floating steel stairway between the
first and second stories to maximize
outdoor views. “From the great
room,” he says, “we can see the sun
rising on our left in the morning
and setting on our right at night.”
The great room also reflects the
family’s desire to live communally.
An open-concept layout allows
them to be together even if they’re
engaged in different activities.
And while the spacious room
encompasses living and dining
areas and a kitchen, it’s still
imbued with the cozy feeling
the D’Agostinos loved in their
previous, smaller home, thanks
largely to clever design: While the
ceiling is elevated in the entryway
and over the dining alcove to take
advantage of the glass walls, it’s
deliberately lower over a large part
of the great room. In the living
area, three smaller windows,
punctuated with dark draperies,
add to the feeling of coziness.
There are no curtain rods to
interrupt the sense of enclosure:
The draperies actually are recessed
into the ceiling. “I tried very hard
to volley back and forth between
closed and open,” D’Agostino says.
The coziest room in the house
is probably the master bedroom.
Its vaulted ceiling adds drama, but
also could have made the room
feel excessively stark had it not
been for D’Agostino’s deft touches,NJ
Home|^
69This page: The ceiling over the living area
was kept deliberately low, and the curtains
were recessed into the ceiling to give
the area a cozy feel. A pair of hourglass
ottomans are tucked under a console table
(all from Ethan Allen) for additional seating.
Opposite page, top: The great room’s living
area, with Ethan Allen sofas and a Safavieh
rug, was designed for maximum comfort.
A combination of sheer and blackout
curtains (from The Shade Store) allows
for full or filtered daylight—or none at
all. Opposite page, bottom: The architect
tempered modern exterior elements, such
as towering glass walls, with traditional
details like an oriel window and clapboard
siding; he calls his design “a traditional
twist on a modern house.” The outdoor
living room ceiling also serves as a balcony
for the master bedroom.GAL.s19.d'agostino.indd 69 2/28/19 10:29 AM