2015 Winners

Winner

Larson
And Paul Architects

Larson
And Paul Architects

Winner

This North Haven compound’s guesthouse, main house, and pool house are sited so that each structure remains in view of the others.

Judge Paul Goldberger cites the property’s “simple materials” as “a welcome change from an avalanche of shingles. I like the allusions to barns and the almost funky quality of this.”

The barn-like main dwelling makes use of a prefabricated steel-framing system.

The pool house has a view of the guesthouse and main house.

This North Haven compound’s vaulted interior provides capacious living quarters.

Winner

Organic Modern “Ice” Table Martin Architects


Organic Modern “Ice” Table Martin Architects

Winner
Website

This outdoor dining table is a “Why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?” idea. At its center lies a mirror-finished, backlit ice trough, putting chilled wine or other beverages within arm’s reach. Fashioned from Bubinga wood, the nine-foot-long table sits atop legs made of mirror-polished stainless steel.

Winner

Mode SB
with CCS Architecture

Mode SB
with CCS Architecture

Winner

Even though the owner and designer of this Water Mill bath, Mode SB’s principal, is married with young children, she wanted the room to have a masculine tone, while also being luxurious and discreet. The most compelling detail, and one that every judge made note of, is the hovering double vanity, illuminated from below. While acknowledging the bathroom’s “masculine appeal,” judge Kim Seybert enthuses that “a woman would still feel comfortable using it!”

Winner

Kathryn Fee Architect
with Vital Habitats

Kathryn Fee Architect
with Vital Habitats

Winner

This open-volume kitchen is part of a modern barn addition to a cape-style house in North Haven. The new space melds beautifully with the dining and living area, thanks to high-gloss paint on the ceiling and light from multiple sources. Judge Paul Goldberger says, “The open shelving and farmhouse look blend gracefully with a modern aesthetic.” Another unifying element: a top shelf that wraps the circumference of the kitchen and works its way into the dining area. “The room feels warm and cozy,” says judge Madeline Weinrib.

Winner

Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects

Edmund Hollander Landscape Architects

Winner
Website

This garden is just as spectacular as its vistas of Peconic Bay. Landscape architect Edmund Hollander brought together the home’s architect, stonemason, and his client to collaborate on the design, one that judge Jennifer Post says “is like an extension of the home—a stellar example of a minimal, modern garden.”

Landscape elements include a reflecting pool that serves as a water source and cascades over a retaining wall.

Judge Jennifer Post says “is like an extension of the home—a stellar example of a minimal, modern garden.”

A sunken courtyard with a moss- and fern-covered wall, and an entrancing labyrinth.

Landscape architect Edmund Hollander brought together the home’s architect, stonemason, and his client to collaborate on the design.

Winner

Stedila Design, Inc.

Stedila Design, Inc.

Winner
Website

To be inside this 5,000-square-foot Sag Harbor home is to have no sense that it was once a saltbox—a “brilliant transformation,” in the words of judge Jennifer Post.

A serene palette is cleverly accented with graphic textiles, strategically positioned artworks, oiled walnut cabinetry, and linear-cut travertine expanses.

The Sag Harbor home features existing antiques that the client brought from her previous shingle-style home.

Finalist

Janus 12 Chandelier Remains Lighting


Janus 12 Chandelier Remains Lighting

Finalist
Website

Baroque-style chandeliers were the starting point for the Janus 12, an elaborate fixture developed by the Robert A. M. Stern Architects Collection exclusively for Remains Lighting. Each 12-socket chandelier is handmade in Brooklyn from brass and laser-cut crystal.

Finalist

Indoor/Outdoor Fabric Collection Sylvester & Co. at home


Indoor/Outdoor Fabric Collection Sylvester & Co. at home

Finalist
Website

These versatile fabrics feature soft shades of white, gray, and green, suitable for use indoors as sofa upholstery or outdoors on poolside loungers.

Finalist

Mojo Stumer Associates

Mojo Stumer Associates

Finalist
Website

A kitchen can be muted and moody, as long as its task lighting is well thought out, argues judge Kim Seybert, who recognizes that “this kitchen, though dark, is a beautifully designed space.” Part of an extensive renovation/retrofitting of an existing East Hampton house—the aim of which was to depart from the shingle style—it has been reworked into a new open plan by Mojo Stumer Associates , who incorporated a host of natural and industrial materials.

Finalist

Lori Margolis Interiors

Lori Margolis Interiors

Finalist
Website

Bright and dark at the same time, this Water Mill kitchen, part of a gut renovation, is now distinctly contemporary. “The soft gray cabinetry contrasts nicely with the rough timber ceiling beams,” notes judge Mario Nievera, who also admires how “the dark window trim has a contextual weekend-house feel.” In addition to the spacious island illuminated by three globe fixtures, the adjacent dining area also contains a custom-designed two-tone marble table.

