Selldorf Architects

This new 15,000 sf house is a short walk from the Atlantic Ocean, in an open field typical of eastern Long Island. An oversized garden wall anchors the building to the landscape. The rooms are organized around a large square courtyard. Bordering the courtyard, a marble-lined breezeway separates the public and private spaces. The breezeway is long and 

narrow, allowing it—like the house itself—to be perceived as either grand or modest, depending on the viewer’s perspective. The second-floor spaces cantilever toward the ocean, affording elevated views from bedrooms and terraces. Setbacks transform what might have been oversized terraces into a series of modestly proportioned viewing platforms. (Photos: Nikolas Koenig)