Subtly and sensitively celebrates its location.
Clinging to the very tip of the southern fork of Long Island, Montauk has a particular, rugged and informal charm, quite a different character from its manicured neighbours in The Hamptons, and it always seems more real and more alive. It was this particular spirit – the ‘genius loci’ – that formed a key point of inspiration for a modern Montauk home designed by Bates Masi Architects.
Principals Harry Bates and Paul Masi know this part of the world intimately and have based their practice – and much of their work – in the area for many years. So when it came to designing a new home up on a hillside within the grounds of a former horse ranch, Bates Masi was well placed to formulate a considered and sensitive response.
“We kept talking about a sense of place,” says Paul. “Every time we talked about the house this idea kept resurfacing. There is this very unexpected feeling to the area as a whole and that was the premise of the project: exploring this unique character that separates Montauk from The Hamptons.”
This journey of exploration fused a number of different elements. Above all, there was a response to the beauty of the site itself and its rugged topography, with the house pushed gently into the hillside. This helps reduce the outward appearance of the building and its impact on the landscape, while placing all the main living spaces and the family bedrooms on the upper level means that the best views are both captured and enhanced. From this elevated position on the hillside, the vista encompasses the waters of Lake Montauk, Gardiners Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, with boats crisscrossing the stretches of blue. Together with the big open skies and the tranquil surroundings, it makes the perfect spot for an escapist retreat.
At the same time, although the house is relatively large at 650 square metres, the architects were keen to further reduce the visual statement of the building by dividing the structure into two distinct parts connected by a bridge at the upper level. This lends the house a welcome degree of modesty, with all the service spaces, garaging, guest quarters and a gym on the lower level, while an entry courtyard separates the two distinct wings of the building.
“From a distance the house looks like a bungalow and doesn’t jump out at you,” says Paul. “Then you come closer and see that it is something more elaborate. That’s a reflection of Montauk itself – at first appearance it may seem like everywhere else on Long Island but as you get into it there’s a lot of depth.”
There is also a particular approach to the use of materials, reinterpreting vernacular references such as the timber shingles but within a contemporary aesthetic and a crisp modern form. The pitched roof, too, echoes the traditional buildings of the region but is given a literal and metaphorical twist.
“All the materials were chosen because of the location of the house and the kinds of things that are used out here on Long Island, like the shingles and the oak,” says Harry Bates. “We treated the oak that we used for the ceilings inside so that it looked weathered when it went up, and the floors are oak too. We kept the palette of materials to a minimum, which is important in any job that we do. Really the decoration is on the outside – the view and outside living is so much a part of the house.”
The family can use the upper level as a self-contained home within a home, with the main living spaces, including the kitchen, forming an open-plan zone at one end of the building, bordered by terraces and decks that help dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside living. The bridge of glass – coated in tapered cedar boards that act as a brise soleil – contains a study plus two elevated decks offering viewing platforms with spectacular views. Across the bridge lies the more private realm of the children’s bedrooms plus the master suite, all with private decks of their own.
A swimming pool and poolhouse are also placed carefully on the hillside, set slightly apart from the main house. From certain angles, the infinity pool seems to blur with the waters of Lake Montauk. The setting is everything here and all the landscaping was achieved with a light touch using indigenous planting. The results are accomplished, subtle and satisfying. It feels like a world away from some of the brash Mcmansions just a few miles back along the coast.