From Modern to Contemporary: Snedons Landing Home by Rick Cook.

Architectural practice COOKFOX states their ‘why’ as follows: “We pursue architecture that restores, regenerates and elevates the human condition in our urban environment”. To that end, its founder, Rick Cook, has very cleverly built on this philosophy with his Snedons Landing home, a tiny riverside enclave in the hamlet of Palisades, New York. The mid-70s home was originally designed by local architect Charlie Winter and described by Cook as “of the landscape” and was done in a manner so as to facilitate views right through the home. And you can tell.

It is as if light has been let in at every corner and crevice, and the timber box-like design displays cut-outs throughout, which help generate little moments of interaction and connection. The levels go up, but only by half, and so it is as if each space is accessible and visible to the next, the perfect family home.

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The house presents as one space, rather than a series of different rooms tied together, and as such, this home feels less everyday, more holiday. There are visual nods to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, of course, perhaps most evident in the curation of external axes both horizontally and vertically, and this order is carried through to the interiors, where Winter’s original architectural parti diagram can be identified no matter where you stand. The modernist characteristics of volume, asymmetrical composition and minimal ornamentation drive every facet of the architecture of this home.

Sticking to Winter’s design intent, Rick and his wife Ellen introduced elements that had originally been value managed out or that just didn’t make it in the first time, showcasing a respectful approach to this renovation.

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This is further highlighted in the furniture and art curation, none of which appears to be out of place. Most notably, the Corpus Christi on the staircase was a gift from the original owners, their extensive art collection having been something to marvel at, and still hangs in the same place it had all these years. Everything else appears simultaneously eclectic yet intentional, characteristic of a collector’s home with memories embedded in each and every piece.

If it is indeed true that form must follow function, this house makes an excellent case for having it all. It is guided by a focus on views, the surrounding landscape, and the clear desire to have no wasted or unnecessary space. It is respectful of a movement that has informed so many architectural achievements of today yet brings with it a new and contemporary perspective that promises to inspire for years to come.

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[Images courtesy of Rick Cook/ COOKFOX. Photography by Francois Dischinger.]