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A corner townhouse that borders the Warren Place Mews in Brooklyn was occupied by the same family for generations. Architect Nate McBride, who reworked the interior for the new owner points out that the window heights get dramatically smaller the higher up you go.

The primary bedroom cabin sits in a natural clearing amongst the trees, allowing for a water view and copious sunlight. The boulder-studded coast offers gently sloping paths to the ocean for a quick dip.

The property also includes a similarly designed guest house, which can easily be used for short-term rentals or as an artist's retreat.

Reilly identified the Santa & Cole Tekiò linear suspension light as a statement piece early in the design process; its metal frame is wrapped in Japanese washi paper. The Gaggenau induction cooktop integrated into the counter on the back wall is nearly invisible. The undercounter fridge drawer is entirely inconspicuous. “I made this as minimal as modern as I could because the last kitchen I designed was very traditional,” Reilly explains. The steel column was added for support after taking down a wall.

The exterior material palette, comprised of charred wood and exposed cement, effortlessly merges into the interior spaces, strengthening the home's uniformed design.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

Even a small patio can have a monumental effect. A green wall in this kitchen patio also brings views to the higher parts of the slender town house, located in the West Village in New York. The counter and floor, clad in gray honed slate, and the teak-clad walls and bench complement the greenery.

The large blue barn door, mimicked by the garage doors, is an hommage to the family home, which also has big sliding storm doors.

The living room’s showpiece is a Zircon stove by Malm; its flue snakes 25 feet to the ceiling. “We really wanted the fireplace to be the anchor within this large space,” says Raj. A rust velvet Lenyx sofa from CB2 provides a punch of color within the minimalist palette. Nearby is a custom maple credenza by Croft House. The white-trimmed windows are from Loewen and the white paint throughout is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

Burch Cottage floor plan

Sliding glass doors blur the lines between indoors and out.