Located in an established Nassau County, New York, beach community, this 3,600 sf, 3-story house was designed for a family of four moving out of New York City. Traditionally, its neighborhood was filled with 1930s art deco and Tudor-style homes, which have been steadily disappearing in favor of “McMansions.” Recognizing the village’s historical context, the client was interested in a home with a modernist aesthetic that fit the scale and proportions of the original residence it replaced.

BFA deployed a palette of modern materials including white stucco, black slate, glass, and steel to create a geometric, energy-efficient house with clean details. The home has three distinctive facades. The narrow street facade, with an asymmetrical slot and a single porthole window, was designed for privacy. Inside, the spacious, loft-like living area opens through floor-to-ceiling glass to the side garden, where mature trees were preserved. A glazed stairwell leads to the second floor, where four bedrooms and three baths are efficiently laid out along a skylit hallway, and up to a roof terrace with panoramic ocean views.