Modern Beach House

In Connecticut, there are usually two extremes. Either you have a traditional New England home, or you have a modern/contemporary home. Johnathan Wagner has managed to combine the two,"blurring the traditional/contemporary frontier". Johnathan Wagner is based out of Weston, Connecticut and specializes in custom homes in the Fairfield County area. He has work has been described as "pushing the limits of the vernacular" by various press and has been the recipient of multiple awards for design. He describes himself as designing, "imaginative high end residential and commercial". This beach house he has designed in Westport, Connecticut would fall under that description. The house is a 3500 sqft home made from reclaimed, recycled, and sustainable materials along with the use of new geotechnical systems. While i could not acquire a floor plan, the exterior facade and use of materials is what intrigued me the most about this project. I had the opportunity to look through the architects other projects and found that he blends flawlessly the contemporary traditional styles of architecture, just as the critics had said. While i cannot comment on the interiors or the use of space inside the homes i wanted to put it up so others would have the opportunity to have a quick glance his projects or possibly do deeper research on his site. I would highly recommend looking through his other projects. http://www.jwaia.com

Tribeca Loft

Amanda Martocchio Architects & Design has renovated many Manhattan apartments, but this loft is by far one of my favorites. Started in 1995 in New York City and now based in New Canaan, Connecticut, Amanda Martocchio has an amazing eye for design. Her firm believes in 5 principles. The work should reflect its subject, the work should be generated from the site, the work is original, the work is, "in the details", and the work is a result of a team approach. While i typically write about architecture and homes, i felt that this loft deserved to be pointed out. This loft was transformed from a turn of the century warehouse which is apparent in the materials. The loft "evokes the original industrial vernacular by using exposed and darkened steel girders, salvaged bricks, and layered lighting". My favorite aspect of the loft is by far the staircase. It makes its presence very apparent, and i love how it gently curves at the landing above. The staircase is located directly in the center of the loft as well making it a centerpiece. I also admire the windows that were adapted for the space and how they run up the wall into the ceiling. The loft has an abundance of light which makes it feel so much more open. All of the materials used blend together seamlessly and make it feel truly like a home and a work of art at the same time. You should absolutely look at Amanda Martocchio's other loft renovations and custom home designs at http://www.amandamartocchio.com

Contemporary Federal Style

A little different from what i usually post, today's home is a Contemporary Federal Style home, located in Greenwich, Connecticut. What's different about custom homes located on the east coast i've found is that the clients value their privacy more than most. So for this home there is no address, no floor plan, only a vague location of the project and very few photos. However, that doesn't mean that there aren't some truly breath taking homes. Steven Mueller Architects, based out of Greenwich, Connecticut is a small firm which focuses on Architecture, Planning, and Interior Design. It is much different from the typical firms i have showcased previously in the sense that they focus on custom residential projects and only that. You will not find large developments and a huge staff here. In my opinion this makes a much stronger firm because you will know and interact with the entire staff and get complete and total attention.
This home is 5,300 Sq ft in total but does not look like it from the front facade. Once inside though, there is an entirely different feeling. What i think is the most admirable aspect of this home is the gorgeous free standing spiral staircase. The staircase connects the rooms and floors making the house feel much more open unlike typical federal style homes. The attention to detail throughout the home, lavish moldings and materials, and flow throughout the rooms creates a feeling of absolute luxury, while hindering the typical New England Estate feeling, which feels separated and slightly stuffy. Over sized windows allow multitudes of light in, bringing even more feeling to the spaces which are illuminated. In my opinion, Steven Mueller is designing the New England Estates that will start to become much more popular as a new generation starts to look for homes that are up to date and luxurious. Steven Mueller has designed some other amazing homes and has what looks like some outstanding homes on the boards. He is definitely someone worth looking into. Definitely check out his website http://www.stevenmuellerarchitects.com

The Hillside House

The Hillside House, located in Mill Valley, California is the first LEED for homes Platinum Certified residence in Marin County. The Hillside House was designed by SB Architects based out of Miami, Florida and San Francisco, California and is one of the very few single family residences that they have worked on. SB Architects is a fairly large firm that has spanned over 5 decades of practice. They have won over 200 awards for design excellence both nationally and internationally. They have done some truly stunning projects around the world and what intrigues me the most about this house, designed by Scott Lee, one of the principals, is that SB Architects specializes in large scale hotels, resorts, vacation ownerships, multi-family, and high rise design and have managed to masterfully design a single family residence so different from their typical style. This project is defined as "High Design with High Sustainability", and they have absolutely shown that. The house encompasses 2,116 Sq Ft of living space, along with 1,567 Sq Ft of patios, porches, decks and terraces. The materials and colors within the house are both natural and very neutral. The house, built into the side of a very steep hill blends with the landscape around it by emphasizing the use of stone and wood in the materials. Each floor of the home has its own purpose and feeling, there is a communal floor, a private floor, a semi-private floor, and mechanical floor. The floor plans give every floor a different patio or porch with sweeping views which create their own private spaces within spaces. Although, the difference between public and private space is very apparent. The vaulted and high ceilings make the rooms feel much more open and the use of darker earthy materials leaves an intimate feeling. The home is not meant to be romantic or bright and cheery in my opinion, it seems more like it's designed to be private and wholesome on the interior, but outside, there are multitudes of spaces to entertain guests. SB Architects has managed to as i said before, perfectly define public and private space. One of their other single family residences is also on the top of my list, so look out for it coming up soon.

  I would highly recommend checking out SB Architects at http://www.SB-Architects.com they have done some truly amazing and recognizable projects around the world.