Inside Look: Dune CEO’s Southampton Home by Sawyer|Berson

Over the past few decades, the New York architecture firm Sawyer|Berson has designed a bevy of houses in the Hamptons. Admired for their stylistic versatility, founding partners Brian Sawyer and John Berson have masterminded everything from stately Colonial Revival residences to bold, contemporary compounds. But never before had the studio worked on a home quite like the one proposed by Richard Shemtov for a wooded single-acre property in Southampton.

Shemtov, the CEO and founder of furniture company Dune, was looking to build a weekend retreat to share with his wife, Dominique, and their three daughters, who range in age from 14 to 26. He envisioned something modestly scaled, modeled after traditional gable-roof barns but in a rigorously pared-down style. Key inspirations were Herzog & de Meuron’s Parrish Art Museum in nearby Water Mill and the Baron House in Sweden by John Pawson.

“It wasn’t our typical commission,” says Sawyer, who has known and worked with Shemtov for years. “It was an exercise in discipline, really, a fun puzzle to work out. We could fit a certain amount of program in the box.” Adds Berson, “As it turned out, that was a deceptively simple idea, to coordinate the plan and section and make the entire composition sing.”

A Southampton Home Three Years in the Making

To create a crisp silhouette, Sawyer and Berson sunk one of the structure’s two main levels entirely below-grade and devised the standing-seam roof, a weathered-gray zinc, so that it is flush with the perimeter edges and has hidden gutters. Expanses of 10-foot-high, black-painted aluminum–framed glass—most of which slide open—line much of the front and rear facades, while the rest of the exterior is clad in a distinctive recycled-glass brick.

The house’s ground floor encompasses an open living/dining area, the kitchen, and four bedrooms. The loftlike basement level—housing several entertaining areas, Shemtov’s home office, a laundry room, a gym, and a kitchenette—is completely column-free, which added significantly to the engineering complexity of the project. The house also expanded a bit as plans developed: A custom-fabricated carport was tacked on and room was carved out below the eaves to create a half level, a cozy attic den that can double as a guest bedroom. “It’s the house we wanted,” Shemtov says. “But we went way over budget and it took nearly three years to build.”

Interiors are by Homeowner Richard Shemtov

A big chunk of that time was devoted to fitting out the 8,000-square-foot interiors. It’s not uncommon for Sawyer|Berson to handle every aspect of a project—architecture, interiors, landscape—as can be seen in the duo’s forthcoming monograph, to be published by Rizzoli this fall in advance of the firm’s 25th anniversary. But in this case Shemtov oversaw the interiors himself, his first time designing a project of this scale. “Every inch of the house was considered and thought out, almost to the point where it was obsessive,” he admits.

A Courtyard Garden by Sawyer|Berson Brightens the Lower Level

The art is mostly things the homeowners have collected over years, works by friends or that have a personal resonance. One new acquisition is the Bernardo Siciliano painting of a restaurant interior that hangs in the dining area. The scene felt distinctly familiar to Shemtov, who learned after he bought it that the artist had based it on Lincoln, a restaurant in Lincoln Center where Dune created a custom banquette.

To bring light down into the lower level, Sawyer|Berson, which oversaw landscaping, created a courtyard garden with a series of amphitheater-style concrete terraces that are arrayed with a profusion of potted plants. “I originally saw it as a kind of hanging garden with things tumbling down,” says Sawyer. “Richard came up with the idea of lining it with pots, which I think is fun and punchy.”

The focal point of the rear grounds is a minimalist swimming pool, surrounded by porcelain-tile coping and a sweep of precisely graded lawn. There’s an outdoor kitchen and a poolside dining pergola, as well as a covered terrace that’s become one of the family’s favorite hangout spots. Shemtov imagines spending weekends and summers here with the girls—and, eventually, their families—for many years to come. “Labor of love is a commonly used term,” he says, “but with this house, it resonates a lot.”

