DAMASCUS ROAD RESIDENCE

Project Description

A Barn House in the Woods

This five-bedroom barn house is located on Long Island, not far from New York City and the ocean. The house was conceived as an accessible and functional short-term rental property, offering an opportunity to escape the city for a few days and enjoy the coast while surrounded by nature.

The architecture is organized around the idea of a complete retreat experience. One of the key elements of the layout is a sunken courtyard that both structures the site and brings natural daylight into the lower level. This allows the basement to move beyond its traditional role as a storage or service area and become an integral part of the living program.

The outdoor spaces continue the same concept. A generous backyard with a swimming pool, panoramic glazing, and landscaped areas creates an environment designed for spending time outdoors. During the warmer months, the relationship between the house, the pool, and the surrounding landscape becomes an essential part of the experience.

The architectural language is rooted in the familiar barn house typology, but reinterpreted through a more contemporary and carefully detailed approach. The facades are clad in timber slats of varying thicknesses, creating a rhythmic surface with pronounced shadow gaps. Timber is complemented by stainless steel elements and stonework, forming a restrained yet expressive material palette.

Together, these materials give the house a distinctive identity while preserving the recognizable character of a barn house. At the same time, the architecture does not compete with its natural surroundings. Instead, its textured materiality and position among the trees allow the building to visually recede into the forest.

The result is a house designed less as an architectural statement and more as a carefully crafted living experience. Privacy, generous outdoor spaces, a swimming pool, natural light, and a constant connection with the landscape come together to create a retreat designed around life by the ocean.

The barn house becomes a secluded escape within reach of the city, where architecture, nature, and the rituals of a coastal getaway form a single experience.