Isay Weinfeld

The Water Mill House is located in Southampton on a large plot of land with steep topography and a significant portion reserved to environmental preservation.

From the street, a tree-lined driveway[CS1]  surrounds the highest section of the land and leads to the house, which only appears further ahead, flanked by two extensive strips of native woods. At that point, the house appears as an elongated glass prism, topped by a massive and asymmetrical dual-pitched roof that extends unobstructed from end to end, untouched by partitions or internal enclosures.

The modular structural solution on the perimeter facilitated the organized distribution of the spaces. The kitchen occupies a module at one end of the pavilion; the entrance hall, powder room and hallway are in the adjacent module, which also features a mezzanine level. The integrated dining and living rooms occupy three additional modules at the opposite end.

A limestone staircase descending from the entrance hall suggests a lower floor and more to discover in addition to the glass pavilion.

The lower floor, featuring six ensuite bedrooms, a TV room, a multipurpose room, the garage and technical areas, as well as a spa and an indoor pool, is in stark contrast with the upper volume. It is a solid, semi-buried base entirely clad in rustic stone, upon which the social area of the house rests. The stone volume features openings in the bedrooms, lending rhythm to the facade and providing a direct connection between the private areas and the garden and outdoor pool. The garden can also be reached from the upper deck through another external staircase. A large patio, open at the center of the lower volume, visually interconnects and provides light to the circulation areas and the indoor pool.