Inside a Southampton Home by Sawyer|Berson 

sawyer|berson: alex taylor wilk

blue sky design: structural engineer

bk kuck construction: general contractor

toulemonde bochart: rug (lounge)

normann copenhagen: small side table

romo: chair fabric (lounge), drapery sheers (living area, dining area), banquette fabric (mudroom), bench fabric, window-treatment fabric (guest bedroom), settee fabric (main bedroom)

anna karlin: pendant fixture (dining area)

élitis: chair fabric

crosby street studios: rugs (dining area, guest bedroom)

schmitt design: chandelier (living area)

pollack: sectional fabric

kerry joyce: chair fabric

through jeff lincoln art & design: cocktail table, side tables

Ortal: fireplace

foro marble: fireplace stone

stone source: floor tile (mudroom)

renson: custom carport, custom pergola (exterior)

damien hirst: wallpaper (bedroom)

art + loom: rug

Knoll Textiles: wall fabric

robert allen: headboard fabric

brinklicht: pendant fix­tures (kitchen)

corian: countertops

piet boon: stools

wolf: oven

California Faucets: sink fittings

through lee jofa: drapery fabric (main bedroom)

c & c milano: bed fabric

céline wright: pendant fixture

beadlight: sconces

jab: chair fabric, ottoman fabric (main bedroom), chair fabric (game area)

mgs milano: outdoor shower (guest bedroom)

pelican pools: pool (terrace)

ceramiche refin: pavers

lindsay cowles: wallpaper (bedroom)

paul smith: lamp

loro piana: chair fabric

verzelloni: bench

jane churchill: bench fabric

modernica: screens (game area)

Moooi: pendant fixture

salvatori: wall tile (bathroom)

concrete collaborative: countertop stone

ann sacks: floor tile

brizo: sink fittings

&tradition: lamp (den)

fleetwood windows & doors: windows, exterior doors

rheinzink: roof

harbour outdoor: outdoor furniture

Stonhard: resin floor coating

benjamin moore & co.: paint

Neal Beckstedt Studio Transforms a Beaux-Arts Building into a Modern Office

Ever since Neal Beckstedt opened his eponymous studio in 2010, he’s had the good fortune of working with creative clients like fashion designer Derek Lam and eyewear maven Robert Marc. Another is innovative entrepreneur Albert Sebag, who approached Beckstedt for help with “his office” one day in 2019.

“I thought he meant his personal office,” Beckstedt says with a laugh. What Sebag actually had in mind was new headquarters for Guidepoint, the information-age business he founded in 2003. Guidepoint is a matchmaker of sorts, connecting clients, specifically global companies, in need of specialized information with the experts that can provide it. Currently, some 3,500 clients in a broad spectrum of industries—from healthcare to TMT—have at their disposal a network of 1,250,000 authorities for virtual or in-person consultations of practically any size. Almost half of the company’s 1,100 international employees would be based in the facility. What Guidepoint needed from Beckstedt, then, was an open and transparent arrangement of work spaces for clients, advisors, and full-time staff. Efficiency and versatility were stated goals.

After a six-month search, Sebag and Beckstedt found the ideal site in Chelsea: the entire 38,000-square-foot second floor of 675 Avenue of the Americas, a landmarked beaux-arts stunner built in 1900 as the Adams Dry Goods department store. “It was a bit of a mess inside,” the designer acknowledges, “but it had beautiful columns, high ceilings, and tons of light—all on one level.” That the building incorporated a central atrium also helped with the layout. “Most offices of this scale are worms’ nests of dark corridors; the atrium allowed for a completely open plan flooded with natural light.”

After demolishing the many interior walls and partitions, Beckstedt went about creating a unique config­uration of work zones in a controlled materials palette that invokes Gotham’s loft-conversion aesthetic. “I wanted the design to be straightforward,” he explains. “It’s about elevating mundane building materials— plywood, metal mesh, stainless steel—so the environment is clean and modern with a streamlined element, but still warm and interesting in a way that isn’t boring or overpowering.”

Beckstedt’s sense of delight helped raise visual engagement. He left much of the original brick exposed and enlivened the palette of blacks, whites, grays, and beiges with shots of a hot yellow taken from Guidepoint’s logo. The designer even opted to keep a pink wall, daubed with a bit of whim­sical graffiti, which had been revealed when plasterboard was stripped away during demolition.

