D’APOSTROPHE DESIGN CREATES A SERENE SPACE
By Kim Cook
For Exterior Design Magazine
Belgian-born architect and designer Francis D’Haene came to New York City in 1992 to pursue his career, working with Big Apple design luminaries Robert Metzger, Marc Charbonnet and Mark Zeff. He launched D’Apostrophe Design Inc. in 1996.
Blending an art background with his architecture and interior design vision, D’Haene has completed projects in the residential, retail and public arenas, receiving several awards including the 2010 Interior Design Best of Year Award.
D’Haene’s affinity for art was a boon when he and his team took on a full house and exterior project in a pretty hamlet on Long Island’s South Fork.
The area is a quiet retreat from New York City’s hectic pace, and it’s popular with well-heeled folk who settle in long-term or spend their vacations enjoying the sugary sand beaches, galleries, wineries and farm-to-table restaurants.
The owners of the 6,200-square-foot shingle-style home and two-acre property were fans of D’Apostrophe’s signature style using primary forms and clean-lined aesthetics. So the firm responded by creating a canvas for their eclectic and vast art collection. The collection includes several large-scale pieces that needed to be placed outdoors.
Now the pool shares the yard with a fire pit, a Jacuzzi and a striking wood house-like structure that frames the expansive views while providing a cozy contemplative nook. The layout and design elements of the area make it D’Haene’s favorite part of the whole project.
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were able to create a few different layers where people could enjoy the exterior landscape. The fire pit placement is intentionally between the bench and the Jacuzzi, so people can have conversations around the pit while others are relaxing on the bench or lounging in the pool.”
D’Haene designed the space to take full advantage of the property’s beautiful surroundings. “The space is also unique because it has several interesting lines of sight to various views in the distance,” he says. “The corten steel fence around the area was designed and made by one of the homeowner’s family members.”
A linear wood structure, which D’Haene playfully calls the ‘pool house,’ was added a couple of years after the home’s renovation.
“Besides the mandate for an outdoor Jacuzzi, changing room and bathroom, we had carte blanche,” he says. “So we created a basic and pure ‘house’ volume which we covered in recycled barn wood—walls, doors, bench, roof—with all corners seamless and mitered. One material and one volume. We placed it in line at the short end of the pool, with an intentional opening that curates space to frame the orchard
and fields beyond.
“We used a plethora of natural materials, including recycled barn wood from Elmwood Reclaimed Timber and pool stone imported from England, along with Louis Poulsen copper sconces and corten steel.”
The finished project is a thoughtful composition of rustic materials, sculpture and simple style elements. They showcase how art and artfulness can not only find a home together, but make one.
Read more in the October edition of EXTERIOR DESIGN
