dreamy family countryside retreat through a series of strategic, minimalist moves
This subtly minimalist Sag Harbor house was born out of serendipity. The clients were looking for a practice to build their holiday retreat in the dynamic town close to the Hamptons. They were introduced to architect Peter DePasquale of Garnett.DePasquale Projects, and hearing he had worked with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects for years earlier in his career - a studio familiar to them and which they admired - everything clicked into place.
Garnett.DePasquale Sag Harbor house
The couple commissioned the bourgeoining young studio, founded by Pete and his wife Becky Garnett, off the back of this connection, and the trust it brought. They were not wrong to do so. The resulting elegant home, titled Meadowlark, is proof of that.
The house took four years to complete, and 'started with something that looked like a faux whaling museum,' DePasquale says. The design naturally evolved from there, and developed into the final iteration - a single, large box, clad in stained cedar and nodding to minimalist and modernist architecture, infused with its authors' warm sensitivity and contemporary sensibilities.
The brief asked for a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house, placed in a relatively tight plot, but that didn't stop the dynamic architecture pair. 'There was a lot of investigation into how stairs could work, how we could make the floor plates make sense,' Garnett says
Privacy was a key requirement for the clients too, and responding to that the architects crafted a more opaque, 'quiet' facade towards the street side, which opens up to the garden and swimming pool towards the rear. This openness bring the interior at one with the outdoors effortlessly at any hour of the day, but it can be tempered with floor to ceiling curtains if needed.
This series of simple yet impactful moves defines the pared down, gentle nature of Meadowlark. Colour softens the minimalism inside, with green hues added through different elements throughout the ground level.
At the same time, carefully framed vistas, both through the interiors and out towards the greenery, are what make this the dreamy, but also highly functional countryside retreat that this Sag Harbor house is. 'Pete’s focus was on orienting and reorienting one’s views,' Garnett says. 'It blows everyone’s mind.'
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Ora-ïto transforms the Renault 17 into a futuristic yet retro-tinged vision
The R17 electric restomod x Ora-ïto is the fourth in Renault's series of designer-led reimaginings of iconic models from its past. We think it's the best of the lot
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
First Look: a domestic idyll by Lucy Stark and Fabien Cappello at the Blunk Space
Inspired by the life and times at JB Blunk's haven of a house in Inverness, a new exhibition of paintings and objects has us dreaming of California
By Hugo Macdonald Published
-
Food writer, Tamar Adler on her perfect restaurant experience
Guest editor Laila Gohar has asked friends and creatives to share their perfect restaurant experience. Here, chef and food writer, Tamar Adler recounts a momentous meal for a happy occasion
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Clive Lonstein’s Manhattan home is a warm minimalist space brimming with texture
Designer Clive Lonstein elevates his carefully curated Manhattan home with rich textures and fabrics
By Alfredo Mineo Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
‘Architecture is about shaping environments that enhance human experiences,’ says Büro Koray Duman
Büro Koray Duman, a young USA practice, features in the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Montana’s Tippet Rise debuts Geode, its latest acoustically optimised outdoor music venue
The new Arup-designed pavilion at Tippet Rise amplifies live and recorded classical music performances from deep within the expansive Montana sculpture park
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Tour the Wavelet House, a light-filled California family home that ripples with drama
The Wavelet House, a California family home by Fougeron Architecture, envelops a rich array of internal spaces beneath a dramatic and sculptural roof form
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
This Florida house is devoted to light, art and views
A new Florida house, in Boca Raton, by architects Choeff Levy Fischman and interior designer Deborah Wecselman, has been shaped around an art collection
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
AD-WO's 21st-century take on residential work blends colour and climate
The Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024 includes AD-WO, a young USA architecture practice
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
'American Modern' surveys the 'total community' modernist project that was Columbus, Indiana
'American Modern', a new publication zooming in on the lesser-known architectural gems of Columbus, Indiana, and their impact, is out this month
By Adrian Madlener Published