The clients are a family that has decided to relocate from New York City to Chappaqua, a suburb north of the city. They found a 1920s Georgian Revival house set in a bucolic landscape next to a brook, with an apple orchard and a pond in front. The house, however, was too small for their needs and had no real relationship between the interior and the surrounding landscape. They also felt that the layout and the style of the interior was too traditional for their informal lifestyle and a more modern sensibility.

Our objective was to address the clients' needs without compromising the integrity of the existing house. We added two one-story wings and a new entry in order to expand the living space on the ground level and to establish the sight lines for a more fluid relationship between interior and exterior. In subsequent phases, we added dormers to make the third floor more functional and converted the cellar into a man cave.

The east wing addition is a sunroom that doubles as a media center equipped with motorized shades, a sophisticated AV system built into a custom-designed walnut enclosure, and subwoofers set into the floor for a full sonic effect. The west wing addition is a large eat-in kitchen that opens onto an expansive flagstone terrace. Both wings have radiant-heated bluestone floors; the rest of the ground level is laid with wide plank pine. A new entry, linking the house and the garage, leads directly to the mudroom and the kitchen. Circulation passages on the ground level have been expanded for greater flow and spaciousness.

The roof of the kitchen addition becomes a private deck for the second-floor home office. New marble fireplace surrounds were designed for the living room and master bedroom, and the old-fashioned master bath was rebuilt with a custom marble vanity and steam shower. Contemporary furniture and artwork, mixed with family heirlooms, create an environment that is refined and modern yet also personal and sensitive to the traditional setting.

The east wing addition is a sunroom that doubles as a media center equipped with motorized shades, a sophisticated AV system built into a custom-designed walnut enclosure, and subwoofers set into the floor for a full sonic effect. The west wing addition is a large eat-in kitchen that opens onto an expansive flagstone terrace. Both wings have radiant-heated bluestone floors; the rest of the ground level is laid with wide plank pine. A new entry, linking the house and the garage, leads directly to the mudroom and the kitchen. Circulation passages on the ground level have been expanded for greater flow and spaciousness.

The roof of the kitchen addition becomes a private deck for the second-floor home office. New marble fireplace surrounds were designed for the living room and master bedroom, and the old-fashioned master bath was rebuilt with a custom marble vanity and steam shower. Contemporary furniture and artwork, mixed with family heirlooms, create an environment that is refined and modern yet also personal and sensitive to the traditional setting.

The east wing addition is a sunroom that doubles as a media center equipped with motorized shades, a sophisticated AV system built into a custom-designed walnut enclosure, and subwoofers set into the floor for a full sonic effect. The west wing addition is a large eat-in kitchen that opens onto an expansive flagstone terrace. Both wings have radiant-heated bluestone floors; the rest of the ground level is laid with wide plank pine. A new entry, linking the house and the garage, leads directly to the mudroom and the kitchen. Circulation passages on the ground level have been expanded for greater flow and spaciousness.

The roof of the kitchen addition becomes a private deck for the second-floor home office. New marble fireplace surrounds were designed for the living room and master bedroom, and the old-fashioned master bath was rebuilt with a custom marble vanity and steam shower. Contemporary furniture and artwork, mixed with family heirlooms, create an environment that is refined and modern yet also personal and sensitive to the traditional setting.