The 12,000sqft Southampton Beach House is located on a narrow peninsula with water on both sides of it. The Atlantic Ocean is to the southeast and the Shinnecock Bay is to the northwest, this posed some interesting challenges for Alexander Gorlin Architects when designing the home. The architects wanted to take advantage of both views and one of the ways in which they accomplished this was through a large rooftop deck featuring an outdoor fireplace. With the addition of the fireplace, the homeowners can stay cozy and warm while enjoying the 360-degree vistas day or night.
Four symmetrically placed stone pillars anchor the home to the land and from these pillars the home expands in each direction. Comprised of an exterior cladding of teak and sand coloured limestone, the various geometric volumes of the home are broken up into light and dark sections, reducing the overall mass of the building.
The street leads up to an open parking area that is shielded from the front of the home by a long linear row of hedges. A walkway leads from the parking, past the hedge and finally to the glass front entrance hidden from the street by a void in the facade.
The wall of glazing that wraps the entry offers a zigzag view of the stairwell as it winds its way to the rooftop deck and a triangular projection above the roofline betrays the location of the deck’s entrance.
The walkway to the front entrance is designed to employ both a horizontal and a vertical plane and the overhangs on the teak section of the 2nd storey further emphasize the geometrical composition.
The back of the home has a small hill that conceals the lower volume, creating privacy from boats passing by. This ground level houses the garage, guest rooms and media/game room as well as an elevated walkway that leads down to the beach.
The 2nd storey of the home opens up to a large poolside terrace and from here friends and family can enjoy the sweeping ocean vistas. On those days that its too hot to be in the sun, the large zinc overhang on the roof provides the necessary shade. This main level contains the open kitchen, living and dining areas as well s the private zones of Master and children’s bedrooms.
Adjacent to the poolside terrace is the social zone with the living, dining and kitchen zones all taking advantage of the wall of glazings. A two sided fireplace separates the living from the dining areas and behind them both is the stairs that lead to the roof.
Teak is used both on the exterior and the interior of the home and the warmth of the wood is a nice contrast to the cool crisp blues of the vistas.
Located in the front of the home on the ground level overlooking the walkway leading to the home’s entrance, this bathroom keeps its privacy with the use of clerestory windows and while this room does not have any views, the room exudes a luxurious spa atmosphere through the extensive use of teak on its walls and ceiling.
The Master suite ensuite is a completely different atmosphere then the downstairs bath. Here walls of glazings offer panoramic views, and while teak is still present, it is on the outside of the room rather then the inside.
Alexander Gorlin Architects
Photography by Michael Moran
