be·spoke
/biˈspōk/
Made to order.

 

This notion lies at the heart of a renowned Brooklyn tailor whose work, for more than half a century, has defined the highest standard of handmade custom suits. From Eisenhower to Obama, his name has been discreetly stitched into the lapels of garments known for their precision, individuality, and enduring craftsmanship.

 

When the tailor’s son—now the second generation of the family business—and his wife approached us to design their home on Long Island, this idea of “made to order” became the guiding principle of a deeply collaborative process. The result is a residence shaped with the same level of care, specificity, and personal expression as the suits that built the family’s legacy.

 

The clients had been living on the property in a modest 1950s split-level house, which, due to its deteriorated condition, could not be integrated into the expanded program. Over the course of twelve years, however, they had transformed the 3.75-acre site into a richly cultivated landscape. The client—an avid gardener who famously showers outdoors nearly year-round—had developed the grounds into a kind of private arboretum, composed of curated plantings, abstract concrete sculptures, meandering paths, and contemplative outdoor rooms.

 

In envisioning their new home, the clients were both precise and ambitious. They sought a forward-looking residence—environmentally responsible, low-impact, and deeply integrated with its surroundings. The house would need to support both intimate family life and frequent entertaining, while offering distinct zones for parents and children.

In response, the design takes the form of a “J,” embracing a central garden that anticipates a future pool. The house emerges from the landscape as a series of interconnected volumes, each limited to a single room in depth to allow for abundant natural light from multiple exposures. Spaces unfold in an upward progression—from the most public functions of kitchen, dining, and living areas, to increasingly private domains: the children’s suite, the primary suite, and ultimately a third-floor study affectionately referred to as the “Snoring Room.” Throughout, terraces, balconies, and outdoor rooms extend the living experience into the surrounding landscape.

 

Sustainability is addressed not only through performance systems—geothermal heating and cooling, high-performance insulation, careful solar orientation, and green roofs—but also through material strategy and long-term durability. The home’s concrete structure—comprising its frame, floors, major walls, and roof elements—reflects a desire to minimize layered assemblies and create a robust, low-maintenance environment. Early in the process, the client expressed a strong aversion to the hidden voids typical of conventional framed construction, reinforcing this direction.

 

Material reuse and on-site resourcefulness further define the project. During construction, Hurricane Irene felled several black locust trees on the property. These were milled and repurposed as exterior cladding for opaque walls, as well as for interior applications including shower benches, flooring, vanities, and other water-resistant elements. Additional wood from site-cleared pin oaks was incorporated into floors, rail caps, bookcases, and mantels, while salvaged timber uncovered during excavation was crafted into the dining table and cabinetry in the guest powder room.

 

In keeping with the client’s request to eliminate traditional painting processes—“not to see the men in white suits”—the interior employs a system of prefabricated, prefinished wood panels for non-concrete walls. These panels are mounted with expressed fasteners to oak frames, which in turn form precise reveals where they meet the concrete structure, door jambs, and ceilings. Aside from selective staining and sealing of wood elements, the house avoids drywall and conventional painted finishes entirely.

 

Additional sustainable and recyclable materials include PEP panels for acoustic control, fiber-cement boards at porch ceilings and fireplace facades, and translucent polycarbonate walls enclosing the courtyard.

Today, the home continues to evolve as a living extension of the clients’ vision. It serves as a canvas for ongoing landscape interventions—from trellised vines to rooftop vegetable gardens—further blurring the boundary between architecture and the cultivated ground.