Renowned Sag Harbor architecture firm Bates Masi designed the Brod family’s Bridgehampton residence. Paul Masi created a resortlike atmosphere by linking six glass and wood boxes (each representing a
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he house was a wreck, but the couple could imagine their two young children in its grassy backyard and airy rooms—plus, it was located on a quiet lane a stone’s throw from the village of Scarsdale. It might have been more efficient to raze it than lovingly renovate, but renovate they did, the careful undertaking allowing them to add a large kitchen and den while keeping original details like columns and mouldings that date back to 1926. Despite its period charms, says the owner, “we wanted the house to be as contemporary as possible and allow for modern living.” The success of that mix required furnishings with gravitas and proportion to pay homage to the home’s history while complementing the vast scale of its rooms. They turned to renowed designer Vicente Wolf. “I used to keep a binder of homes from designers that caught my eye and whose
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style I admired” said the wife. “I had copies of most of his homes that were published in the various magazines I had perused. Once I finally met him, I knew he would be perfect for my house.” There’s no mistaking a Vicente Wolf interior. His purist’s approach infuses his glowing, serene spaces punctuated with hints of the exotic. “Vicente has the unique ability to mix classic, contemporary, and modern furniture with the unexpected,” says his client. “He sources extraordinary accessories during his travels throughout the world, which then find themselves in the interiors he designs.” Many of those items found themselves in Scarsdale, from an Ashanti stool from Ghana in the living room to a trio of bronze Thai mirror gongs above an original fireplace mantle. The tension between the classical architecture and the unexpected was also at play in the
the home observer spring 2013
4/11/13 4:37 PM