SAG HARBOR CHARMER

A weekend getaway becomes a full-time home.

Acouple living in New York City searched for a long time for a second home in the charming town of Sag Harbor on Long Island, NY. Unable to find one that satisfied their needs, they finally purchased a residence on a half-acre lot, just off the main thoroughfare that runs from Southampton. The next thing they did was tear down the house.

With the opportunity to make a completely fresh start, the couple hired Pamela Glazer, founder of the eponymous architecture firm, to help them realize their vision for their weekend getaway. One of the East End’s most sought-after architects, Pam is known for her impeccable aesthetic with a focus on environmentally thoughtful designs. Her innovative approach to home design combines both modern and traditional elements with an eye to sustainability. Pam and her team tailor each project to their clients’ lifestyle and tastes, incorporating the natural setting of the home into their design.

Pam describes the property as “uneventful,” with just the tiniest view of Sag Harbor Bay across the street. The challenge, as she saw it, was to “look inside” to create the aesthetic and living experience that her clients sought, while incorporating a peaceful outdoor space and a swimming pool into the overall picture. “Sometimes my work is easier when the view is the home’s most important feature,” says Pam. “But, in this case, we had to create the environment.” It helped to have two mature cherry trees with a magnificent spring bloom right outside the door.

“The clients wanted a home that would reflect an earlier era, when families spent their time around a shared hearth space,” Pam explains. To that effect, they insisted on having smaller than average guestrooms decorated with just the bare minimum—bed, nightstand, bench for suitcases and hooks on the wall to hang clothes, with some artwork thrown in—to encourage overnight visitors to join them in the great room or outside on the deck, rather than to linger in bed. The smallest bedroom measures a mere nine feet, four inches by ten feet, nine inches, barely large enough for a queen-size bed.

The 2,200-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom home features a kitchen and living and dining area that is completely open, with the master bedroom and bathroom off one side of the building, and the three guestrooms off the other. Among the clients’ priorities was a modest house that was easy to maintain. “As opposed to house maximus, they wanted house minimus,” Pam recounts. “We struggled to keep the house as small as possible and still include all the features they desired.”

The result is a charming, modern, barn-style house that is wonderfully balanced and fits seamlessly into its setting. When viewed from outside, the barn-like structure appears to have two stories, so it’s a surprise when you enter. What you see are exposed wood beams, a soaring cathedral ceiling and a sense of expansiveness that is light and airy, all with a welcoming rustic feel.

In addition to a house with just a single story, the owners also requested a fireplace that could be seen from anywhere in the living space. As a solution, Pam designed a spectacular 360-degree fireplace that hangs from the ceiling as the centerpiece of the open living area, adding visual warmth to the space for gathering.

Even the kitchen was designed with entertaining in mind, with an open plan so the couple can prepare meals while engaging with guests who are milling around. “They cook a lot,” Pam says of the homeowners. “They wanted things to be easily available, so we created open shelving. The result is a really simple design, without too many embellishments. If you’re a serious cook, simplicity is best.”

Pam is known for sourcing as many sustainable materials as possible for her projects. In fact, 50% of the materials used for this house are reclaimed. When the clients expressed their interest in an old, barn-like look for their new home, she immediately thought of using repurposed exposed beams. “Instead of ordering brand-new cedar beams, we found a vendor who hunted down original ones,” Pam recalls. “He ended up finding gorgeous oak beams in a barn in Chicago that was built around 1900. He even drove them to Sag Harbor himself.” The contractor, she continues, was able to lay out and number each beam so they could be easily reassembled in their new location. “We spent a lot of time putting them back together in the best way possible, with blemishes hidden against a wall.”

For the modern support structure, Pam chose mushroom wood, a specific type of reclaimed wood sourced from mushroom processing facilities. In addition to being sustainable, it has a natural beauty with a marvelous texture. She was impressed by the talent and artistry involved in the construction of the wood-beam frame. The contractor implemented the venerated mortiseand-tenon technique used in building old barns, adding to the structure’s authentic barn-like look. “A lot of people don’t understand how to do that kind of woodwork,” she says approvingly.

The home’s other sustainable features include siding made from high-density compressed fiber cement panels that are 100% maintenance free. The floor around the hearth and in the foyer are covered in French hexagonal terra-cotta tiles from the 19th century. With its south-facing backyard, the house is sited to take advantage of passive solar energy, incorporating an expanse of glass to create the maximum amount of solar gain. A large overhang offers protection from the sun during the summer months.

Because the house is located on a busy road, Pam designed a small courtyard around the entrance to the home. It serves to maximize privacy and reduce street noise while providing an additional outdoor seating area. To reflect the farmhouse style of the interior, she created massive, 16-foot-high barn doors constructed from mushroom wood, with hardware purchased from a company specializing in barn doors.

The house was built as a weekend getaway for the clients, who were living primarily in New York City with the intention of eventually moving to Sag Harbor over the course of many years. When construction was completed in June 2019, the homeowners could not have predicted the arrival of the pan - demic just a few months away, and how it would speed up their timetable. As one of the owners so eloquently put it, “The house seemed to blossom and rise to the challenge of supporting us in its new role as pandemic bunker in a way we never could have expected. We were already intimate with every detail through the course of construction, but now those same facets seemed to elevate themselves to embrace us in a way we never predicted.”

Pam is almost brought to tears recalling this sentiment from her satisfied client, who goes on to say, “Where the house really excelled was its ability to literally calm us as the world outside seemed to fall apart. The finishes, the proportions, the fenestrations—these selections were made on the basis of their excellent aesthetics, but now they combined to provide a radiant, soothing energy that is literally helping us get through the day. In turn, we find ourselves thinking about our house, our home, with tremendous gratitude to it—and to Pam for her design vision—for being our lifeboat as we chart this crisis.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

Resources:

Architect: Pamela Glazer Architect 54 Eastway Drive Southampton, NY 11968 631.283.8898 pamelaglazer.com

Builder/Contractor: Blair Dibble Builder Southampton, NY 631.283.2565 blairdibble.com

Landscape Architect: Ray Smith Associates

Southampton, NY 631.287.6100 raysmithassociates.com

Flooring by the Hudson Company

Windows/Doors by WeatherShield