Delong Residence
Overview
This house is located on a lush pie shaped lot in South West Coconut Grove. The owner, who splits their time between Switzerland and the U.S.A., was drawn to purchase this overlooked property knowing that the challenging site proportions would promote an unconventional, yet exciting architectural intervention.
The design of the Delong Residence was realized in collaboration with Terry Riley of K/R. The architectural parti consists of a long, rectangular, single story volume, set against the long edge of the neighboring property. A lone bedroom anchors the rear of the home amongst the dense landscape cover and occupies the widest part of the property.
Processionally, the spaces are then arranged by functional importance to the bedroom; walk-in closet, bathroom and an open plan living room and kitchen complete the linear sequence.
To preserve the functional purity of these spaces, all utility functions are aggregated together and located in the front of the home, accessed only from the exterior, further dislocating the relationship of service and living space. This utility “buffer” effectively slides the living functions further into the property which aids to create a greater sense of privacy from the street and position the living spaces between the wider portions of the side setbacks.
Hence, the released compression of the property boundary against the house extends the visual depth of the exterior when within the house.
The interior of the home is as pure in ambition as the exterior. Wall, floor and ceiling are subtle, bounding planes that do not distract the eye from the natural diversity beyond the glass wall that delicately divides garden and home .
A single material was elected for the floor to unify all the spaces and draw them together. Solid Douglas Fir, 18” wide planks are orientated on the short axis of the home to propel the eye beyond the glass and into the garden. Carefully curated furniture pieces define the living and kitchen area, where a simple, white kitchen with a stainless steel countertop contains the open living area.
In response to the site constraints and as the landscape begins to fill out, the home is uniquely sequestered from the hustle of city. In every sense, the experience of living here is a restorative hideaway; a reinterpreted, modern Swiss cottage for the tropics.
Details
Location: 4259 Lennox Drive, Miami FL 33133
Program: Single story residential
Size: 1,500 sf
Budget: 450,000 +
Completion: September 2015
Design Team
Design Architect: K/R
Executive Architect: K/RConsulting Architect: Ethan Royal
Structural Engineer: GF Consulting Engineers
MEP/FP Engineer: CREDO
Civil Engineer: N/A
Landscape: NaturalficialPhotography: Robin Hill
Client: Sonya Delong
Contractor: Double P Construction
Enquiry: info@royalbyckovas.com