Finalist

Berg Design Architecture/Rosemary Scollan Interior Design

Berg Design Architecture/Rosemary Scollan Interior Design

Finalist
Website

Like many homes in the Hamptons, this one is designed “upside down” to capture the views, many of which are visible from this vaulted kitchen space. The room is configured as a series of informal, but practical, pavilions, each defined by distinctive colors and materials, including metallic charcoal-gray cabinets, a leather-flamed marble countertop, and a birds-eye maple slab that juts out of the island. In singing the room’s praises, Madeline Weinrib admires its “good use of textures.”

Finalist

Birgit Klein Interiors

Birgit Klein Interiors

Finalist
Website

A challenge of a house of such a large scale—6,500 square feet, with nine bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and three powder rooms—is to maintain the elegant interiors while referencing the beach. Birgit Klein employed a neutral palette throughout and subtly introduced textures and patterns in the rooms—zebra-striped rugs, colorful roman shades, and custom furniture with distinctive lines. The resulting interiors are “lovely and inviting,” says Jennifer Post. “The house is a pure vision that doesn’t try too hard.”

Finalist

Tracy Brown Interiors

Tracy Brown Interiors

Finalist
Website

Both the client and the designers were intent on preserving the summer-retreat feel of a classic 1920s shingle-style cottage in East Hampton. The designers chose French linen curtains and burlap chairs for the living and dining rooms, painted the floors white to warm things up, and transformed a former garage into a fun-filled pool house. Judge Mario Nievera describes the result as “bold, easy, and carefree,” while Madeline Weinrib calls the project “nice and happy.”

Finalist

Blue Ocean Design

Blue Ocean Design

Finalist
Website

Vaulted, open-plan rooms and 24-foot-high ceilings: Such attributes are challenging when trying to make a home more intimate, but the designers at Blue Ocean were able to tame the proportions of this new Southampton residence, undertaking what judge Paul Goldberger characterizes as “bold, energetic moves.” The team’s “smart use of patterns,” according to judge Madeline Weinrib, is key to the success of the design for a young couple, who desired a monochromatic palette that could withstand the wear and tear from little kids. “This modern home just feels like it belongs in the Hamptons,” says judge Kim Seybert.

Finalist

Pembrooke Fine Landscapes

Pembrooke Fine Landscapes

Finalist
Website

For a backyard retreat in Quogue, the designers at Pembrooke transformed two storage sheds into handsome faux pool houses. The covered pergola that now links the structures serves as a sheltered outdoor entertaining area, while a Jacuzzi spa further underscores the symmetry of the two buildings. “The spa and pool are very pure,” says judge Jennifer Post, “and I love how the trees hug the property.”

Finalist

Oehme
Van Sweden & Associates, inc.

Oehme
Van Sweden & Associates, inc.

Finalist
Website

This decidedly contemporary house appears to occupy a site at the edge of a forest along Jones Creek, a tributary of Georgica Pond. The intention of Oehme, van Sweden & Associates was to fashion a series of outdoor garden rooms, as if they are adjuncts to the extant forest. Trees screen the residence from the road, and an elegant gravel courtyard and stone terrace were installed for more definition. Judge Paul Goldberger says the designers pulled off a garden that is “handsome, varied, and lush, yet never pretentious.”

Finalist

tomvitaledesign

tomvitaledesign

Finalist
Website

In this East Hampton bathroom, an otherwise neutral palette is made more vigorous via clear and opaque glass tiles in intriguing shapes. “It’s a clever use of materials for a very calming effect,” says Jennifer Post. Elsewhere, expanses of gray oak, porcelain, and glass further heighten the room’s serene ambience. Tom Vitale Design also equipped the space with a stall shower fitted with side jets and a rain-head fixture, a wall-mounted quartz-topped double vanity, and his-and-her medicine cabinets.

Finalist

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

Finalist
Website

Two materials—white tile and mahogany panels—were used to their best effect for this project, which echoes the design of the Amagansett house itself. The indoor/outdoor bathroom is a truly distinct space, incorporating an outdoor shower that’s situated in close proximity to the pool/lounge area, plus a glass door that separates the outdoors from the interiors while maintaining a pronounced visual connection. “This intimate bath integrates every detail with incredible precision,” comments Mario Nievera.

Finalist

Levenbetts

Levenbetts

Finalist
Website

A standard housing layout is upended in this Amagansett project, which features three “spokes” and three yards, rather than just front and back yards. What judge Paul Goldberger characterizes as “real innovation, at no cost to comfort and practicality” results in a house with definition. A living wing, kitchen wing, and garage define the ground level; a guest area and bedroom wings make up the second floor; and an inviting sun deck/amphitheater takes center stage, serving as a gathering place.

