The proprietors of the midcentury modern home in New York’s Hudson Valley liked the casual nature of the original 1952 design, but they wanted a stronger connection to the scene. Jeff Jordan Architects opened both the floor plan and outside, providing the clients a more straightforward, pared-down version of the home, with expansive glass walls and perspectives that recall Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House along with other contemporary glass houses.
in a Glance
Location: Newburgh, New York
Size: 2,200 square feet
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
The Hillcrest House has basically a U-shape plan, with the master suite and garage occupying one leg each, and the open living area found at the bottom. The latter is where architect Jeff Jordan really opened up the home, as can be seen here in the east-facing living area. This view shows the way the exterior cedar siding is continuing inside to combine the inside and outside; we will see more of that later.
Before Photo
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
BEFORE: Windows in the original were relatively big, but their articulation along with also the adjacent materials on the back exterior walls left to be desired. (Cedar siding elsewhere was retained and turned into a strong part of the renovation’s design.)
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
AFTER: Moving in the living spaces into the outside now occurs via sliding glass doors set into the larger windows, instead of by a swinging door, as seen in the previous photo. From here we will step inside the door in the foreground to look at the living area.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
With cedar siding lasted into parts of the interior, the living area starts to accept the character of an outdoor space — it’s open views to the east and exterior-like wood on the west, wrap round the fireplace on the north.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
The opening up of the facade did not involve just huge panes of glass. It also included eliminating the wall between the living area and dining area in the outside wall and partly exposing the structure above the ceiling. This created an open zone a few feet deep in the outside wall.
Before Photo
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
BEFORE: The distance in the living room did not flow round the fireplace on both sides.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
AFTER: Here’s a view in the dining area back into the living area. Notice the colors that are unobtrusively tucked at the peak of the window. With so much glass, shading is very important.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
Jordan enlarged the kitchen marginally and changed it by a galley into an L shape with island, allowing it to be more spacious with the living area.
Before Photo
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
BEFORE: The previous galley kitchen supplied access to the laundry room area beyond, but decreasing the laundry area and moving its doorway to the side by the dining area allowed the kitchen to work better, while making it more spacious.
The laundry area also served as a mudroom with access in the garage, so Jordan reconfigured part of the garage to provide direct entry into the living area. Normally this wouldn’t be desirable, however, the owners are auto collectors, along with the large garage allows them to put them on display.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
AFTER: Here is a view from the dining area into the laundry room. The simple palette of bamboo walls and white epoxy floors continues into the utility areas as white walls and cabinets. The comparison with the timber makes these spaces appear even brighter.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
When there’s one place where there are the proverbial “eyes on the street” (or much more like on the front yard, provided the Hudson Valley location), it is the kitchen and its own window over the sink. The front door could be glimpsed on the left border of the photo.
Before Photo
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
BEFORE: It’s simple to find out how the new design opened up the connection between the living room and the kitchen, bringing in extra light from the kitchen window over the sink. Before, the stove hood and cabinets on the side (not to mention that the black finishes) cut back on the light and openness.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
Here is a view of the dining area, awaiting the kitchen. The back of the fireplace is covered in timber, instead of the brick that faces the living area.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
This last view of the home — the dining room, 180 degrees in the previous photo — accentuates the goodwill between the inside and outside through the cedar siding; it is like the exterior wall proceeds inside the home. Technically that is not the situation, but it exhibits that sense.
Also notice the door with matching wood siding, a nice detail that makes it possible for the dining area to have any goodwill as it provides access to a bedroom (the doorway) along with also the laundry area, which has a similar door.
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
BEFORE
Jeff Jordan Architects LLC
AFTER