The challenge for this 7,500 square foot home on a two acre, waterfront lot in North Haven was to create a design that would take full advantage of the views across Sag Harbor to the southeast, while drawing late day sun through the house and onto multiple outdoor entertaining spaces as long as possible. Blaze Makoid Architecture achieved this by creating a glass cube at the center of the home that serves as the living room and affords views from the driveway straight through to the bay. For a low-maintenance exterior, Makoid used teak as a soft, but durable material that ages well and creates a casual, beachy look. He selected limestone with a matte powdered finish, rather than a veined look. The limestone was sliced and laminated repeatedly, allowing for a flexible material which exceeds the area’s hurricane codes.

Entry to the house is gained by passing under a second floor bedroom wing – the ceremonial ‘threshold’ – into an open air courtyard, at which point the first views through a 1 ½ story glass great room reveal the patio spaces, pool and the harbor beyond. Inside the home, Makoid designed the private spaces to be secluded, and the public spaces to be grand and open. For privacy and to allow natural light inside, Makoid employed slats of rich teak over some of the windows for a screened effect, playing with the spacing of the louvers, allowing the outside to be seen from inside, but not vice versa. The screens create a beautiful effect indoors, with soft light bouncing off the walls. A roof deck and outdoor fireplace over the one story wing allows for late day/early evening sunsets without interrupting views from any second floor spaces.

The 8 bedroom, eight and a half bath house includes a gym, office, family room and multiple outdoor spaces and is clad in a combination of limestone panels, mahogany and glass.The covered outdoor living room, replete with a television, heater and fireplace for a chilly evening, are just some of the resort-like amenities.

Photographer: “Photographer Joshua McHugh.”