Life’s a (Suburban) Beach
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In Stelle Architects’ Surfside Residence and Sea Ranch from architects Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, luxury manifests in surprising ways. With open views that incorporate the native landscape, these understated weekend homes truly embody a retreat from the everyday.
text by Frederick Jerant
Sustainable Surfside Living
Stelle Architects turn dilapidated structure into elegant Bridgehampton vacation home
exterior photos by Jeff Heatley, interior photos by Eric PiaseckiThe typical movie mogul’s home is a palatial estate. But the Surfside Residence, owned by the founder of an independent film company, belies that tradition.
It’s a two-level vacation home and guest house in Bridgehampton, New York, a hamlet in Suffolk County. After years of neglect, it was in sad shape. But an extensive remodeling/expansion effort by Stelle Architects, also of Bridgehampton, has turned it into an elegant residence.
“One of our biggest challenges was the home’s location,” says Frederick Stelle, firm owner. The home is nestled in sand dunes, close to the water’s edge.
In the fall, nor’easters blow through the area and rising water comes very close to the house. Stelle lessened the chances of storm-related damage by first temporarily removing the house from its base. A new steel frame and structural concrete panels (breakaway construction on the ocean-parallel side) were added, and then the home was set on a new concrete base.
Sustainability was a key consideration. The extensive use of windows encourages cool sea breezes to flow through the house, reducing the need for artificial cooling. Hot water panels and rooftop photovoltaic cells work in concert with a property-wide geothermal heating and cooling system to minimize energy costs.
“That approach is a no-brainer,” Stelle says, “especially in a part-time house.” The blazing summer sun helps to power the air conditioning system with 55° groundwater. During the unoccupied winter months, low heating temperatures are easy to achieve.
The exterior of the home is clad with Alaskan yellow cedar siding, installed in rainscreen fashion. “We like to use this material,” Stelle says, “because it’s a sustainable native North American wood, needs no maintenance or other treatment, and is more durable than red cedar.” Although the wood weathers to a light, even gray, the home reflects a warm golden tone when the light is just right.
There’s a lot of artifice in the art of moviemaking, so it’s fitting that Surfside’s surroundings are illusory.
“We removed the previous suburban landscaping and revegetated the site to reflect its seaside location,” Stelle explains, “keeping the dunes, but adding materials normally found on the beach.” Some, like Russian olives, are invasive but extremely common. Others, such as black pines, bayberry and dune grass, are native. “There’s not a blade of mowable grass anywhere on the property,” he adds. “When you drive to the site, you feel like you’re right on the beach.”
Inside, the décor features a mix of modern furniture styles, stretching from the 1950s to today, including such designers as Bertoia, Wegner, Eames and Nakashima. The limited color palette recalls the greens and beiges of the beach, for a seamless transition from outdoors to indoors. The owners eschewed the use of animal-derived upholstery in favor of organic plant-based fabrics; woods are mainly a mix of teak and laminated maple.
The upper level of Surfside holds the master bath and master bedroom, the living room, dining room and kitchen, as well as the couple’s business offices, offering privacy to work on individual projects, while still keeping each other near at hand.
All three areas open onto an oceanfront deck suspended above the dunes. It gives residents and guests an exceptional vantage point and a peaceful escape from the routine of daily life.
The downstairs houses two guest rooms and a small spa equipped with a sauna, steam shower and full bathroom. A breezeway that connects the two structures allows easy spa access for residents and guests alike.
The centerpiece of the main sitting room features a custom-built banquette along an end wall. “It’s big enough to sleep on,” Stelle says, “but also provides convenient seating for clusters of two or three people to converse and socialize.”
Both owners love to cook, Stelle says, and are delighted to do so for any occasion—informal gatherings or formal business meetings. That’s why the room includes a wood-burning fireplace, with a powered spit.
“It’s a simple matter to start the fire, mount a chicken or turkey on the rotisserie, and cook it in plain view of the guests,” he says. “It’s like having a barbecue in the house.” And when weather permits, a large table can be rolled directly onto the deck for al fresco entertaining and dining.
The room’s other key features are a Wegner cabinet, and a picture window that could almost pass for a painting. “It’s actually a view of the sand and grasses outside,” Stelle says, “but the effect resembles the lyrical landscapes favored by local painters in years past.”
Guest accommodations have private bathrooms, a small kitchen, two bedrooms and a personal beachside deck that’s perfect for unwinding in privacy.
Although it’s technically a garage (according to local zoning), part of the guest house functions as a sitting area. Floor-to-ceiling sliding windows provide unencumbered views of the beach property.
