Project: Hudson River Cottage Location: Croton-on-Hudson New York

This redesigned house and garage adapted for a studio are situated in Croton-on-Hudson. The Hudson River valley terrain, with its diagonal vistas, steep slopes, stone wall subdivisions, and unobstructed sunlight from sunrise to sunset inspire and influence all the design decisions. The house and studio transformation is sensitive to the existing fine craftsmanship and unique elements such as heavily textured stucco both inside and out, half-round doors, and metal casement windows. In keeping with a respect for these elements, surgical alterations were employed. A series of oculus openings, open-riser stairs, and removals to expose knee-wall space open important vistas both inside and out. The plan interposed in this romantic shell is based on an orthogonal grid as a counterpoint to the pastoral plot of land that gradually slopes toward the Hudson River. The sweeping natural views add a note of poetry to the utilitarian considerations of construction.