Douglaston Arts & Crafts-Style Residence

This 5,000-square-foot new house in the Arts & Crafts style was built on a vacant lot in the Douglaston Historic District. The owners requested a house inspired by Japanese architecture and the work of their favorite architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

At the exterior, all natural materials including a fieldstone base, cedar shingles and board-and-batten siding, and a roof of graduated Vermont slate create a low-slung composition that carefully blends the house into this neighborhood of 100-year old houses and ancient trees.

At the interior, an expansive floor plan in which kitchen, living room and family room are open to one another, reflects the contemporary lifestyle of the owners, who entertain frequently. The double-high living room overlooks a bluestone terrace and frames the view of a mature Japanese maple.

(click to expand side-by-side photos)