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Building on the original cottage’s footprint, Mori
devised a two-bedroom, 1,200-square-foot house,
with a shingled exterior that nods to traditional East
Coast summer homes and an asymmetrical hip roof.
“The house looks different from each side, with
different proportions, so it’s not static,” says Mori,
who elevated the structure eight feet off the ground
(well above the flood level) to create a shaded
outdoor room. Inside the home, window walls wrap
the beach-facing façade, making you feel, Phoebe
notes, “like you’re on a boat.” A square skylight,
meanwhile, bathes the mezzanine loft in sun while
recalling the work of James Turrell.
“The house’s modest footprint and sculptural
profile return to early 20th-century homes on the
North Fork,” says architecture curator Barry
Bergdoll, who included it in a current exhibition at
the nearby Oysterponds Historical Society
that surveys the region’s modern architecture.
“Although the house fits so intelligently and
comfortably into the local scene, its brilliant
plan, section, and use of every cubic inch
seem akin to current trends in Japanese micro
urban housing.”
For the De Croissets, of course, the house is
first and foremost a place to unwind with their
infant daughter, Olympia, and pet Pomeranian,
Coco. Summer days begin early, with Nicolas
rowing on the water while Phoebe enjoys her
coffee, watching as he glides across the
Peconic Bay. The whole family then piles into
their vintage Mustang for trips to the farmers
market, after which days tend to just unfold.
“You don’t have to make plans; friends and
neighbors show up,” notes Phoebe. “That’s
what we love about it—just picking up shells,
sipping on something, watching the sun set.”
—SAM COCHRAN
DISCOVERIES
1. THE HOUSE SITS EIGHT FEET ABOVE THE GROUND TO
PROTECT IT FROM COASTAL FLOODING. 2. WINDOW
WALLS WRAP THE FRONT FAÇADE, YIELDING 180-PLUS-
DEGREE WATER VIEWS. 3. THE LIVING AREA.
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