Finalist

By Appointment

By Appointment

Finalist
Website

Difficult to characterize, but in a good way, this house in Water Mill combines elements of traditional British Georgian and Tudor buildings with the decidedly clean lines of American Colonial architecture. By Appointment simply calls its finished design a Modern Manor House, traditional in form from the outside, but thoroughly state-of-the-art inside. Mario Nievera describes it as “a lovely residence with a great hierarchy of masses,” while judge Madeline Weinrib is captivated by its “beautiful, clean lines.”

3rd place

Alisberg Parker Architects

Alisberg Parker Architects

3rd place
Website

In keeping with its beach setting, this bathroom in a home in Sagaponack embraces a gray and white palette. A basket-weave mosaic floor proves ideal for a room otherwise clad in large expanses of unembellished dolomite stone. “It’s gorgeous!” offers judge Mario Nievera, adding that “the space is sumptuous but manageable in scale.” The designers also configured the room to accommodate a steam shower, a freestanding whirlpool tub, and a toilet area discreetly separated by a ribbed frosted door.

3rd place

Drapery Fabric Elizabeth Dow


Drapery Fabric Elizabeth Dow

3rd place
Website

Elizabeth Dow’s new drapery collection, Santorini, reflects the colors of the ocean and the muted tones she witnessed while on a trip to the Greek Islands. The open weaves, reminiscent of fishermen’s nets, are fashioned from 100 percent linen.

3rd place

Bates Masi + Architects

Bates Masi + Architects

3rd place
Website

Although this site on freshwater wetlands and a tidal estuary is inspiring, the demands for building on it were environmentally challenging. Local zoning stipulated that the one-story house be raised eight feet above the ground and limited to 1,900 square feet. The solution? The architects set the home on exposed piles, which resulted in a natural progression of light-filled rooms above and space for a carport and Zen-like retreat below. Judge Mario Nievera says its “context, strength, and shape combine to create a strong sculptural form.”

2nd place

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

Stelle Lomont Rouhani Architects

2nd place
Website

“The theme of contemporary, relaxed living is apparent” in this home on Mecox Bay, says judge Jennifer Post. “This is good design—and it’s sexy.”

The prevailing hues are multiple shades of white, which reference the cladding on the exterior while maintaining the pure aesthetic. The designers seamlessly incorporated the furniture—some of it belonging to the client—so the wraparound water views are never compromised.

2nd place

LaGuardia Design Group

LaGuardia Design Group

2nd place
Website

Designer Chris LaGuardia decided to preserve a fallow farm field on this property in Water Mill as an integral component of his landscape design, so part of the plan involved letting nature do the gardening.

LaGuardia provides balance with a precise modernist landscape, including tight architectural grass slopes set with minimalist cast-concrete steps, a striking arbor, and a black-mirror pool.

“The spaces seem gallery-like—clean, light, and roomy,” — Mario Nievera

The yield: a thicket of eastern red cedar, black cherry, bayberry, little bluestem, and switchgrass.

2nd place

Barnes Coy Architects

Barnes Coy Architects

2nd place
Website

Given this Bridgehampton kitchen’s unimpeded ocean views and inviting surfaces, it’s likely every meal cooked and served here tastes delicious. The space occupies a 50-foot-long expanse, the north and south sides of which are fully fenestrated. (The appliances and most cabinetry have been relegated to the east and west sides.) The preparation surfaces even double as buffet tables for the clients, a sizable family that entertains often, yet the minimal aesthetic makes the kitchen seem to disappear when it’s not in use.

2nd place

A+M+L Architecture

A+M+L Architecture

2nd place
Website

“It’s hard to believe this is in a house and not a spa!” declares judge Jennifer Post, whose fellow panelists all noted the use of natural limed oak to clad the Noyac bath’s walls and floor. To enhance the room’s linearity, the designers incorporated long, uninterrupted boards of wood coupled with horizontally positioned cabinets. “Using this bath would make you feel like you were on vacation,” says Kim Seybert.

2nd place

Cousins Nico Yektai


Cousins Nico Yektai

2nd place
Website

These cast-concrete sculptures function as stools or end tables. Made by hand on the East End, each “Cousin” is one-of-a-kind and can be customized to fit a client’s specific needs.

2nd place

Icrave

Icrave

2nd place
Website

The structure, scaled in proportion to the adjacent pool, is anchored by a luxurious bathroom and floor-to-ceiling curtains that blur the distinction between indoors and out. “I would love to have this at my home!” raves judge Kim Seybert.

Built for a residence in Amagansett, this 400-square-foot cedar-shingled pool house functions as a kind of spa, complete with a sunken, romantic lounge area centered on a dark-steel fireplace.