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Splendor in the Glass

Splendor in the Glass

The most abundant “building material” employed in this Southampton home is one that neither its architect nor its interior designer could purchase, only harness. “Light,” says its builder and co-designer, SBP Homes’ Jim Hoffman, “is what energizes this house. When you walk inside, you immediately face an 80-foot expanse of glass—and can’t help but be drawn to the landscape that surrounds the property. Art is what the homeowners collect and value, but glass and windows were even more important to them.”

The residence’s interior designer, Francis Nicdao, chief creative officer of Pembrooke & Ives, adds, “It was about getting as much glazing in place as possible, creating a sense of airiness and light everywhere.” In the rear of the house, virtually the entire elevation opens to the outdoors.This vantage point offers unimpeded views of the property, sumptuously and subtly designed by landscape architect Mario Nievera.

Both Nicdao and Hoffman have created prior residences for the clients, so the two men easily anticipated how the family wanted the house to take shape. “Our clients are very trusting people and definitely have a vision,” says Nicdao. “They don’t require many meetings.”

The collaboration with Hoffman was anything but dangerous. But at 10 bedrooms and 20,000 square feet, the house is just short of daunting. Because the rooms are large and the ceilings high, Nicdao found it necessary to customize many of the furnishings. “The most successful aspect of our work on this project,” he says, “is our having properly responded to the home’s sense of scale.” Fittingly enough (no pun intended), every table, sofa, and armchair is perfectly tailored to its space.

Story by David Masello,
Photographs by Read McKendree

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