NEW JERSEY RESIDENCE

Photography by Michael Grimm.

Situated on a wooded hillside adjacent to a natural creek in Tenafly, New Jersey, this 1970s residence required a comprehensive transformation. Because proximity to the water fixed the existing footprint as immovable by local zoning code, the architectural intervention operates entirely within the original building volume. Externally, the original structure’s disparate volumes were re-sculpted into a minimal, cohesive composition. A new facade of French limestone unifies the massing, punctuated by precise geometric window manipulations that articulate the exterior without compromising the overall restraint.

Internally, the floor plan was entirely reconfigured to exploit the verticality of the primary living areas. A floating steel and glass stair connects the levels, while a pair of stone feature walls delineate programmatic zones while preserving an open plan. The spatial organization centers on communal cooking and dining, prioritizing a constant visual interplay between the interior and the surrounding lush context. The resulting architecture reads as a rigorously contemporary intervention that remains deeply grounded in its wooded, creekside setting.

Attn Attn in collaboration with Brad Engelsman.