Desai Chia creates Upstate New York home with "crisp silhouettes"

Farm buildings informed the design of Stanfordville House in New York by US studio Desai Chia Architecture, which features charred cedar cladding and a sculptural roofscape.

Situated just beyond the crest of a hill, the Stanfordville House rests within a reclaimed farm totalling 50 acres (20 hectares).

The home was envisioned as "an architectural bridge between its agricultural context and modern family life," said New York studio Desai Chia Architecture.

The holiday home takes its name from its location – Standfordville, a rural hamlet in Upstate New York. The area features rolling hills speckled with barns, trees and wildflowers.

Existing farming facilities in the region served as "vernacular references" for the architects. The design was also shaped by guidance from a feng shui master, whom the clients enlisted early on to provide siting parameters for the house.

"Following his guidance, the home maintains a strong north-south organization, and is oriented to align with particular structures on a distant hill," the architects said.

The main house is composed of a long and short volume, which together form an L shape and encompass 3,555 square feet (330 square metres). There is also a freestanding garage totalling 690 square feet (64 square metres).

The exterior has a mix of wood, concrete and glass. Blackened cedar was primarily used in the upper part of facades and was charred using the traditional Japanese technique known as Shou Sugi Ban.

Lower areas are clad in accoya wood with a light-grey finish, which matches angled, cast-in-place concrete panels that hold up shade structures over patios.

"The lightness of the accoya siding and the colour-matched concrete help to define the darkly clad upper volumes," the team said.

The roofscape lends a sculptural look to the home. The long volume is topped with two shed roofs with opposing slopes, while the other volumes have flat roofs.

To manage rainwater, the team added scuppers and downspouts that were left exposed to "express and celebrate functional, architectural details".

"This low-tech yet effective water management system is one of several visual cues that harken to the agricultural context," the team said.

Within the home, there are light-filled rooms, vaulted ceilings and a restrained colour palette. The dwelling was designed to feel inviting and be spacious enough for visitors.

"The clients' goal was to create a welcoming space for guests and extended family," the architects said.

The ground level holds a guest area, an office, and an open-concept kitchen, dining space and living room, along with the detached garage. The social area opens toward a covered terrace and swimming pool.

Upstairs, one finds two bedrooms and a laundry room.

Large windows offer framed views of the undulating landscape. The exterior concrete panels were angled to direct one's gaze toward the scenery, the studio said.

The project also included landscape interventions.

"To support the hyperlocal ecosystem of pollinators, the site was revegetated with native grasses and wildflowers that also provide a softness that contrasts the home's crisp silhouettes," the team said.

Other projects by Desai Chia include a weekend retreat for gallery owners in Connecticut that features courtyards for exhibiting artwork, and a black gabled house in Upstate New York that merges barn design with "a contemporary sensibility".

The photography is by Paul Warhol.

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