62 DIGS.NET
| 10.29.2021
P R O F I L E | W O R R E L L Y E U N G
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change too much of the existing house, so the rest of the house
was largely rebuilt, including new windows, new cladding, new
roof, etc., but rebuilt to the exacting standards of the original
design. We really wanted our intervention to be quite minimal,
making modern improvements to create a more functional and
comfortable home suited for our clients."
Renovations to the exterior also meant replacing the pool
deck, where one imagines taking in the deep-breath of ocean
views without tiring. The scene from the Dunes is an outstretched
horizon of sky and sea, made more enthralling for the way the
blues of these views, including the surface of the pool, as well
as the lush green of the surrounding trees, play off the gauzy-
grey cedar siding. Every facet of the home, in fact, is beautifully
synthesized, much like its indoor-outdoor connections, which
are further and strikingly amplified by voids that punctuate the
structure's façade. Throughout is substantial light that highlights
both the character of the space and the spark of its surfaces
(including a lustrous white Corian in the kitchen, porcelain tiles
and refurbished built-ins).
Surveying the results of this perceptive and elegantly
addressed restoration, perhaps Worrell and Yeung should ask the
next obvious question: What would Gwathmey think? "Charlie's
legacy and body of work include intervening in, and adding to,
other architects' significant works," says Yeung, referencing
Gwathmey's contributions to the Guggenheim and the Yale Archi-
tecture and Art Building, "and even to his own projects," such as
his parents' home. "Therefore we hope he would appreciate the
effort and execution to complement and harmonize changes, and
hope also that he would say 'thank you.'" Little else can be said
in the face of such a gracious building.
worrellyeung.com
