Summer Camp Is in Session at This Barnlike Weekend Retreat on Long Island

Lauren Gallow
Updated ·2 min read

A Brooklyn family builds their idyllic escape with a trio of timber structures looking out over the Peconic Bay.

Lake|Flato designed a weekend home on North Fork, Long Island that nods to the rustic agricultural structures dotting the region. Western red cedar siding is stained black to help the home's three structures recede into the landscape.
Lake|Flato designed a weekend home on North Fork, Long Island that nods to the rustic agricultural structures dotting the region. Western red cedar siding is stained black to help the home's three structures recede into the landscape.

Though fewer than 80 miles from Brooklyn, North Fork on Long Island is worlds away, with farms, rustic barns, and quaint harbors. Here, on a small peninsula facing the Peconic Bay, a young Brooklyn family set out to build a family compound for relaxing, recharging, and connecting with the land.

Lake|Flato designed a weekend home on North Fork, Long Island, that references the rustic agricultural structures dotting the region. Western red cedar siding stained black makes the home’s three structures recede into the setting.
Lake|Flato designed a weekend home on North Fork, Long Island, that references the rustic agricultural structures dotting the region. Western red cedar siding stained black makes the home’s three structures recede into the setting.

"They imagined a camp experience, where they and their guests would have their own private spaces," says architect Ted Flato, founding partner of Texas-based firm Lake|Flato. The idea of a camp "holds a connotation that the landscape is the main event," adds David Ericsson, the project’s director, who has since founded his own firm, Pine Bureau. "It’s a more casual atmosphere, and you can have a more raw, unfiltered experience with the land."

The home consists of a collection of three structures and a swimming pool, all arranged in a semi-circle and deferring to the forested, waterfront site.
The home consists of a collection of three structures and a swimming pool, all arranged in a semi-circle and deferring to the forested, waterfront site.

The resulting home is a tripartite plan comprising three barnlike, gable structures arranged in a semicircle around an open courtyard. Finished in stained-black Western red cedar, the buildings are stitched into the forested 11-acre site, with the primary structure looking onto the courtyard on one side and taking in water views from the other.

"What struck me when I first visited is the sense of calm that comes from the bay," recalls firm designer Kelly Weckman. "Almost immediately when you get out there, you feel a sense of peace and serenity."

Inside, wood floors, walls, and ceilings along with wood-framed windows and doors nod to the region's history of timber construction. In the main living area, a daybed by Peca is complemented by side chairs from Carl Hansen and a coffee table from Black Creek Mercantile.
Inside, wood floors, walls, and ceilings along with wood-framed windows and doors nod to the region's history of timber construction. In the main living area, a daybed by Peca is complemented by side chairs from Carl Hansen and a coffee table from Black Creek Mercantile.

See the full story on Dwell.com: Summer Camp Is in Session at This Barnlike Weekend Retreat on Long Island
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