What makes a house a home? Is it the company it attracts or the small details that make the time spent inside easy and enjoyable? For Smiros & Smiros Architects, it’s crucial to deftly balance both elements under one roof. When the New York-based architecture and design firm was asked by a couple to create their dream home on a waterfront property in Long Island’s Huntington Bay, the vision was clear: An expansive, traditional respite that celebrated both its idyllic surroundings and inhabitants with the same gusto.
“It was very important to the owners that the house looked like it had been there for a very long time,” says partner Jim Smiros. “Everything that was attached to the structure would have to nod to history.”
From the outside, the house looks like it’s always been part of the Huntington Bay neighborhood, but Smiros is quick to point out the juxtaposition between the “period-appropriate” architecture and the playfulness hiding inside. “There’s a three-storied stair hall with a light at the top that recalls the Huntington Harbor Lighthouse that the house overlooks.”
However, nature and nurture gracefully come together in the great room, a multipurpose space with a double-height ceiling, which came at the request of the client. “They wanted to walk into that room and have that big vision of open sky,” he says, noting the “active partnership” between his firm and the clients.
Naturally, Smiros wanted to expand that unobstructed view into the adjacent kitchen, too. “We had to find a way to have that tremendous picture window over that whole end,” he explains. “You can’t just have a cabinet there.” Smiros was determined to create an elevated and efficient kitchen that wouldn’t compromise the stunning vista, but how? Enter Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove.
Since its founding in 1945, Sub-Zero has been the leading brand for cutting-edge food preservation — be it fresh produce, frozen food, or wine. Over the years, the American brand has evolved to offer cooking appliances, adding the residential side of Wolf in 2000, followed by the release of Cove Dishwashers in 2018, a product internally developed from the ground up and built with the same exacting standards as its refrigeration and cooking counterparts. All three brands served distinctive roles in this project.
To find the perfect assortment of appliances, Smiros took his clients to the Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Showroom in Manhattan, one of the brand’s three physical locations in New Jersey and the New York metro area. “You can show people online tear sheets, but it’s just so important for some people to see things in person,” he explains. “My clients really appreciated the opportunity to walk around, open a refrigerator door, and ask questions directly in the showroom. I think it would’ve been hard to make all those decisions absent that opportunity.” In fact, Smiros shares that the showroom was hosting a chef-led cooking presentation during their visit, giving his clients the chance to experience the appliances firsthand as they were used by the corporate chef.
“The appliances are great because we can really integrate them and almost make them invisible,” Smiros explains. “We did that with [custom panels for] the dishwasher and 30-inch over-and-under refrigerators in the kitchen.” Meanwhile, the Sub-Zero 36-inch Undercounter Refrigerator Drawers were smartly integrated into the kitchen’s double islands.
Of course, not everything was virtually invisible to the untrained eye. “The pieces that are exposed are handsomely designed in a minimalist way so that we can [highlight] them,” adds Smiros, citing Wolf’s 48-inch Dual Fuel Range that features six burners and a griddle.
With the help of Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove appliances, the kitchen and great room have an evident ease that makes it possible to sidestep any visual clutter and enjoy the view. “Our clients here were spectacular collaborators, and I think the same goes for Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove,” Smiros says. “We’re so happy with the product and the design sensibilities of it and the way that we’re able to integrate it into our work. It just makes our work better and we’re grateful for that.”
From the thoughtful details to the personalized touches made by the people who live there, one thing’s for sure: With the proper care, there really is no place like home.
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