studioHOWE: Modern Custom Homes

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STUDIOHOWEA self-described modernist in theory and style, founder and owner Seth Howe draws inspiration from everything around him and is sensitive to how his clients will experience and move through their spaces.

M O D E R N CUSTO M H O M E S

HOWE to build your dreamsmodernist architect, seth howe, looks to art, photography, and philosophy for inspiring designs

by Rebecca Rodriguez

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“The objective of my architecture is to explore how one experiences the physical world through space and time. Functional requirements aside, architecture needs to inspire and to make people feel optimistic,” Howe said. “There is an underlying theme in my work about perception, movement and time. Architecture should unfold and reveal itself as one moves through space; it should be an exciting and dynamic experience.”

Howe caters to well-heeled clients mostly in the Hamptons, New York City and Los Angeles, as well as high-profile clients like Kate Spade and Gwen Stefani. He maintains his open, free-flowing style while incorporating the specific desire of each client. He often uses natural woods, leather, art glass, nickel and custom metalwork, with an eye towards clean and refined detailing.

The recently completed Frank Residence, a 4,000 sq. ft. waterfront home located in Sag Harbor, N.Y. was a “dream” for Howe, the client having embraced his vision at the outset. The streamlined

design features clean and simple details, with full glass walls and sliding doors which offer seamless sunset views over the bay. Elements like the glass elevator that rises up through a mahogany core, the walled entry court that protects the first floor from the street and the custom home theatre and multi-room music and video system designed by AV Design Group make the house feel intimate and comfortable, yet still luxurious.

To Howe, creating stunning designs is just as important as how they speak to the personal-ity of each client. On a 2008 Sagaponack, N.Y. project, his largest residential project coming in at $4 million, Howe tackled the renovation of an 1820s farmhouse and the design of a 5,000 sq. ft. modern addition. The addition was designed to be the main living quarters and took aesthetic cues from the traditional style of the old farmhouse. The farmhouse was then converted into a guest house with sitting rooms throughout. Howe opened up both floor plans to take advantage of the natural

light, embracing his modernist vision while still complementing the traditional accents. The project has been recognized locally for its eco-friendly elements and overall design.

Before STUDIOHOWE became the award-win-ning residential firm it is today, Howe focused largely on commercial work. The firm was started in 2001 and currently has two offices – one in East Hampton, N.Y. and the other in Los Angeles, Calif. One of his first large clients was Starwood Hotels, designing for their Sheraton, Westin and W branches, which enabled him to expand his office to 16 employees. His largest project was a 2002 Sheraton Hotel lobby with a budget of $22 million. However, after Sept. 11, 2001 the hotel market in Manhattan fell apart, causing Howe to refocus his business on the residential side, where he now employs a smaller staff. Today, his business is about 80 percent residential and 20 percent commercial.

Howe received his bachelor’s degree in architec-

PREVIOUS, THIS & OPPOSITE PAGES: The Frank Residence, Sag Harbor, N.Y. A new 4,000 sq. ft. waterfront

residence on Sag Harbor Bay. Materials inclue stucco, mahogany, stainless steel, blackened steel, cladding and

limestone. The first level features an entry courtyard, entry hall, two guest suites, media room and a pool. The second floor features the main living spaces and the master suite,

accessible via stairs or an elevator. Photos by Chris Foster.

S eth Howe is not just an architect − he’s a designer who strives to imbue a rich, yet simple, open beauty through paintings, pho-tography and philosophy. A self-described modernist in theory and style, he’s sensitive to how his clients will experience and move through their homes. With a keen

eye to the way spaces are filled (or remain empty), Howe is interested in how light and a person’s five senses effect their perception of a space. His unique sensitivity to art and perceptions of beauty allow him to explore design on an intuitive level.

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ture from Cornell University in 1983. To broaden his experience, he spent a year studying in Flor-ence and traveling throughout Europe. In 1989 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked with the late Franklin D. Israel as a senior associate for five years. He was a project designer and architect for the Weisman Pavilion, a private modern art museum for renowned collector Frederick R. Weis-man. When he returned to New York in the mid ‘90s Howe focused on painting and photography, traveling with architecture critic Herbert Muschamp for The New York Times, where Howe’s photos where later published. Howe went on to earn his Master’s of Fine Art from Hunter College in 1998.

Traveling between Los Angeles and New York City expands Howe’s horizons and keeps his creativity fresh. He sees the two cities as complementary.

