Millbrook Residence

Located in Dutchess County, New York in the southern region of the Taconic Mountains, this hilltop residence is designed for long views of the valley below and surrounding horse pastures, meadows, mountain vistas and nearby forest preserve.

Millbrook Residence is a summer estate designed for an avid polo player and his family to enjoy the 165-acre property upon which he built his own private polo field and horse stables. The project consists of a 7,565 square foot main residence, a separate pool house/garage, and infinity pool. The architecture is anchored to the vast open site with extensive landscaping that carefully softens the modern geometry of the building within its pastoral context. The architecture maintains rigorously simple forms, spaces, materials and detailing to yield focus to the outward views of the idyllic landscape beyond. Interiors are elegantly and meticulously furnished, introducing bold colors and unexpected decorative accents.

In response to the owner’s directive to maximize glazing areas, the architects collaborated with a specialized European minimal-frame window manufacturer based in Switzerland to fabricate oversized, precision-engineered custom windows with maximum sightlines. Individual insulated glass units measure as large as 9 feet high by 16 feet wide, comprising continuous openings as long as 70 feet with mere 1-1/2" wide mullions between individual panels.

Programmatically, the main level is divided into two wings, bisected by a dominant landscaping axis leading to the main entry deck and foyer through a glass pivot door. One wing is dedicated to service functions, including a professional chef's kitchen, butler’s pantry, mudroom, guest powder room, and staff powder room. The opposite wing consists of a great room for living and dining, featuring an extensive library wall with rolling ladder and a custom integrated bar cabinet. An adjacent wood-burning fireplace is surrounded by black steel wall cladding. Along the backside of the library wall is a linear art gallery, also clad in black steel. Adjoining the great room is a media room with its own wood-burning fireplace and black steel surround. Here, a hideaway office nook is concealed behind an oversize sliding barn door clad with hundreds of large oval-shaped brass sequins. Other main level interior and exterior spaces include a playroom, exercise room, morning yoga deck, wraparound stone terrace, and a seating area surrounding a bespoke fire pit carved into a natural stone boulder lined with weathered steel.

The main stairs of the house turn at a cantilevered landing prominently projecting from the north facade, surrounded by double-height glass. The stairs are a dramatic connection between the main-level entertaining spaces and the second-floor breezeway which spills onto the covered roof deck, further expanding the capacity to host large social gatherings with a variety of interior and exterior spaces oriented to the landscape. This outdoor roof deck—shaded beneath wood trellises and capturing distant views of the valley beyond—features a full bar, dining space, and lounge area warmed by an outdoor wood-burning fireplace.

The second-floor breezeway and roof deck separate three guest suites from the primary suite on opposite ends of the house. The primary suite is a luxurious haven, featuring a large bedroom with yet another wood-burning fireplace and expansive corner windows, as well as two separate his and her bathrooms. His bathroom features a freestanding bathtub set against a full expanse of glass with nothing but the landscape visible beyond. A secluded outdoor shower is accessed here through a pocketing sliding glass door. Her bathroom features a stone-clad, spa-inspired shower with double wall-mounted showerheads and a ceiling-mounted rain shower. Her dressing room includes an island dresser surrounded by built-in millwork and a makeup vanity desk. A meditative sitting room with a gas fireplace adjoins her dressing room.

The pool house has its own full kitchen, lounge space, and powder room. Large pocketing sliding doors at the lounge and a pocketing pass-through window at the kitchen completely open the pool house to the surrounding terraces to allow fresh breezes through the space as guests enjoy the summer fun. Jutting into the landscape is an outdoor dining terrace, shaded beneath a wood pergola for pleasant al fresco summer meals. A wood deck runs the length of the pool for sunbathing. An outdoor shower and spa sit at opposite ends of this pool deck. The infinity pool has vanishing edges on its two open sides to further reinforce connection to the valley views. Connected to the pool house is a three-car garage and auto court. A continuous canopy punctured by open trellises encircles the building.

The landscaping design takes a minimal yet impactful approach. Terraces and plantings are designed as a visual extension of the architectural features, with walls of natural stone and weathered steel referencing the broader agrarian landscape. Orthogonal geometry near the house transitions to natural meadows restored with native species to integrate the residence into the surrounding pasture. Farther from the house, horse paddocks and a substantial vegetable garden utilize the gently sloping hillside.