Pawling House, Holmes, New York

The project was the complete gut renovation and reconstruction of a 1980's house in the Dutchess County woods.  The house had been abandoned for several years, so despite its modest age, it was in an extreme state of disrepair and partial collapse.  The clients were drawn to the private, wooded location of the house as well as the presence of an indoor pool that could be used year round. 

The house was a typical piece of late 1980's 'post-modern' design with glass block partitions, a stripped down classical porte-cochere, and other design tropes of the period.    

The house was gutted down to the framing, and the exterior massing was radically simplified - to emphasize the symmetry and purity of the underlying volume.  The exterior of the house was re-clad and repainted in a dark charcoal shade, to make the house unobtrusive in the forest, and also to create a contrast with the lightness of the interior.

The existing roof framing did not allow for tall ceilings so a series of skylights in tapered openings were added in the main living space to create an illusion of height while bringing in natural light. The palette was kept spare and ethereal to maximize the feeling of expanse and to create a clean backdrop against which the views of the surrounding forest were highlighted.

Project Team: Robert Schultz, Vrinda Khanna, Talia Pinto Handler​
Photos: Matthew Williams, Aerial view - William Metzger, Peak Construction
Landscape Design: Julie Farris, XS Space LLC 
Interior Design: Stacey McGarity, Acquisitions for the Home
General Contractor: William Metzger, Eric Mayer, Peak Construction 
Structural Engineering: Dunne and Markis