Light House

he cast of light filtering through this Figure Eight Island house is soft natural and ever changing. Its the light you see in art museums like the Menil Collection in Houston or photographs of Fallingwater the home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Floating walls reveals vast expanses of picture windows and a neutral color scheme allow the sun to do what it does best at the beach pay homage to the surrounding beauty focus the eye on what is the best about living on an island the water.

The cast of light filtering through this Figure Eight Island house is soft natural and ever changing. Its the light you see in art museums like the Menil Collection in Houston or photographs of Fallingwater the home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Floating walls reveals vast expanses of picture windows and a neutral color scheme allow the sun to do what it does best at the beach pay homage to the surrounding beauty focus the eye on what is the best about living on an island the water.

“We kept it simple because the view and the natural beauty of Figure Eight are what the house affords ” says owner Pat Rodgers.

The house was built in the 1980s and purchased by Pat and her husband B.D. Rodgers a decade later as a vacation home. Originally designed by architect Haywood Newkirk Sr. the wood and steel-frame house had not been updated since its creation and was lacking the modern edge it originally possessed.

So the Rodgers hired architect Michael Moorefield to modify Newkirks design and revive the structures contemporary bone structure.

“I thought this house was beautiful to start with ” Moorefield says. “It has a tectonic verve. Thats what Haywood did. What we did was bring out more of that character.”

The original footprint of the house was left intact. Its squared floorplan two parallel wings facing the waterway are connected by open corridors. Stacked gallery-style interiors ground level and elevated atriums command the center of the house where an open-air two-story courtyard welcomes the natural daylight that fills the living spaces upstairs.

Moorefield thought more of that daylight could be captured and views would be enhanced if solid walls were replaced with more windows.

“Before the structure got lost in the walls; now it stands out ” he says. The idea was simple and the result is sophisticated.

“When we talked to Michael we realized he knew what we knew that this house was something special. Its not a big house but it has great bones ” Rodgers says.

The house itself is chic and unadorned and was built with meticulous care says Newkirk now retired and living in Hawaii. He remembers the original owners Eleanor and William Beane being fastidious clients and no expense was spared in creating it.

From the Japanese concrete tile roof to the placement of the house on the lot the details were well thought out Rodgers says.

“It was Mr. Beane who knew where to site the house. Its a high lot and even during Hurricane Fran we didnt have any water in the house.”

“The house was well built ” says builder Jim Farlow of The Farlow Group who carried out Moorefields remodeling plans. “It looks simple but its exceedingly complex. We ended up with something that is so simple and clean and that is hard to do ” Farlow says.

The Beanes who lived in the Gabriels Landing estate on Airlie Road built the house as a vacation home designed for the display of many of their priceless works of art.

Newkirk says he incorporated his philosophy of design solar angles views of spaces and scale to create a house that performs as both gallery and retreat.

“You have to incorporate that into the space so that it is felt and comfortable ” he says.

The Rodgers are also art collectors so the house was an organic choice for their family.

Keeping that tie in mind Moorefield and interior designer Suzanne Moss thought the homes design should remain largely intact so the two worked to amplify the structures attributes and add warm touches of modernity.

They kept the walls carpet and furniture mostly white and accented the interior with blond maple wood sand-colored travertine floors and neutral cabinetry so the eye is drawn outdoors to the colors of the surrounding water and marsh.

“We wanted it to function and be uncluttered monochromatic and quiet ” Moss says.

Large windows with clunky metal frames were removed and replaced with simpler styles and dated sliding glass doors were swapped out for hinged ones. At the second-floor landing a solid wall was replaced with a window framed by sleek wooden shelving. Visitors are greeted with a view of the courtyard and a display case full of the Rodgers collection of hand-blown glass.

“I love seeing peoples faces when they come up the stairs into the house now ” Rodgers says. “I am not sure what they expect but what they see always surprises them in the best way.”

A triple-pitched roofline softens the massing of the house linking the kitchen dining room and living areas along the waterway. The decor retains a mid-century modern style throughout. Moss designed the breakfast table and all of the living room tables to add warmth and comfort to the straightforward aesthetic. Moorefield added professional gallery-style lighting to accent both the furniture and the art. Moss also designed the furniture in the master bedroom to echo those warm tones and modern lines.

The kitchen which was entirely redone has a galley feel with lines of mocha colored granite countertops framing the cooking eating and gathering spaces. Its clean open and well lit because of reveal walls that float just below the ceiling allowing more light to flood the interior.

Perched outside a new second-story deck commands a view of the entire island and Intracoastal Waterway.

“I feel like an osprey up there ” Rodgers says.

The view from the decks is enhanced by serpentine lawns and landscaped beds that lead to a dock just beyond a bulkhead. Two oaks remain from the original landscape plan but Tony Parker of Classic Landscapes says because everything else was overgrown and impeded the view the yard was cleared and replanted. A pervious concrete driveway on the east elevation sets the tone for a natural serene entrance.

“This house is remarkable ” Parker says. “Its first class and we tried to capture as much of that as we could.”

The bedchambers are peaceful sanctuaries completed with state-of-the-art bathrooms and minimal furnishings. The master bedroom anchors the south end of the house and adjoins the upper level atrium for an extended view of the living room and waterway beyond. The room was updated with new furniture selected by Moss. Moorefield designed a partition wall that separates the sleeping and sitting room from the new master bath and large walk-in closet.

