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TRANSLUCENCE

RYE, NEW YORK

A sense of lightness and transparency is filtered inward and upwards with intersecting levels and layers that peel away like the translucent skins of an onion, open and exposed in some places, veiled in others. The house’s L-shaped plan––what the architects refer to as a “Dog with a Bone”––turns away from a neighboring house to the south and creates a privacy barrier around the pool terrace. The entry façade is broken into two autonomous elements: one transparent, the other largely opaque. A sweeping lateral movement is created by the open slats of a 60-foot-long brise-soleil, something akin to hyper-extended Venetian blinds that stretch to the south end of the house and shield the upstairs gallery from direct sunlight. Inside, a dramatically cantilevered staircase ascends the two-story void that lies between the curtain wall on one side and the living room on the other. “We wanted to reveal the internal organs of the house,” said Coy. Illuminated from above, the wedge-shaped space becomes a well of natural light that filters into both the living room and upstairs with five bedrooms, including the master suite. A smaller version of the staircase continues upward, into the open air, as if liberating itself from the confines of the interior, while further below, lies a fully equipped gym and recreation room.

We wanted to reveal the internal organs of the house.

PLANS