Story by June Sullivan
Photos by Ron Papageorge
“When we hired Louis [Colalillo] as an architect,” says the homeowner, “I had envisioned an impressive roofline. But when I saw his design, it took my breath away. I have worked with architects very often before, but I wasn't prepared for this. It is amazing.”
The project's architect -- Louis R. Colalillo, A.I.A. of Great Neck – says, however, that at
first he was concerned about taking on the Brookville project.
“The clients are artistically sophisticated,” says Colalillo. “The wife is a gifted interior designer, who knew exactly what she wanted. She asked specifically for an eclectic Normandy-Tudor style design with a very articulated roofline with many details. She also knew exactly what living spaces she wanted and where each room should be.”
Yet, surprisingly, adds the architect, he was given a completely free-hand to create
something that would meet their requests. For inspiration, Colalillo drew from two American icons in the field of architecture -- Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.
“Wright's concept of 'organic architecture' is seen in the fact that there is nothing
disciplined about the roof,” he continues. “It seems to be growing out of itself and reproducing itself, as you'd see growth in the wild – evolving naturally. And Sullivan's philosophy of 'form follows function' also influenced the roof design, in the wide variety of heights and shapes that delineate the many spaces and functions that were determined
below.”
The dining room's roofline, for example, viewed from outside, is directly to the left of the garage doors, and is the tallest pavilion. Inside, says the homeowner, such differing
heights and shapes presented her with interesting challenges for the interior design.
“The dining room is a barrel vaulted ceiling – and semi-circular. But the ceiling in the living room is a heavy-timbered true cathedral ceiling, which is pointed. Because the rooms are next to each other, for continuity, I carried the color scheme through, adding gold texture to the barrel vaulted part in the dining room's ceiling.”
The homeowner adds she also put a lot of love and care into decorating the powder
room.
(continued)
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