Last updated on May 27th, 2024 at 06:30 am
Rye is the youngest city in the state of New York and its location as a coastal, suburban area makes it an idyllic background for a distinctive, custom-designed dream home. Architects and designers that serve the city know how its long waterfronts, its historic background, and the nature-rich communities can serve as a canvas where iconic, unforgettable residences can take root.
The list below features work from the city’s leading architectural and design companies that have unlocked the potential of the area’s residential landscapes. The firms are either based in the city, serve the area, or have completed projects in these communities. They qualified for the list after we applied criteria that included awards, magazine features, the quality of the architects on staff, their years of experience, and the reviews that they received from their clients.
Accent Architecture
161 Levittown Pkwy suite 13 Hicksville, NY 11801
Accent Architecture is an architecture firm that serves Long Island, the 5 Boroughs, Westchester and Putnam counties. Led by New York-licensed architect John Imhof, a former college lecturer who co-founded the City University of New York’s Architectural certificate program. Aside from his contributions to the single-family and multi-family residential sector, he has worked for over two decades across a wide spectrum of markets, including religious, industrial, restaurant, offices, retail, and commercial.
European inspirations make up a large portion of the firm’s residential portfolio. In recent years, the firm produced luxury homes based on Tuscan, Mediterranean, French, colonial, and modern architectures. These homes impose their architectural presence through a dominant façade of cross-gabled roofing, full brick walls in beige or terra cotta, large columns, decorative molding, paired windows, and huge porches.
Austin Patterson Disston Architecture & Design
44 Quogue St. PO Box 1707, Quogue, NY 11959
Austin Patterson Disston Architecture & Design was founded in 1982 as a full-service architectural and planning company. The firm operates from its two studios, in New York and Connecticut. It is supported by a group of AIA-recognized architects and LEED-accredited architects and designers to complete traditional and contemporary homes that are sustainable and exceed the modern standards of home building and design. Partners David Austin, AIA, Mckee Patterson, AIA, and Stuart Disston, AIA, LEED GA, lead the firm’s multi-awarded and diverse design practice.
Many of the firm’s bespoke residential designs are constant features in notable industry publications, including Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, Architect Magazine, NY Cottages & Gardens, and AtHome Magazine. For its works in home renovation design, the firm recently earned the 2019 Innovation Design Award and the 2018 AIA Connecticut Alice Washburn Renovard Awards. In the same year, the same organization recognized the firm’s work for a mid-century modern residence with an AIA Merit Award. This project also won the 2018 Residential Architect Design Award.
Crozier Gedney Architects
41 Elm Place, Rye, NY 10580
Crozier Gedney Architects is one of the most established architectural and design firms in the region. The firm’s seven decades of practice have allowed it to operate throughout New York’s commercial, retail, hospitality, recreational, institutional, private, and residential markets. Its capability as a firm extends beyond design. The studio also offers historic building and conservation, site planning, programming, master planning, energy-efficient homes, and pool house design and construction.
In recent years, the company won the Home Building Industry Awards from the HBRA of Connecticut and two Pinnacle Awards from the Hudson Valley Builders and Remodelers Association in New York. Principal architect Rex Gedney, AIA, NCARB, personally leads the firm’s award-winning projects. In Rye, for example, Gedney led the design for a private pool house. The architecture, inspired by the familiar elements of traditional style, is set against a lush environment. The building is designed for lounging and entertaining. The entire interior opens up to the large modern pool outside. The use of natural materials like wood and soft textiles highlights the comforting elements of the home. Its light, bright palette brings in generous amounts of light.
David Mooney Architects
5 Blind Brook Ln. Rye, NY 10580
From its New York and Vermont studios, David Mooney Architects completes commercial and residential projects as a full-service architectural and interior design company. Its experience in restaurants, industrial buildings, retail spaces, and other commercial properties adds more depth and variety to its practice. The firm also designs custom homes and leads architectural efforts in renovations and additions.
The firm’s extensive services can be attributed to David W. Mooney, Jr.’s status as a certified AIA and NCARB professional. As a LEED-AP, green design practices are often incorporated into Mooney’s works. The firm’s residential portfolio of luxury homes and estates reflects his understanding of traditional design principles and the need to incorporate modern functionalities into the final design. The symmetries, steep roofing, signature chimneys, massive, and double-hung windows featured in Cape Cod, colonial, and transitional architectures dominate the firm’s portfolio.
Emilia Ferri Architecture + Design
42 N Main St. Port Chester, New York, NY 10573
Emilia Ferri Architecture + Design is a renowned design firm that offers full architectural service. The multi-affiliated design company is a certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE) and is led by its eponymous founder and lead architect. Emilia Ferri, AIA, NCARB, LEED BD+C. She is licensed to practice in New York and Connecticut. This allowed her to open two studios in both states, a move that gave her access to the two regions’ commercial, retail, and residential markets. In recent years, Ferri was a recipient of AIA’s Special Citation Instructor recognition and HBRA’s New Member of the Year.
