At first it was purely a business
opportunity. Little Falls-based
architect Dan D’Agostino was
planning to develop a one-acre
parcel of land in Bergen County’s
Washington Township with his
contractor partner, Mike Elayan.
Then he thought again. At the crest
of a road lined with elegant homes,
the leafy property was at the highest
elevation in the area, affording
unobstructed views of sunrises and
sunsets. Living in a house built
to take advantage of those views,
D’Agostino thought, would be a
little bit like being on permanent
vacation. Given the scarcity of
vacation time in his life—he and
his wife have demanding careers
and two children under 5—it
suddenly seemed wrong to be
building a house on that land for
somebody else.
So he and his contractor—
who also happened to be his
best friend—decided to divide
the property and build on it
for themselves—an idea, says
D’Agostino, “that was just too
good to pass up.” The house he
created, with ample input from
his wife, Andrea, delivers not just
those awe-inspiring views but
a host of amenities that indeed
make every day feel like an “on
holiday” day.
Soaring walls of glass on the
front and back of the house make
the most of celestial events and
green vistas. D’Agostino installed a66|
NJHomeThis page: The dining area is situated
to take advantage of sunrise views. The
rustic sourced oak table from Arhaus is
a dramatic complement to the modern
glass wall and floating cage pendant from
Maxim Lighting. Opposite page, top: The
architect, Dan D’Agostino, and his wife,
Andrea, gather in the kitchen with their
children, 4-year-old Juliana and 1-year-old
Dean. The custom Cambria quartz island
serves as both eating and prep space, while
kitchen messes can hide behind the scenes
in a pantry tucked in back of the wall of
custom cabinets. Opposite page, bottom:
The floating steel stairway maximizes light
flow and access to outdoor views, while the
custom, built-in cabinet adjacent to it helps
corral clutter.GAL.s19.d'agostino.indd 66 2/26/19 8:59 AM