North Salem Farm

Residential

Jan 9

North Salem, New York

Completed - October 2021

Design Team
Jejon Yeung, Max Worrell, Yunchao Le, Cohen Hudson, Bryan Cordova

Collaborators
Structural Engineer: Silman
Landscape Architect: Raft Landscape
Meadow Consultant: Larry Weaner Landscape Associates
Civil Engineer: Insite Engineers P.C.
MEP Engineer: Altieri Sebor Wieber LLC

Set within the agrarian landscape of Westchester County, this family home was designed to be thoughtfully integrated into the landscape and gathers three separate structures including the main house, garage/studio and a spa pavilion onto the narrow side of the 8.7-acre triangular lot. Working closely with Raft Landscape, the team developed a site strategy that shields the structures from the abutting street and focuses views from each structure towards the landscape. At the entrance, a new driveway and entry gravel court, arranged around a mature Magnolia tree, introduce a minimal, abstract aesthetic that runs through the project. The three buildings iterate on the archetypal gabled form of typical barns while also distinguishing themselves with varying approaches to cladding and crisp material detail.

Echoing and updating the agrarian vernacular, the main house is characterized by dark metal roofing and custom dark green stained cypress wood siding in a varied batten pattern. The approach side is defined by a mostly solid facade with an articulated dormer, while the rear features new enlarged windows with panoramic views trained towards the pond.

The exterior palette was inspired by dark mossy covered barns so we developed a custom stain that takes on different readings depending on the light and season while still imbuing the character of the cypress wood.

Inside, a large timber gabled roof structure stretching from one end to the other, creates an open dramatic central communal space. Working with Silman, we scaled up exposed Douglas Fir rafters to match the truss member sizes, so that only the steel tie rods are visible to create a uniform, minimal, and starkly elegant ceiling. The living area is organized with a freestanding Douglas Fir wood object at the core of the room that contains an entry closet, bench, and bar. The room is bookended by a fireplace/bookcase wall on one side and a guest wing volume on the other; both are clad in black wood to contrast light Douglas Fir wood floors and a matching wood structure above. The bookcase itself highlights the original fireplace, which has been reclad in soapstone and is redesigned to incorporate music and book storage on one side and a new exterior door that leads to the new outdoor deck on the other.

Opposite, the kitchen is a more intimate space organized around a central zinc-clad island and Douglas Fir wood millwork cabinetry, while a powder room with dark-red stained wirebrushed cypress walls and a blue encaustic tile floor offers a serene, cool counterpoint. A small desk space occupies the opposite corner and directs a view to the Magnolia tree in the entry court. This transition space leads to two additional guest bedrooms and the primary bedroom, organized around a built-in daybed and large window wall that frames an old Oak tree.

Upstairs, two guest bedrooms are symmetrically arranged on either side of the ridgeline, where large dormer windows provide East and West exposures. Designed to be compact sleeping areas, each contains hotel-like accommodations with en-suite bathrooms and built-in beds with storage.