Publications, such as Building Connections, NY Cottages & Gardens, AtHome, and Fairfield Magazine featured much of the firm’s work. As a residential architect, the firm’s projects can be found across Connecticut’s Fairfield County and Westchester County. The firm’s renovation and additions work in New York and surrounding areas—like Rye and Brooklyn—highlight the same quality and depth of understanding in design. Traditional, Dutch-colonial, colonial revival, modern, and contemporary architectures are all highlighted in its custom home and historic revival portfolio.
GF55 Architects
225 West 39th St. New York, NY 10018
GF55 Architects is a multi-awarded New York-based design firm that has been recognized by the AIA, Engineering News-Record (ENR), Queens Chamber of Commerce, and Brick in Architecture Awards, for its excellence in architecture and design. Three partners, David E. Gross, AIA, Leonard Fusco, AIA, and Shay Alster, AIA, lead the company’s modern design approach. Since its establishment over 30 years ago, its practice has revolved around the idea of humanizing built environments to “be part of the natural landscape.” This belief guides its everyday work. Coupled with the latest technologies in design, the company creates architectural solutions for a wide spectrum of industries, especially for the multifamily and single-family markets.
One of its most notable architectural and interior design projects in Rye was for the Lange House, a work led by partner architect David E. Gross, AIA. The work was selected by Westchester Magazine for its HOME Awards and was the paper’s cover feature. The project involved the overhaul and upgrade of the entire residence into a modern, comfortable, sophisticated home. The use of natural materials, such as wood, granite, limestones, and slate, amplified its relaxed, earthy atmosphere. The use of texture through visually soft elements used in its furnishing added a feeling of comfort.
Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman Architects
79 Fifth Ave. 18th Fl. New York, NY 10003
Internationally-recognized for its work in master planning, architecture, and interior and product design, Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman Architects is an award-winning firm that has won hundreds of recognitions from regional and national AIA organizations and other award-giving bodies inside and outside of the country. Robert Siegel and Charles Gwathmey founded the firm in 1976. After Gwathmey’s passing in 2009, Gene Kaufman joined the practice. Today, the company focuses on a wide array of industries, including the corporate, healthcare, education, hospitality, government, and residential sectors. To date, the firm has delivered more than 400 projects worldwide.
From the firm’s New York office, it has helped shape the residential landscapes of many American cities. The firm’s luxury residential projects often draw inspiration from the expansive, open, clean, and imaginative elements of contemporary architecture. Its projects make use of space, light, and geometry to create homes that explore and break the boundaries of style and functionality.
La Rocca Greene Architects LLC
22 Purchase St. Rye, NY 10580
La Rocca Greene Architects LLC has over four decades of design practice and it stands out for its multi-awarded career as a residential and commercial architect. Principals Steven R. La Rocca, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB, and Keith Greene, AIA, head the firm as its partners, together with senior associate Jason La Rocca, RA, LEED AP, NCARB. In the past years, these architects led the company to a long list of AIA recognitions. Much of the firm’s work won excellence in design awards, masonry design awards, and first honor awards. Architecture Record’s Houses of the Year issue also recognized one of its most notable residential works, the Anderson House, another AIA Westchester First Honor Award of Excellence of Design recipient.
One of the firm’s most interesting residential projects was for a North Salem House in New York. The project involved the renovation, an addition, and other alterations for a 250-year old Farm House residence. The 3,500-square-feet space was also updated to accommodate a swimming pool and an additional pool house. One of the challenges of this design was to successfully incorporate these new structural details while staying faithful to the architecture’s original aesthetics. The firm successfully restored its interior and exterior while incorporating modern elements into the design.
Mackin Architects
112 Titicus Rd. North Salem, NY 10560
Mackin Architects stands out for its expertise in crafting and conceptualizing custom homes that are rich in historical references. Its portfolio is dominated by architecture for homes set among a historic neighborhood, as well as renovation designs for existing historic buildings. Westchester Magazine, Architectural Digest, Inspired Home & Design, and Adirondack Living, are just some of the many industry publications that have admired the firm’s skill incorporating modern structural and design elements into every build. Ralph R Mackin, Jr., AIA leads the firm’s over 25 years of design practice.
Much of Mackin’s work can be found in New York’s beloved historic communities. For a residential project in Rye, the firm designed a home that draws inspiration from modern and Dutch-Colonial styles, as a tribute to the surrounding historical and architectural context. The home—featured in Westchester Home Magazine—was designed to elegantly claim its place and feel at home among its neighboring classic seaside homes as if it has been there for generations. It was curated and built for a family of five and covers 6,500-square-feet to house five bedrooms, bathrooms, and half baths.
Michael Piccirillo Architecture
80 Theodore Fremd Ave. Rye, NY 10580
Michael Piccirillo Architecture is a design firm that highlights an extensive portfolio of projects and architecture and interior styles. Its rich commercial, residential, and interior design gallery is a product of the experience of its principal, Michale Piccirillo, AIA. Piccirillo’s 20 years of design experience allowed the firm to establish a loyal client base, especially for custom residential project owners.
