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The white walls and epoxy floors of this recently restored Mid-century Modern gem offer the perfect backdrop for the owners’ collection of art and furniture. In the living room, vintage slipper chairs and a metal-and-glass Milo Baughman coffee table are overlooked by artworks by Rex Ray, Robert Waterman and Chris Ranes, among others. The sculptural floral piece on the coffee table is by Arnold Zais. -
With its angular lines softened by the lush woodland, the geometric block designed in the late 1950s by architect Arthur Witthoefft served as his family’s home for many years. Freshly renovated by the new owners – whose tastes run towards Mid-century design in more than just architecture, as the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL in the driveway indicates – the home is a celebration of natural light and the surrounding nature. The sculpture next to the pathway is a 1972 work by Arnold Zais. -
With its angular lines softened by the lush woodland, the geometric block designed in the late 1950s by architect Arthur Witthoefft served as his family’s home for many years. Freshly renovated by the new owners – whose tastes run towards Mid-century design in more than just architecture, as the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL in the driveway indicates – the home is a celebration of natural light and the surrounding nature. The sculpture next to the pathway is a 1972 work by Arnold Zais. -
Adding to the comfortable feel in the light-filled living space are vintage Paul McCobb sofas, a Bird lounge chair and ottoman by Harry Bertoia for Knoll, and oversized Trina Turk cushions. -
A travertine-clad double-sided fireplace creates separation between the dining and living space. -
The teak kitchen was custom-designed by the owners. The long countertop, manufactured by Brooks Custom, retains its original shape, and the blue paint inside the cupboards is the same colour as was used in the 1950s. The vintage stools are by Eero Saarinen. -
Teak wall panels warm up the dining area, furnished with a vintage glass table, DSX chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, a 1960 Charles Hollis Jones bench, and a Bubble pendant by Valerio Bottin for Foscarini. The stylised cityscape is by French painter Régis Bouvier de Cachard. -
A breakfast nook with an immersive view of the garden features an Eero Saarinen table and vintage teak chairs. -
A series of terraces dedicated to lounging and dining makes the most of indoor-outdoor living. The red chairs are vintage John Salterini. -
Two small bedrooms have been transformed into a spacious study. Vintage treasures includes a Florence Knoll sofa, a Petal table by Richard Schultz for Knoll, a Wassily chrome chair by Marcel Breuer, a lacquered solid-wood sideboard, and artworks by John Wood and others. -
The home’s boxy facade consists of alternating brickwork and floor-to-ceiling windows. -
An original Vera Neumann silkscreen hangs at the entrance to the main bedroom. -
The solid wooden bed from BoConcept anchors the minimalist space. -
Custom joinery, designed by the owners, continues in the main en suite bathroom, contrasted by neutral tilework and a Silestone countertop.
WORDS & PRODUCTION Marc Heldens PHOTOS Mark Seelen
Designed and previously owned by one of the giants of American Modernist architecture, Arthur Witthoefft, this upstate New York house built in 1957 has been sympathetically restored by its current owners.
Very few homes in the area when Arthur Witthoefft, a partner at well-known Manhattan architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, first bought this parcel of forest in the late 1950s. And as one might expect of an East Coast architect in the golden era of the Mid-century aesthetic, the 7.5m x 29m geometric block he designed in the greenery of the hamlet of Armonk looked nothing like the prevalent colonial architecture that surrounded it. In fact, local residents initially thought the structure emerging among the trees was a motel.
The house served as the Witthoefft family home for many years, but after their children moved out, Arthur and his wife Eleanor eventually relocated to Florida. Many new owners followed – some with a passion for the house, some not. One of them owned the property for seven years, but never lived there. Fortunately, the resilient steel-structured house survived; even more fortunate is the fact that it’s now owned by two 1950s aficionados. The couple had left Palm Springs and travelled towards cooler climes, looking for a new home to live in. Despite the building being somewhat dilapidated when they first saw it, they could appreciate its intrinsic value.
Priority number one was a home to equal the Mid-century Palm Springs residence they’d left behind. “Of all the projects we had scouted and visited during our research, this house in Armonk was the only one that really left us speechless,” says one of the owners. But first, they needed to restore it. “When we first saw it, it was badly affected by fungal rot, and water was seeping through the roof.”
More good fortune followed: not only was Arthur Witthoefft still alive, he was happy to advise on the project. The plan was to have the house renovated to its 1950s state, and after supplying the original drawings, Witthoefft regularly visited the construction site as an enthusiastic consultant, happy to see his former home sympathetically restored. The renovation and remodelling took two years to complete; during this time, the owners camped in their master bedroom, which had temporarily been equipped with additional radiators for warmth, a small fridge and a stove. Wanting to retain as much of the original design as possible, both of them wanted to stay on-site to keep an eye on every detail. It was a bit of a balancing act to retain the original features while making changes where necessary – but when in doubt, Witthoefft was consulted. This approach helped to preserve almost 80% of the original structure, often with the help of the building materials used at the time, as well as skilled craftsmen.
True to its Mid-century ideals, the house has maintained its simple geometric volume, constructed in steel. The facade consists of alternating surfaces of dense brickwork and large swathes of glass. Daily life is all about the interior and its view of the surrounding nature. The floor plan features a large open space with a service block in the centre; this separates the living and dining area from the kitchen and the breakfast nook.
The simplicity of the interior ensures that the focus is on the collection of furniture – and what a collection it is. Original pieces by legends Paul McCobb, Milo Baughman, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, and Charles and Ray Eames occupy the various spaces. “It’s not a showroom, but rather an environment in which our love for Mid-century Modern furniture can be expressed,” say the owners. “And where could we showcase this more successfully than in a special 1950s architectural gem by Arthur Witthoefft?”
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