Most of Beckstedt’s custom pieces are modular, and much of the purchased FF&E is versatile, such as the adjustable-height workstations. He limited the selection of furniture, focusing on familiar mid-century pieces by the likes of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and Mies van der Rohe. “It keeps things calm and consistent,” he notes. “So many offices try so hard to be interesting that they wind up with visual chaos.”

Beckstedt spent a great deal of his time developing the program, accommodating as many people as Guidepoint needed into the square footage. “The overall strategy was about being functional, about letting the function become the design,” he explains. “Ornamentation wasn’t going drive it, and that informed every decision, from the layout to not replacing missing sections of the crown molding. This project is about work and the history of the building and the city.”

Even the lobby, which stretches along a wall of commanding arched windows, is an interactive work space. “It’s not just a place for people to wait,” Beckstedt says. “It’s where team members can meet, use laptops, have a quick chat, or just take a break.” In theory and praxis, the genius loci at Guidepoint is connection.

facility solutions group: lighting consultant

lilker: mep

hollinger fine cabinetry: woodwork

mcnichols: metalwork

master’s upholstery: custom furniture workshop

b&b contracting group: general contractor

savel: sofa fabric (lobby)

chemetal: coffee table laminate

vitra: stools, side chairs (lobby, café)

fitzfelt: re­ception desk felt (ceo suite)

through merit: vintage desk

Patterson Flynn: rugs

empire office: conference chairs

knoll­textiles: armchair fabric (ceo suite), cushion fabric (training room)

dwr: armchairs (ceo suite), chairs (podcast studio, large conference room)

polygal: enclosure system (booths)

pinta acoustic: paneling (podcast studio)

Kohler: sink fittings (restroom)

knoll: workstations, task chairs (office, office area)

bernhardt; camira fabrics; designtex; febrik; hbf textiles; luum textiles; maharam; pollack: cushion fabric (training room)

ann sacks: floor tile

stark: carpet

laminart: tabletop laminate

bartco; coronet; delray lighting; liteline: lighting

benjamin moore & co.: paint

MetroWall: Glass partitions

Compact and Complete Los Angeles Housing by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects

2022 Best of Year Winner for Infill Housing

An Angelino by way of Dublin where he was born and London, Rome, and Madrid where he studied and lived thanks to his film actor father, Lorcan O’Herlihy stands out as an architect particularly devoted to housing and urban issues in his all-encompassing practice. “I always grew up in cities,” he says as prologue to one of the firm’s mantras. “We embrace architecture as a social act.” Making the point are more than 100 awards for housing projects completed by LOHA, which has offices in both Los Angeles and Detroit, including a 2017 Interior Design Best of Year honor.

Newly completed in mid-2021, the project was designed to address Los Angeles’s “rampant housing crisis,” he says, especially for first-time buyers in an increasingly unaffordable market. It comprises five homes totaling 10,000 square feet on an urban infill lot that promotes a degree of density while maintaining the residential scale of the neighborhood. Quasi identical, individual dwellings range in area from 1,400 to 1,690 square feet. Just six inches separate them.

Despite compact and repetitive components, the assemblage presents a striking face to the street. Credit simplicity of form and materials. Unmistakable is an A-frame vibe. Yet O’Herlihy tilted the upper level exterior walls, peeling away edges to create a sense of identity per house and allow a degree of light to infiltrate. These walls are a system of white-painted aluminum panels with standing seam detailing. Front faces, however, are double height glazing, and sides have punched apertures. All optimize SoCal’s most prized commodity of sunlight. Meanwhile, ground floors are a solid run of cedar for garage enclosures, complete with charging stations.

Inside, the entry and laundry room as well as garage occupy the ground floor. The second level has two bedrooms and baths while the topmost floor is an open living, dining, kitchen expanse. Everything is crisp and white, including the painted columns and beams corresponding to the structures’ framing system. When it came to other finishes, O’Herlihy cut no corners. Custom cabinetry is oak with honed marble for kitchen counters and backsplashes. Sustainable hardwood flooring is imported from Belgium. Stainless steel appliances are from Bosch, while Ann Sacks supplied tile for hallway baths. Main and secondary baths feature Gascogne limestone. 

