An Angular Black Home Finds Harmony With Its Surrounding Meadow

In 2015, New York City resident Ed Fogarty came across an inspiring site in East Hampton, New York, adjacent to a 17-acre working horse farm—land that could never be developed. "You’re surrounded by clear blue sky and open spaces, with no other houses in sight," says Ed. "It felt secluded in a way that was nice coming from the bustling city."

Together with his partner Tim McMullan, Ed purchased the bucolic property—which, at the time, had a small house on it. "I always wanted to build a house, and when I found this property, I fell in love with the site—not necessarily the house," says Ed. After the purchase, Ed and Tim decided to spend time in the existing home in order to experience the nuances of the site, and get a better idea of what they wanted in their new home. "I knew if I lived there through the four seasons for a couple of years, I would really come to understand how the winds blow, how the sun traverses the sky," says Ed.

After a several-years-long residence in the modest, 700-square-foot home, a vision developed for what their new home might look like. "In terms of aesthetics, I’ve always wanted a black house," says Ed, who also drew inspiration from the nearby Parrish Art Museum. "I had some ideas to start, but didn’t necessarily know how they would come to life. A connection with a longtime friend—Workshop/APD founding principal Matt Berman—would change that. "It wasn’t until Matt Berman came to the property that I was able to put that into the words," says Ed. "We began talking about it, and the conversation began to spark ideas that felt right," he recalls of those early discussions. 

The team quickly zeroed in on yakisugi to accomplish the desired rich exterior palette for the home, a material Ed had first encountered on a previous trip to Japan. "I was touring Kyoto with a local guide and saw it on a home," Ed recalls. "I distinctly remember commenting that the wood looked burned, and the guide told me a bit about the process." Known as shou sugi ban in the West, the term refers to Japanese cedar, or sugi, that is intensely burned as a preservative heat treatment. In addition to aesthetic appeal, yakisugi is durable, sustainable, and requires minimal upkeep—it can last as long as 80 to 150 years without maintenance.

When it came to building his own home stateside, careful research led Ed to Nakamoto Forestry. As the preeminent manufacturer of authentic yakisugi, Nakamoto Forestry is a family-owned and -operated company with control over the entire manufacturing process—from their sugi (Japanese cedar) forests in Hiroshima, which they’ve sustainably managed since the 1920s, to four family-owned mills that produce siding and flooring. Nakamoto Forestry honors Japanese tradition in their production of authentic yakisugi—while introducing new technologies and coatings which enhance the natural beauty and durability of the wood. 

Pika-Pika® yakisugi with a black alkyd oil finish was used for the East Hampton home—a richly saturated, colorfast black variety. The deeply charred wood retains texture and depth, with burnt ridges left expressed after the yakisugi is brushed twice to remove soot. "When you can see traces of craftsmanship—the hand of the maker—in a piece or a material, it gives it character and life," says Workshop/APD associate principal Tyler Marshall. "Yakisugi has so much character—it’s very natural, but you can clearly understand how it’s been transformed by heat and the people who worked on it." 

From there, Ed’s idea for a black house really set the tone for the entire design. "I wanted it to be different from the typical white and cedar shake homes you see all over the Hamptons," he says, an approach that resonated with Berman and Marshall’s architectural vision. "This dark exterior palette allows the home to recede into the treeline and its shadows in a way that a more traditional white home would not," Marshall says. "Instead of molding the site to the home, or to some stereotypical expectation of what a Hamptons home should be, we set out to shape the home to the site."

That philosophy of designing to the environment extended to the home’s placement. "We loved the idea of tucking the house along the treeline on one edge of the property, to open views up to the rest of the site," says Marshall. The home’s multi-gabled form is a nod to its agrarian surroundings—as well as a functional response to the homeowners’ spatial proclivity. "We like to take a contextual approach to design, and the area is historically agrarian," Marshall says. "So playing with an agrarian vernacular made sense here."

As for Ed, he was on board to challenge the restrained formality of the stereotypical Hamptons cottage. "I knew I wanted vaulted ceilings, and didn’t want to feel confined or compressed," he says, though he continues, "I certainly didn’t have the idea of a home with five gables." The gabled form helps define separate—but connected—interior spaces. On one side, a primary wing for Ed and Tim includes the main suite, living area, kitchen, and dining area, while across an open-air breezeway, a guest wing includes two additional bedroom suites.

Surrounding the house, a wildflower meadow was planted—the result of Ed’s desire to forgo a manicured lawn and infuse a sense of escapism. "I never wanted the typical Hamptons lawn with crisp cut grass," says Ed. "I wanted to feel the outside inside and loved the idea of a wildflower meadow." The perfectly overgrown field of flowers blankets the outdoor space around the pool—and has even attracted an influx of birds and pollinators since its planting. The home’s bold, black form, tucked into the treeline, is softened by the surrounding meadow and vegetation—one quality that Ed enjoys about the home. "We had this very structured, black, angular house, and the soft wildflower meadow sits in perfect contrast," he says. "I think the juxtaposition of the natural meadow and this modern angular house is one of the things that make it so special." 

The landscape design—alongside the exterior’s evolving patina—embodies Ed’s vision of the home as an ever-changing reflection of its location. The surrounding nature, combined with the rich texture of the wood, ensures that the home is not static, but rather one that develops character and adapts to its environment throughout the seasons and beyond.

Learn more at nakamotoforestry.com.

Project Credits: 

Architecture: Workshop/APD 

Builder: Shoshi Builders

Siding: Nakamoto Forestry

Landscaping: Farm Landscape Design