Julie Satow, author of a history of New York’s Plaza Hotel, and Stuart Elliott, founder and editor in chief of the real estate news outlet the Real Deal, enjoyed spending vacations with their two kids at their old fishing cottage in Jamesport, New York.

Stuart grew up on Long Island, and he loves the informality of the North Fork area, which feels more relaxed than the fancier Hamptons at the island’s other fork. The family would wake up and lounge in sandals in the screened-in porch of the two-bedroom cabin overlooking the beach. But they wanted a little more space, and the kids were getting old enough to need separate rooms, so they asked Eric Liftin, founder of Mesh Architectures, to design an extension.

Liftin’s firm had renovated the family’s loft in the West Village, as well as the offices of the Real Deal, and he had also updated other houses in the North Fork area. They liked his dynamic, colorful aesthetic, which feels modern without being austere.

Ultimately, they agreed there was not enough of the existing cottage worth saving, so they began discussing how to carry on its spirit in a new build. “There was an element of that loft aesthetic we wanted to bring to the beach,” Stuart says.

Fold cabinet doors by Reform inexpensively upgrade the open kitchen’s Ikea cabinetry. A Beam pendant by Brenden Ravenhill hangs above the island." layout="wide" credit="Photo by Frank Oudeman | Otto Archive" photoUserId=""/>

Liftin convinced them to design a rigorously energy-efficient passive house. A geothermal well supplies energy for heating and cooling using a ground-source heat pump, offset in upfront costs by 50 percent in federal and state tax credits. Triple-glazed windows, thick spray-foam insulation, and airtight seals provide the highest level of energy conservation, and an energy recovery ventilator circulates air. A contractor who built one of the first passive houses in the area brought local knowledge to the project.

A few lively design details nearly upstage the spectacular views of the ocean. Just beyond the entrance, brightly patterned hexagonal tiles overflow from the open kitchen into the living room, blending softly into blond pine floors. A tall, west-facing window directs afternoon sunlight into the Scandinavian-style space, making the bold patterns stand out in contrast to the shoreline in the distance.

“Surfaces have an incredible effect on our psyche, and we’re very affected by those that we come into contact with,” Liftin says. “They have the ability to emotionally affect us. This is about a sense of life that bubbles through the building.”

The stairwell offers another surprise: Fuchsia daylight filters through the gabled roof down the stairs in a James Turrell–like spectrum of changing color. Upstairs, a step up from the hallway to the main bedroom reveals lush vistas facing the sea. One of the home’s most prized moments occurs here—at the desk of Julie’s writing nook, which focuses the eye toward the water. Turn around, and clerestory windows glow softly from a lofted opening above the bed.

“This is about a sense of life that bubbles through the building.” —Eric Liftin, Architect

For all of the home’s interior charm, its main goal is to serve as a seaside retreat, and the rear deck recreates the simplicity of the original fishing cottage. “One of our favorite places to spend time in is that enclosed deck area, which we took from the previous design” says Stuart. Oversized screens frame big views, and the family enjoys lounging in flip-flops in the warm comfort of exposed wooden surfaces, surrounded by the ocean.

From the front, glimpses of Peconic Bay are visible beyond the two-story facade clad in Resawn Kujaku timber, which is treated using the shou sugi ban method of charring to create a uniformly aged surface. The windows offer portals through to the shore. A hint of the colorful glow within peeks out from the second row of gables. Dichroic film rolled onto the clerestory windows reflects a pinkish hue, progressing to blue as the sun changes its angle in the sky—and as dusk descends, a luminous green.

“It’s all about the special spaces where you really want to spend time in your house,” says Liftin. “It’s not always about ‘This is a really nice room.’ It’s about, ‘Where am I going to spend most of my time?’ I always find that you find a spot that you really love to inhabit.”

Related Reading:

A Hangar Door Opens Up This Long Island Beach House to the Atlantic

A New Eco-Friendly Home Emerges From a Tired Structure on Long Island

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Eric Liftin, Mesh Architectures /@mesharchitectures

Contractor: Jared Loveless, Vector East,

Structural Engineer: Harriet Markis, Tom Petracca

Landscape Architect: Dirtworks Landscape Architecture

Interior Design: Jennifer Bunsa

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A Creative Couple’s Long Island Beach House “Bubbles” With Life