A renovation of a home, especially one that has undergone a traumatic event, should enhance the space by updating it for contemporary needs while maintaining the memories and inherently positive feelings that led the homeowner to want to live in that place. 

Located directly behind the large dunes of Lido Beach, New York, this house suffered damage during Superstorm Sandy and required a full gut renovation. The house is the center for three generations of family and so holidays and warm summer days are filled with children, piano playing, beach toys, and neighborhood friends. Retaining the same perimeter walls, the design enhances natural light and cross ventilation by opening up the plan and adding more generous, operable windows. With the increased size of the family, the design provides generous, flexible rooms that possess larger windows and doors to the outside - giving the house the feeling of a group of small beach cabins. 

Long Beach, New York

Completed 2014

Photography by Giles Ashford