An eco-friendly home in the Hamptons

Architect Josh Manes and his designer wife Jaclyn wanted their new home to blend in harmoniously with the surroundings and preserve the unique natural habitat of Long Island’s wetlands. With this in mind, they designed the Stacy Drive Luxury Home with cantilevers and full-height windows to maximise the warming effect of the sun and to offer splendid views of the landscape.
“The property sits on preserved wetlands that are beautiful in their own natural state,” says Josh. “For that reason, we wanted to respect the surroundings and build within generally the same footprint as the old house. The original structure was one-and-a-half stories, with the majority of common spaces and bedrooms on the lower level. We wanted to create a true two-story home that would not only accommodate our growing family, but also take advantage of the views.”
Inside, the voluminous living area features a double-height fireplace clad in cedar and large-format tiles, both of which are echoed along the façade.
Full-height windows wrap around the opposite corner, providing an abundance of sunlight and helping to naturally heat the space during wintertime.
“On the exterior of the home, we complemented the cedar with porcelain tiles that act as a rain screen for parts of the façade,” Josh explains. “We chose cedar because it’s commonly used in the Hamptons, but usually on the outside of a home. We thought it would be interesting to integrate cedar throughout the home and bring some warmth inside as well.”
The choice of materials made an essential contribution to the sustainability of this beautiful and modern Long Island home, which rubs shoulders with some of the most exclusive and lavish properties owned by the New York elite.
“Overall, we also placed emphasis on selecting materials that were certified non-toxic, low VOC, and contribute to a low-carbon footprint,” says Jaclyn. “It’s something we practice in our everyday life, from the food that we eat to the clothes that we buy. So, of course, it was very important to us when selecting our furnishings.”
For this luxury, eco-friendly home, the ceramic surfaces were supplied by Florim, a B Corp certified company (a certification awarded to companies that adopt a regenerative business model to mitigate environmental impact and produce positive social and environmental effects).
The proprietary façade solution consisted of concrete-effect slabs from the Industrial collection chosen in the colour Ivory and the Magnum Oversize format (sizes 160×320 cm and 60×120 cm).
Stones & More 2.0 surfaces were installed in one of the bathrooms. The Calacatta version fits in harmoniously with the colour Chalk from the Studios collection used for the floor.
Other collections used in the project are Matrice from the CEDIT brand, which revisits the concrete effect and makes decorative use of joints, the Nordic-look Urban Style and the surfaces of Details Wood, Timeless and Onyx.