Sharmila Sen has always had a penchant for renovation projects. “I think I should have been an architect,” the photographer jokes. Upon encountering a dilapidated barn in North Salem, New York, she became convinced that the structure and its main house could be transformed into a home for her and her husband, neurosurgeon Chandra Sen. They were planning on retiring from the bustle of Manhattan to the tranquility just a few miles north in Westchester County.

The nine-acre property provides plenty of space for the couple’s two labradoodles, Jack and Leo, to roam." layout="wide" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

After the couple purchased the nine-acre property in late 2018, they contacted Brooklyn architecture practice Worrell Yeung because they had seen one of the up-and-coming firm’s barnlike houses online. But architects Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung saw potential for something beyond yet another trendy black farmhouse, and they worked with Sharmila and Chandra to design a more distinctive home inspired by the barn’s setting between a busy main road and a picturesque natural landscape.

“We wanted to build off the agrarian structures of the area and the abstractions of these gable farm forms,” says Yeung. Instead of a black exterior, the architects settled on a custom dark green stain that takes on blue and black tones, depending on the light. To provide privacy, the house is tucked at the back of a forecourt paved with gravel, behind a garage/studio and an old magnolia tree. The front of the house is blank aside from the entry door, while the rear features massive windows that welcome natural light and give expansive views of the landscape.

Sharmila worked with the architects to establish a crisp aesthetic that wasn’t too precious or fancy. For Chandra’s one request, “he wanted one of those Big Ass Fans in the living room,” says Sharmila. (He didn’t get his wish.) The high-contrast space gets a bit of warmth from furniture like the dining table, crafted from the home’s original beams." layout="bleed" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>The original stone fireplace on the ground floor was reclad in soapstone to match the renovated space’s dark, sleeker look." layout="" credit="Add credit" photoUserId=""/>

The open living area is where Sharmila and Chandra spend most of their time. It still has a barnlike spaciousness, now updated with understated polish. Exposed wood ceilings, supported by tie beams, soar more than 20 feet high overhead. Wide-plank Douglas fir flooring from Dinesen runs throughout, while a custom Douglas fir–clad storage unit by the front door houses a hidden coat closet and built-in bench on one side and a bar on the other. A massive original fireplace, reclad in soapstone and framed by a black slatted wall, sits on the side of the room that leads out to the deck. A farmhouse-style table constructed from the home’s original hand-hewed beams grounds the dining space, situated between the living room and the kitchen.

For the kitchen, the architects persuaded the family to adopt unfinished zinc countertops and backsplashes that will patinate naturally. The metal is easily stained, but, Sharmila says, that means it will develop more character over time. “This was a very aggressive design choice, because you touch it and it’ll change,” she says, “but I like finishes that evolve.”

“We were able to test out a lot of the ideas that we had about using freestanding objects to define spaces.”
—Max Worrell, architect

Outside, the feeling of a farm compound survives. Sharmila asked the architects for a “spa shed,” which is a few steps away from the outdoor pool and clad in preweathered cypress. “This was a fun thing that we decided to work on while the main house was still under construction,” says Worrell. “It allowed us to further test out different ideas without creating structures that were competing with each other.”

The separate two-story garage/studio is a nod to Donald Judd, lined inside with plywood. Sharmila plans to restore a portion of the property’s open fields to a meadow and is considering adding a meditation pavilion to the site. “This is our last home,” she says. “I don’t want to have space and not use it.”

Project Credits:

Architecture: Worrell Yeung / @worrellyeung

Construction: L&L Builders

Structural Engineering: Silman

Civil Engineering: Insite Engineers

Landscape Design: Raft

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