Winter House is a Florida home designed for modernist living
Winter House by Steven Harris Architects is a Florida home that brings together serenity, nature and idyllic modernist living
Winter House, designed by US practice Steven Harris Architects, brings together many elements that often define the idyllic, modernist architecture living aesthetic; there are clean, midcentury lines and a low-slung form that nods formally to the works of 20th-century architecture masters such as Mies van der Rohe; the house is set in a verdant, generous plot in the equally green Winter Park, the city just outside Orlando; and it makes the most of the pleasant Florida climate to compose a domestic, minimalist architecture environment that seamlessly blends inside and outside, featuring large openings and transparencies that connect the residents with nature at every turn.
Winter House: lightness and minimalist lines
Indeed, Winter House was designed to make the most of its environment. Expertly embedded into a gently sloped plot, it was created to work with – instead of contrast with – the region's soft hills. It keeps a low profile and prioritises lightness and transparency so as not to take away from the landscaped site's views of nature. As the architects point out, it is 'barely visible when approaching it from the street'.
The abstractly U-shaped floorplan creates a glass-enclosed courtyard, bringing in light and green views as the residents circulate between rooms. Additionally, this way, the home meanders around century-old oak trees, pre-existing on the site, preserving them and allowing them space to grow. Alongside these, more native planting blends with a lap pool and a decked terrace that allows for al fresco living for the owners.
This perceived effortlessness and simplicity, the architects explain, is deceptive. The simple volumes are no mean feat, built on a series of grade beams, utilising strategically designed elements, such as the deep roof overhangs, a light – yet not harsh or clinical – colour palette, and a series of minimalist sky-frame frameless windows that allow the interiors to always be at one with the outdoors. Portland-based designer Jessica Helgerson worked on the home's interiors throughout.
The serenity and seamless union of natural and manmade continues in all parts of the design. 'The lakeside façade extends this sense of calm,' the architects write. 'It features a marine railway system that allows the clients’ boat to glide in and out of the water, preserving the natural edge of the lake and eliminating the need for a boathouse that would otherwise clutter the view.'
Winter House is the latest in a long series of spectacular homes by the New York architecture firm. Past works include residential designs in their home city and beyond, as well as public and commercial work, such as a Dolce & Gabbana store in St Barts.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibition
Maude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
By India Birgitta Jarvis Published
-
‘I was captivated by the idea of merging two iconic brands’: Nigo on his 1990s-inspired collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz
Unveiled at Moncler’s ‘The City of Genius’ event in Shanghai this past weekend, Japanese fashion designer Nigo unpacks his three-way collaboration with Moncler and Mercedes-Benz, which includes a play on the G-Class alongside a fashion collection in his eclectic style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Cathay Pacific’s new business class Aria Suites take flight
Cathay Pacific raises the bar for business-class travel with the launch of the much-anticipated Aria Suites
By Lauren Ho Published
-
First look: step inside 144 Vanderbilt, Tankhouse and SO-IL’s new Brooklyn project
The first finished duplex inside Tankhouse and SO-IL’s 144 Vanderbilt in Fort Greene is a hyper-local design gallery curated by Brooklyn studio General Assembly
By Léa Teuscher Published
-
Tour Ray's Seagram Building HQ, an ode to art and modernism in New York City
Real estate venture Ray’s Seagram Building HQ in New York is a homage to corporate modernism
By Diana Budds Published
-
Populus by Studio Gang, the ‘first carbon positive hotel in the US’ takes root in Denver
Populus by Studio Gang opens in Denver, offering a hotel with a distinctive, organic façade and strong sustainability credentials
By Siska Lyssens Published
-
This Californian home offers the unexpected through ‘deconstructed’ desert living
Gardens & Villas, a home in La Quinta, California, brings contemporary luxury to its desert setting through a collaboration between architects Andrew McClure and Christopher McLean
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
First look inside 62 Reade Street, a clock factory turned family home
62 Reade Street, a boutique New York residential project by architects ODA, unveils its first apartment interior, styled courtesy of Hovey Design
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
Jewel Box is a Californian project of small scale and big impact
Jewel Box by Red Dot Studio is the reimagining of a Californian 20th-century gem through a creative addition
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Germane Barnes exhibition explores notions of classical architecture and identity
Germane Barnes exhibition 'Columnar Disorder' opens at the Art Institute of Chicago
By Ellie Stathaki Published