Surfside Residence has been featured in many publications, including Renovated Spaces: New Life for Old Homes, Coastal Style, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens, 150 Best Kitchen Ideas and Custom Home Magazine, among others. It’s also been showered with professional awards from the American Institute of Architects and other organizations.
But Stelle isn’t too surprised by the accolades. “We started out with a dilapidated home,” he says, “and turned a frumpy old dowager into a supermodel. It’s pretty spectacular.”
Learn more about Stelle Architects
Japanesque Simplicity
Turnbull Griffin Haesloop-designed weekend house offers a respite from busy times
photos by David WakelyAs Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen remarked to Alice, “Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”
That’s a pretty good description of life today. It’s hectic, we’re harried and driven to perform better, invest more time, get more stuff…
Pressure, pressure, pressure.
Under those conditions, attaining a sense of serenity can seem like an unattainable luxury.
But it’s not impossible.
In fact, Turnbull Griffin Haesloop, a full-service architectural firm in San Francisco, has created an oasis of calm in a frantic world.
It’s nestled against a hedgerow of trees in scenic Sea Ranch, an unincorporated community in Sonoma County.
Unlike traditional “luxury” homes—sprawling estates on acres of land—the residence designated as Sea Ranch 1 is a mere 1,100 square feet of living space, supplemented by a 400-square-foot, two-bedroom guest house.
Sparse and understated, this weekend home rewards its owners with a priceless, peaceful atmosphere; a place where they can truly get away from the hurlyburly of daily life.
Sea Ranch itself is an environmentally planned community, says Eric Haesloop, FAIA, partner. “The 10-mile stretch along Highway 1 was an innovative development in the ‘60s,” he says. “Large portions of land were set aside for common use, and houses often abut trees, to minimize impact on the natural landscape.”
The client loved the proposed site. Tucked against a backdrop of trees, it offered enticing views of a spacious meadow and the Pacific Ocean.
TGH based its design on a vernacular barn form. As you pass through a ranch grapestake fence and cross the meadow, your first glimpse is an understated exterior of natural cedar. That wood was chosen because it can withstand the weather conditions on the California coast, and it offers a natural, rough-hewn look that complements the trees.
The landscaping is in tune with the Sea Ranch aesthetic, says Mary Griffin, FAIA, partner. “Rather than allowing individual owners free rein, it emphasizes letting the natural greenery sweep through the properties. Any added plants are native to the area. You won’t find pots of geraniums here.” In fact, she adds, the buildings are secondary to the natural landscape. As you drive by the area, you’ll notice gently rolling meadows, not clusters of homes.
Upon entering the home, you’ll find few walls, as one space leads seamlessly to another. You’ll also realize that one corner of the building is “missing.” It was an unusual but wise approach.
“The cutaway section opens onto an octagonal deck that adjoins the house,” he says. “We included a ribbon of doors and windows for a spectacular visual effect—no matter where you stand, you can see the ocean.”
Everything about the house, from color schemes to furnishings, reflects the owner’s affection for Japan’s spare, yet elegant, visual style. Walls that, in other homes, would be laden with colorful artwork, are essentially white and bare. Subtle patterns, fluid vases and other understated features provide visual interest.
“Our client wanted the home to be minimalist yet beautiful. In fact, he sourced many of the fabrics and objects,” Haesloop says.
The interior scheme features a warm contrast between the white sheetrock walls and the exposed-beam cedar ceilings. Again, the owner’s personal taste dictated the choice of wood.
“We’ve fitted many Sea Ranch homes with fir,” he says, “but it can develop orange undertones with age. The client much preferred cedar’s warm brown look.”
When the design is so simple, textures, finishes and colors become paramount. Here are a few examples:
A custom bronze coffee table displays a gently dimpled surface, a subtle reminder of the ocean’s waves.
The master bedroom is clean and angular. The white platform bed eschews a standard headboard; instead, a ruggedly beautiful slab of wood, set into a snug niche, fills that role. Upon awakening, the owners can gaze through expansive windows at the ocean view. A custom window seat runs parallel with the windows, offering a cozy spot for reading or napping. And when the seat is raised, a flat-screen TV appears.
Offset from the kitchen, a cozy breakfast nook is accented by a window that frames a single pine tree. “It’s a very composed, very serene look,” Griffin says.
While the master bath features a Japanese-style soaking tub, an outdoor cedar-clad hot tub is both rustic and inviting.
“The owners appreciate the essentials of creating a truly beautiful structure with excellent craftsmanship,” Haesloop concludes. “And—because the landscaping and home balance each other— it brings them a sense of serenity and a connection to nature.
“It lets them concentrate on things that really matter, while they enjoy the beautiful ocean view and pristine environment that complement their home.”