The company’s Rye design studio delivers a wide spectrum of architectural inspirations from the old, emerging, and contemporary design movements. Many of the firm’s custom homes feature individual or combined elements of Tudor, Cape Cod, modern, ranch, and colonial architectures. These homes are designed to stand in harmony with their landscapes: most of these homes are set among lush greeneries and natural environments. Some of these projects were featured in Luxury Home Quarterly and Westchester Examiner.
Mitchell Wilk Architecture
2 Purdy Ave. Rye, NY 10580
Mitchell Wilk Architecture focuses on high-end residential architecture work. Its approach is shaped based on the philosophy of how architecture and design should be transformative, in that, they should “enrich the lives of those who come in contact with it.” This idea is at the heart of its principals’ design practice. Doug Wik, AIA, the firm’s president and lead architect is licensed to practice in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He is supported by vice president Scott Fisher who joined the firm in 2003.
Many of the firm’s projects have been featured in multiple regional and national publications. Home Design Magazine, The Modern Estate, Ocean Home, Shingle Style Architecture, Modern Home Builder, and Westchester Home are just some of the many papers that highlighted the firm’s works classic and modern architectures, especially for the residential sector. Its portfolio of high-end homes and estates is dominated by traditional homes that celebrate the simplicity, symmetry, and classic elements of American architecture. These homes are designed to answer to the functional needs of their modern inhabitants.
Paul Shainberg Architects, LLC
150 Theodore Fremd Ave. Bldg A, Suite #2, Rye, NY 10580
Since Paul Shainberg founded his firm in 1998, it has completed over 300 architecture and design projects for custom homes and residential renovations across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. Shainberg is a member of the AIA and specializes in architecture, interior design, conceptual design, and construction administration. His residential portfolio highlights a wide array of traditional, timeless takes on American and European architectural inspirations.
Much of the firm’s residential design work features a variety of perspectives on the colonial, shingle, craftsman, Dutch gambrel, cottage, Tudor, and Victorian styles. One example of its Victorian-inspired project can be found in Rye. The firm explored how modern elements can be incorporated into the unique aesthetics that originated in the 19th-century era in American building and design. The home’s decorative woodwork, sloped gabled roofing, curved angles, and large porch are combined with modern, glass windows and entrances to let in abundant daylight, and let it flow throughout the home’s bright palette interiors.
Sarrazin Architecture PLLC
21 N Main, Suite #209, Port Chester, NY 10573
As a full-service architecture and design firm, Sarrazin Architecture focuses its practice on curating and creating timeless environments through “architecture that enhances everyday life.” Principal architect Pierre Jacques Sarrazin, AIA leads the company’s commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects. Architects Juliet Olguin, BFA and Felipe Guerrero, AIA NCARB, LEED AP BD+C bring diversity and depth of experience to the firm’s extensive services. The result is a portfolio of homes that has been highlighted in different local papers, including Rye Record, Westmore News, and Stamford Advocate.
As an architect and designer for the luxury residential sector, the firm is well-versed in a wide range of home styles. Its take on traditional and craftsman architecture exemplifies its ability to incorporate old-world aesthetics into its work. These homes also feature contemporary elements and structures that cater to the demands of modern lifestyles and appeal to present-day design tastes.
Soglia Architecture
16 Lincoln Ave. Rye Brook NY 10573
Sustainability is at the heart of Soglia Architecture’s design philosophy. Maegan Walton, LEED BD+C, started her own practice in 2012 and focusing on a holistic approach to design. Her portfolio highlights residences that center on “artful, functional, and environmentally-conscious spaces.” True to the firm’s advocacy to promote green practices in residential architecture, it has completed renovations and custom home designs that promote energy-efficiency and sustainability.
The Rye Brook Residence project, for instance, involved the design update of an existing mid-century modern house to make the building more functional and sustainable. Environmentally-friendly materials and zero VOC paints were used to transform the old and outdated spaces. The home’s insulation, for instance, was replaced with spray-in foam. To lower utility costs, LED-recessed lighting replaced old electrical systems. For its new windows, insulated units, made of two layers of tempered glass, were installed to reflect heat. Other updates and adjustments produced an upgraded home that can last and stay functionally relevant for generations.
William S. Leeds
140 E 40th St # 1A, New York, NY 10016
William S. Leeds’s design practice first looks at the roles light, space, environment, and materials will play in a project. They then curate and design residential and commercial spaces that “create better environments for future generations.” The firm’s philosophy is exemplified by the modern and contemporary spaces that it has designed for its commercial and residential clients. This work and the firm’s design process have been highlighted in different design articles for local and regional publications, including Interior Space, Contract Design Magazine, Wine Spectator, and The New York Times.
Principal architect William S. Leeds, AIA, has an extensive background in architecture and landscape architecture. Through the support of Project Architect Irvin Ponde, AIA Associate, and Junior Architect Hugo Bloise, the company delivers a high-end portfolio of single-family residences that are designed to be in dialogue with its surrounding environmental context. These homes easily blend in with their landscapes and at the same time, impose characters that represent the individuality of their owners.