“Los Angeles unfolds itself as you spend more time there, whereas New York City is more manage-able and easy to get a gauge on,” he said. “Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Venice are like facets of someone’s delirious mind. There is more freedom in L.A. to explore and experiment, while New York is more conservative.”

Because of this cultural juxtaposition, Howe often finds himself dancing around the conser-vative nature that he meets in New York and the Hamptons while trying to infuse his design sense into a project.

Howe said he doesn’t mind the commute between the two offices and spends about two weeks at a time at each location. Though he considers New York his home base, he tries to keep a balance between the two. He juggles six to 10 jobs at a time so he can “keep them

THIS & PREVIOUS PAGE: Sagg Main Residence, Sagapo-nack, N.Y. Studio Howe renovated this early 19th century farm house with a new, modern wing, totaling 8,000 sq. ft. Materials used include cedar siding, stucco, zinc, stainless steel and concrete. Photos by Eric Striffler.

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all in his brain at the same time.”Another recent project, The Bell Residence in

Beekman Place, combined three gutted apart-ments to create a 4,000 sq. ft. gracious, neoclassical home of nine rooms and a wrap-around terrace. The new design incorporates a central rotunda entry hall, which pulls all the rooms together. All the woodwork, including doors, cabinetry and moldings and decorative metalwork were cus-tom built. Materials included French limestone flooring, wide-plank walnut flooring, mahogany paneling, nickel-plated metalwork, Carrara marble, Bendheim art glass, Nanz hardware, leather flooring and fiber-optic lighting.

Over the next five years, Howe would like to see his company grow and develop, while maintaining a boutique style offering personalized services. But by nature, Howe says he is restless and likes to get his hands into different aspects of art and philosophy. He reads the works of phenomenolo-gists Henri Bergson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is influenced by con-ceptual artists Fred Sandbeck and James Turrell. When it comes to architecture, Howe looks to Luis Barragon , Louis Kahn and Alvaro Siza.

Part of his experience has influenced the devel-opment of a new furniture line, HOWELINE, which will debut in fall 2011. All table prototypes have bases made of a single piece of aluminum, bent

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all in his brain at the same time.”Another recent project, The Bell Residence in

Beekman Place, combined three gutted apart-ments to create a 4,000 sq. ft. gracious, neoclassical home of nine rooms and a wrap-around terrace. The new design incorporates a central rotunda entry hall, which pulls all the rooms together. All the woodwork, including doors, cabinetry and moldings and decorative metalwork were cus-tom built. Materials included French limestone flooring, wide-plank walnut flooring, mahogany paneling, nickel-plated metalwork, Carrara marble, Bendheim art glass, Nanz hardware, leather flooring and fiber-optic lighting.

Over the next five years, Howe would like to see his company grow and develop, while maintaining a boutique style offering personalized services. But by nature, Howe says he is restless and likes to get his hands into different aspects of art and philosophy. He reads the works of phenomenolo-gists Henri Bergson, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Ludwig Wittgenstein and is influenced by con-ceptual artists Fred Sandbeck and James Turrell. When it comes to architecture, Howe looks to Luis Barragon , Louis Kahn and Alvaro Siza.

Part of his experience has influenced the devel-opment of a new furniture line, HOWELINE, which will debut in fall 2011. All table prototypes have bases made of a single piece of aluminum, bent

to form a sculptural ‘space’ and tabletops of resin and lacquered wood acting as infill.

For Howe, furniture design is ultimately based on the same conceptual notion as architecture: space, form and light. It is this notion that Howe not only lives and works by but is continuously learning about through his many creative facets.

Howe sums up his modernist ideals with a quote from writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery: “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” It serves as an appropriate reflection of Howe’s design sense of open space, minimal-ist philosophy and sense of beauty and peace in the spaces he creates. ALT

THIS PAGE: The Bell Penthouse, Beekman Place, New York, N.Y. A complete gut renovation of this 4,000 sq. ft. penthouse of a prewar building now features a kitchen and solarium, formal dining room, library, living room, bar, guest room and master suite. Materials include limestone & walnut flooring; custom paneling, moldings, and cabi-netry throughout; custom nickel plated stainless steel light fixtures & detailing; mahogany paneling and leather floors in the library; and antique early 20th Century French light fixtures throughout. Photos by Sharon Risedorph.

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