When Carl Daguillard, founder and president of Stellae International Inc., stumbled upon a dated Long Island home back in the ’90s, he felt inspiration strike. Focusing on the property's bones rather than its inharmonious layout, he envisioned turning the home into an oasis where his family could spend weekends, temporarily escaping city living.

“I wanted to create a unique, stress-free environment,” Daguillard says. “A place where we could feel transplanted, while disconnecting ourselves from the rest of the world.”

Yet it wasn't until he met architect Azin Valy of I-Beam Design in 2012 that Daguillard was finally able to bring his dream to life. After years of diligently collaborating, the two treated the home to a gut renovation, transforming it into the contemporary getaway Daguillard originally imagined.

Although originally visualized as a weekend getaway, the 4,000-square-foot home now serves as the family's main residence. “We've been living in the home full-time for four months now and are truly enjoying the experience,” notes Daguillard. “The openness of the house and the amount of natural light that floods throughout makes you feel connected to the outdoors, regardless of where you are inside.”

“I call this house a total collaboration between architect and homeowner,” says Daguillard. “Azin and I worked on this project as a team. My ideas were never too crazy nor too insignificant, and she integrated almost every idea that I had about the project into the design.”

“It was a pleasure to work with Carl, as he is always open and enthusiastic about design and architecture,” notes Valy, co-founder of the award-winning firm. “It was so much fun that we ended up working with him on several other projects, including his office and warehouse headquarters.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: I-Beam Design / @ibeamdesign

Structural Engineer: David Reyhan, P.E.

Landscape Design: I-Beam Design & Carl Daguillard

Lighting Design: I-Beam Design