New construction on Nantucket Island. House form and massing are designed to take advantage of the expansive water views. Building materials are selected to be in keeping with the historic structures on Island. Main living spaces are situated on the upper level to maximize views.

Photos by Wendy Mills.

Custom built 3,500 square foot retreat built on the tip of a peninsula surrounded by a tidal waterway. Three sides of the house overlook the changing tides. Sun bounces off the water flooding the interior with light. The footprint is compact, the floor plan informal and open. A cupola filters light down through the central stairs. Deep expansive overhangs are integrated into the structure via colossal brackets. The brackets continue into the main living space to enhance the interior/exterior connection. Photos by @carynbdavis

A new Shingle Style Cottage on the water in Nantucket.  Completed in 2016. Photos by Jeffrey Allen.

A 4,500 square foot Modern Suburban home adapts to changing stages in family life whilst doing so in a contemporary way. Clean and Crisp architectural lines are emphasized via massing and materials. Photos by Mixit

New Construction in Historic Southport.

Photos by Amy Vischio

A wing containing a kitchen, mudroom, and a three car garage with a master suite above was added to the existing saltbox house.  The symmetry of the front facade is slowly eroded, as one moves toward the rear of the home.  The less formal wing addition features asymmetric window placement and massing.  The scale is kept modest by dropping roof lines low and tucking in dormers.  The rear of the house is almost a complete departure from the front with large expanses of glass opening the interior up to the outdoors and flooding it with natural light.  The interior spaces take inspiration from modern day minimalism combined with the Shaker interiors of early New England.

A renovated 1920's Victorian home on the water.  The primary objective was to open the sight lines to the water views from anywhere in the first floor living space.  Innovative use of sliding slatted wood screens allows the open spaces to be sectioned off for privacy.  The use of reflective surfaces and light colored materials pulls the light into what was once a dark interior.

Early 1900's estate caretaker and gardener cottages were reimagined and repurposed into a 2 bedroom guest cottage and family entertainment compound. The new inground pool acts as the focal point to the assemblage of structures. A catering kitchen is located right off the trellised outdoor dining area for easy entertaining. A home gym and potting room complete the program. The property sits on a Southern slope, offering distant views of Long Island Sound.

Photos by Neil Landino

This 3,500 square foot residence built on a small lot near Compo Beach in Westport sits within strict footprint and building height limitations.  A triple gable is employed under which the house is nestled.  Two inverted roof dormers feed the center of the home with natural light.  A glass bridge connects the finished third floor to the main stair, and glass railings allow light to filter down through the core of the home.  Although the house is compact, the open floor plan and giant sized windows piercing the exterior allow light in and create open vistas throughout.  

Renovation of an existing residence on the water. The entire structure was gutted and rebuilt as a beach cottage with a modern sensibility. A metal and wood stair is a sculptural connection between the three levels.

This Mediterranean Revival is perched on a hillside with scenic views overlooking a river.  It underwent a complete interior reworking and several additions were designed to maintain the integrity of the original 1930's craftsmanship.  The informal living spaces were re-envisioned to flow one into the next, perfect for the large family that resides there and their love for entertaining.  Exterior living spaces were treated with as much importance as the interiors.

The site of the existing house, located in a tidal marsh, is not allowed by today's building regulations.  Working with a basic 1950's constructed box; the footprint or envelope could be altered minimally in order to keep the home's unique position. The design treats the house as a shell into which the new elements are inserted.   Service spaces, such as the kitchen and powder room are housed in a sculptural edifice.  The stairway captures views of the open living space but serves also as a focal point with its switchbacks and landings.  Outdoor decks and porches are perched over the tidal marsh, touching the ground lightly, or not at all.

A Stone House originally built by Fraser Forman Peters, a local  architect who specialized in designing stone houses throughout Fairfield County in the 1930's & 1940's.  The commanding front of the existing home overlooks Long Island Sound.  VBA designed extensive renovations and additions to take advantage of the views and modernize the home's dated layout and program.  Much care went into the material selection and construction detailing, creating a seamless integration between old and new.

A New 900 square foot stucco Playhouse has distant water views, and overlooks the existing main house and pool.  The Owners wanted a distinct space for entertaining.  The interior has an open game room and a separate den and bath for guests.

A 1930's Stone Dutch Colonial originally designed by noted Connecticut Architect Fraser Forman Peters was outdated, dark and had a choppy room layout.  A poorly executed 1960's wood frame addition was demolished to make way for new additions.  The task was to create bright interiors that were well connected to one another and to seamlessly link the many levels of the existing home.  The additions were designed in the same spirit of the original; material selections were made to maintain the quality and solidity, and the long sweeping asymmetrical roof lines are in keeping with the cottage feel.  Where possible, large expanses of glass were introduced to create a strong indoor/outdoor connection.  The family room fireplace anchors the space and echoes the exterior stonework.  The interiors were designed in keeping with the Arts & Crafts vocabulary.

A new 6,000 sq.ft. home inspired by the turn of the century architecture of A.J. Downing.  The house sits on a level two acre property and has a prominent street front.  Stripped of ornament, the house relies on its three steeply pitched gables, elongated windows and recessed entry to give it character.  Interiors are left simple by using common elements and placing emphasis on connections, joints and fasteners.

A Rustic retreat for a family who likes to entertain, and enjoy the countryside.  The house is conceived as a collection of buildings artfully arranged.  Each building contains a different programmatic element and expresses itself independently.  The building forms take their cues from traditional agrarian, cottage and shaker buildings.  Materials are left simple, raw and unfinished where possible.  Native site quarried stone is utilized on the exterior.  Reclaimed hemlock is used throughout the interior.  Trees removed for the structure were milled for flooring.

Abiding by two Client requests; the first to "make it look like it's always been there"  and the second to "make it appear smaller than it is" informed the layout and architecture of this new 8,000 square foot residence.  The house is broken up into many wings to help visually diminish the size. There is a hidden parking court on the North side of the home, with the two garage wings serving as bookends.  The gambrel roof form and banding of the siding were deliberately chosen to reduce the mass of the home.  The exterior terrace is South facing and steps down to a private sunken pool area.