New Regionalism

Herring Creek Farm, Edgartown, MA

Set on 215 rolling, waterfront acres of former farmland, this expansive multigenerational family retreat reinvents the island’s historic agrarian architecture in a contemporary way. The property’s brother-and-sister owners wanted a large, modern home that would build upon traditional aesthetics and all but disappear into its surroundings, despite its size.

The design proceeded from the imagined idea that the clients had stumbled upon the ruins of an antique farmhouse and then built their historically inspired twenty-first-century house around its still-standing stone chimneys. Taking this as its inspiration, the home became a modern, enlarged version of a Cape Cod cottage.

As you approach it, the house becomes transparent, its series of linked glass pavilions almost vanishing.  Each pavilion contains a master bedroom suite with its own courtyard and garden. These extend out from a central, communal gathering house to which they seamlessly connect, ensuring a sense of continuity and flow.

A carriage house, with two dormitory-style children’s rooms above, fronts the property. The large pool area embraced by the main house includes alfresco living rooms, an outdoor kitchen with grills and a bar, and a hot tub. Designed like the house itself for gathering and entertaining, it can easily accommodate 200 guests.