There are no backyards, but that doesn’t preclude outdoor space. Instead, it is elevated to rooftop, the decks enclosed with glass handrails and accessed through folding French doors.  The cost of each home is $1,520,000. Indeed, the figure seems pricey.  Nevertheless, it is part of O’Herlihy’s overarching strategy of “architecture for everybody. Not just houses on the hill.” 

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Designers and Manufacturers Convene for September Edition of Virtual re:Source

A very special thank you to our re:Source sponsors who made this event possible:

Studio Plow Designs a Meditative Headquarters for a Startup in San Francisco

Born in rural Oklahoma, and a graduate of Kansas State University, Brit Epperson’s Midwest roots run deep. But the architect is now based in San Francisco, which is where she founded Studio Plow, the firm name an homage to her heritage, five years ago. Her small team has been busy during the pandemic, including, perhaps surprisingly, with workplace projects, namely the 70,000-square-foot, three-story headquarters for Faire.

The office marks Plow’s second go-around for the digital platform, which connects makers with local and global retailers. The earlier project, completed in early 2019, “was a Craigslist special—a vanilla shell for a maximum capacity of 126,” Epperson recalls. Fast forward less than a year. The Faire office 2.0, prompted by “massive employee growth,” is the antithesis, thanks to the site, Epperson’s response to it, and her client’s vision toward a collegial change in how people work.

Faire now occupies a 1910 brick-and-timber former warehouse. After the architect of record addressed the necessary seismic and infrastructure upgrades, Epperson embraced the building’s rich, architectural history with the maxim: “Let’s lean into it.” Work spaces, mostly benching configurations, span the three levels. Nothing is crowded: Epperson made sure to limit neighborhoods to 25 employees and intersperse them with amenities. Lounges, a total of 22 throughout, are rife with seating options, beckoning as alternative work zones. Ad-hoc meeting areas can be cordoned off with textile partitions. Dozens of conference rooms plus a boardroom offer more traditional gathering outlets.

There are also multiple spots for recharging. The airy commissary, which doubles as the all-hands space, is populated with minimalist white steel picnic benches and pendant globes along with warmer Windsor-style ash chairs and round teak tables. Just past reception, again warm with a sectional sofa upholstered in brassy velvet, is Petit Faire, a French bistro–inspired coffee bar with a white-oak communal table and accessories from Faire wholesale vendors. Pantries, one per floor, are well-stocked, and live interior landscaping by a local LGBTQ-owned business is everywhere. (There’s also a pop-up with rotating Faire merchandise.)

But the real recharging happens in the dedicated meditation room, a tidy brick vault that Epperson transformed into a restful aerie with built-in oak benches, plush cream meditation cushions and carpet, and integrated speakers for staff to tune into Headspace or Breethe. Employees started trickling in last April, first at 5 percent, then up to 25 on a reservation basis in June. “We gave them lots of places to gather,” Epperson comments, “but it’s all so open that everything feels safe.” Calming indeed.

Add tag via side panel: sconces (meditation room)

to market: carpet

sage meditation: cushions

Bentley Mills: carpet (lounges, conference room)

rh contract: coffee tables

urban outfitters: chairs (corner lounge)

West Elm: side table

eq3: sofa (corner lounge), rug (lounge), chairs (commissary)

armadillo: rugs (corner lounge, reception)

workstead: sconces (reception)

menu: sofa, table (reception), pendant fixtures (coffee bar), chairs (meeting area)

Blu Dot: sofas (lounge)

triple seven home: sconces (coffee bar)

ann sacks: floor tile

ceasarstone: bar top

skagerak: stools

klein agency: custom tables (coffee bar, meeting area)

alcon lighting: pendant globes (commissary)

muuto: white benches, tables

kave home: round tables

designtex: curtain fabric (boardroom)

hpl contract: custom table

laura furniture: chairs

molo: partition (meeting area)

carnegie: curtain fabric

through minton door company: doors

mission glass: windows, storefront

benjamin moore & co.: paint

wac lighting: leds

huntsman architectural group: architect of record

murphy burr curry: structural engineer

plant fairies: interior landscaping

commercial casework: woodwork

nova partners: project management

bcci construction: general contractor