LIVING SMALL

FOR THEIR OWN WEEKEND RETREAT, TWO ARCHITECTS CHOOSE A PARED-DOWN DESIGN THAT RESPONDS TO THE GLORY OF ITS NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.

- JANICE RANDALL ROHLF

Sporting a whimsically shaped silhouette, this petite Fishers Island cottage shaped like an observation tower instantly piques the interest of anyone curious about house design. But long before the first foundation stone was laid, or cedar shingle nailed into place, the architect-owners frequented the undeveloped parcel teeming with invasive plants just to make sure they understood the canvas upon which their house would be built.

"Just as important to us as the architecture of the house was the setting, the landscape architecture, and the site itself," says Stewart Skolnick, cofounder of Haver & Skolnick. He and his partner, in business and life, Charles Haver, run their architecture firm out of a restored 18th-century carriage house in Litchfield County, Connecticut. "We wanted to make sure we understood the potential of the land so that we could site the house properly," concurs Haver.

Much of the potential the two were eager to grasp consisted of views of the Atlantic Ocean and of some of the island's 350 acres of protected conservation land. "On a clear day, you can see Montauk Point," says Skolnick, adding that you can also glimpse several ponds-one for oyster cultivation that surround the property. "There are reflections of water all around the house." On this sparsely populated island, Pointer Perch, named after their German shorthaired pointer, Keeper, overlooks only nature as far as the eye can see. Even the outdoor shower offers a glimpse of the ocean.