This Montauk house on Hither Hills is a perfect example of Nilay Oza’s approach of ‘radical reimagining.’ The architect has worked on his unique take of reinventing existing homes – many of them in the Hamptons, where he is based – since the start of his career, through to his past partnership with Peter Sabbeth as Oza Sabbeth Architects, the design firm that, in May of this year, rebranded itself as Oza Studio Architects.
Favouring reuse over starting from scratch and working with natural materials – often predominantly wood – Oza Sabbeth Architects (and now, Oza Studio) has been carving its own, distinct niche within architecture and in its part of the world; which is also where its newest project, a bespoke haven for a couple who own a car repair outfit in the Bronx, is located.
Tour this Montauk house on Hither Hills
‘The clients of Hither Hill are some of the most genuine and down-to-earth folks we’ve ever had, and one of our favourite clients ever. They own and operate an auto body paint shop in the Bronx. And they LOVE the house. It is a coming-of-age for them, a celebration of their lives so far… It is their lair,’ Oza explains.
The couple approached him with a commission for a holiday home on Hither Hills, a stretch of sand with a long, southerly view of the Atlantic Ocean. Set on elevated ground, the site captures wide Atlantic views at both sunrise and sunset.
Right from the start of the project, Oza spotted an opportunity to bring his approach of radically reimagining existing building fabric for 21st-century needs to good use. He says: ‘The clients wanted to tear down the house and start from scratch. There was no ambition to make it grand. The ambition was to make it theirs – more open, more light, yet still humble.’
However, the architect quickly established that the cost to demolish and start from scratch would be twice as much as that of a reuse. Additionally, ironically, by demolishing, ‘less would have been possible – both in terms of size and proximity to the side lot lines.’
The tired, existing structure on site felt mundane and uninspiring, yet held lots of potential. Oza and his team reorientated the house to look out towards the water, ensuring there is expansive glazing in nearly every interior space. A new top roof deck and a terrace spilling out from the living spaces accentuate this connection between indoors and outdoors.
