Our clients’ search for land had one main focus; a dock for a newly restored, 50-year-old Norwegian sailboat, Lulu. When they showed us the hillside site, two features struck us immediately. First, its buildable width is only 35 feet. Second, the property has a stand of 60- to 70- foot tall pine trees that are more reminiscent of the Adirondacks than of the sandy beaches and scrub oak of eastern Long Island.

The site’s narrowness led to the development of a linear scheme of three detached structures connected by a strong organization axis. Arranged in descending order on the hillside, the structures resemble an Adirondack camp. The main house, the largest of the three structures, is broken down into a series of Adirondack cabins itself. Lulu, bobbing at her dock, inspired the roof forms of all three structures, which are designed to recall wind-filled sails. The stays of Lulu’s mast inspired cable supports for the entry awning on the north and the sunscreens on the south. In plan, the “prow” of the main house faces land, while the “stern” faces the sea, like a boat docked in a harbor.

The colors chosen for the house also came from the stands of evergreens. The greens of the roofs reflect the evergreens and the lawns below.  The oranges and yellows, both inside and out, were inspired by light passing through the sap of the evergreens at sunset.

Photographs © Paul Warchol