The design philosophies of Newkirk and Moorfield and the wishes of the Beanes and the Rodgers merge within this modern island home. The collaboration is reminiscent of a sentiment shared by Renzo Piano when describing his acclaimed Menil Collection museum.

“Its a kind of rationalistic building because its about function and function is about math but at the same time about trying to build magic back into the world because its about light transparency vibration not things that you draw but things youve built.”

“We kept it simple because the view and the natural beauty of Figure Eight are what the house affords ” says owner Pat Rodgers.

The house was built in the 1980s and purchased by Pat and her husband B.D. Rodgers a decade later as a vacation home. Originally designed by architect Haywood Newkirk Sr. the wood and steel-frame house had not been updated since its creation and was lacking the modern edge it originally possessed.

So the Rodgers hired architect Michael Moorefield to modify Newkirks design and revive the structures contemporary bone structure.

“I thought this house was beautiful to start with ” Moorefield says. “It has a tectonic verve. Thats what Haywood did. What we did was bring out more of that character.”

The original footprint of the house was left intact. Its squared floorplan two parallel wings facing the waterway are connected by open corridors. Stacked gallery-style interiors ground level and elevated atriums command the center of the house where an open-air two-story courtyard welcomes the natural daylight that fills the living spaces upstairs.

Moorefield thought more of that daylight could be captured and views would be enhanced if solid walls were replaced with more windows.

“Before the structure got lost in the walls; now it stands out ” he says. The idea was simple and the result is sophisticated.

“When we talked to Michael we realized he knew what we knew that this house was something special. Its not a big house but it has great bones ” Rodgers says.

The house itself is chic and unadorned and was built with meticulous care says Newkirk now retired and living in Hawaii. He remembers the original owners Eleanor and William Beane being fastidious clients and no expense was spared in creating it.

From the Japanese concrete tile roof to the placement of the house on the lot the details were well thought out Rodgers says.

“It was Mr. Beane who knew where to site the house. Its a high lot and even during Hurricane Fran we didnt have any water in the house.”

“The house was well built ” says builder Jim Farlow of The Farlow Group who carried out Moorefields remodeling plans. “It looks simple but its exceedingly complex. We ended up with something that is so simple and clean and that is hard to do ” Farlow says.

The Beanes who lived in the Gabriels Landing estate on Airlie Road built the house as a vacation home designed for the display of many of their priceless works of art.

Newkirk says he incorporated his philosophy of design solar angles views of spaces and scale to create a house that performs as both gallery and retreat.

“You have to incorporate that into the space so that it is felt and comfortable ” he says.

The Rodgers are also art collectors so the house was an organic choice for their family.

Keeping that tie in mind Moorefield and interior designer Suzanne Moss thought the homes design should remain largely intact so the two worked to amplify the structures attributes and add warm touches of modernity.

They kept the walls carpet and furniture mostly white and accented the interior with blond maple wood sand-colored travertine floors and neutral cabinetry so the eye is drawn outdoors to the colors of the surrounding water and marsh.

“We wanted it to function and be uncluttered monochromatic and quiet ” Moss says.

Large windows with clunky metal frames were removed and replaced with simpler styles and dated sliding glass doors were swapped out for hinged ones. At the second-floor landing a solid wall was replaced with a window framed by sleek wooden shelving. Visitors are greeted with a view of the courtyard and a display case full of the Rodgers collection of hand-blown glass.

“I love seeing peoples faces when they come up the stairs into the house now ” Rodgers says. “I am not sure what they expect but what they see always surprises them in the best way.”

A triple-pitched roofline softens the massing of the house linking the kitchen dining room and living areas along the waterway. The decor retains a mid-century modern style throughout. Moss designed the breakfast table and all of the living room tables to add warmth and comfort to the straightforward aesthetic. Moorefield added professional gallery-style lighting to accent both the furniture and the art. Moss also designed the furniture in the master bedroom to echo those warm tones and modern lines.

The kitchen which was entirely redone has a galley feel with lines of mocha colored granite countertops framing the cooking eating and gathering spaces. Its clean open and well lit because of reveal walls that float just below the ceiling allowing more light to flood the interior.

Perched outside a new second-story deck commands a view of the entire island and Intracoastal Waterway.

“I feel like an osprey up there ” Rodgers says.

The view from the decks is enhanced by serpentine lawns and landscaped beds that lead to a dock just beyond a bulkhead. Two oaks remain from the original landscape plan but Tony Parker of Classic Landscapes says because everything else was overgrown and impeded the view the yard was cleared and replanted. A pervious concrete driveway on the east elevation sets the tone for a natural serene entrance.

“This house is remarkable ” Parker says. “Its first class and we tried to capture as much of that as we could.”

The bedchambers are peaceful sanctuaries completed with state-of-the-art bathrooms and minimal furnishings. The master bedroom anchors the south end of the house and adjoins the upper level atrium for an extended view of the living room and waterway beyond. The room was updated with new furniture selected by Moss. Moorefield designed a partition wall that separates the sleeping and sitting room from the new master bath and large walk-in closet.

The design philosophies of Newkirk and Moorfield and the wishes of the Beanes and the Rodgers merge within this modern island home. The collaboration is reminiscent of a sentiment shared by Renzo Piano when describing his acclaimed Menil Collection museum.

“Its a kind of rationalistic building because its about function and function is about math but at the same time about trying to build magic back into the world because its about light transparency vibration not things that you draw but things youve built.”