 by Jerry Novesky Issue 39 (December 07-February 08) [Copyright © 2007, The Valley Table] Naomi Sachs and James Westwater are artists. As a landscape designer, Sachs deals with space outside. Westwater, a painter and installation artist, deals with space inside. However you look at it, these folks like space. The couple was attracted to the 1910 gymnasium/drill building in Beacon for what it had (a large, open, single-room design, hardwood floor and high windows on three walls), as well as for what it didn't have (mucked-up mechanics, broken-up spaces, damaged or altered structure). The building already had been converted to a residence by the previous owners. Much of the openness of the interior had been preserved, but there was a ceiling that seemed confining and a kitchen area that blocked the light in an important east corner. To the artistic sensibilities of the couple, something seemed somehow out of kilter. So, they bought the place a couple of years ago, lived in it a little while, got a feel for the space, assessed the light, the flow. Then they gutted it. Down came the ceiling, which revealed the dramatic roof truss structure; the cubicle that was a corner kitchen/bath also went, uncovering two windows that now admitted the beautiful morning light. What Sachs and Westwater faced was a tabula rasa upon which they planned and built a loft-like interior space that is nothing if not expansive and bright. Very little intrudes into the open areas: The placement of the couch in the "living room" area and the dining table near the center are both logical yet nonintrusive. There is no hint here that anything is out of place. One of the challenges the couple faced was how to bring their minimalist aesthetics and green sensibilities into play in the redesigned kitchen area. They collected a convivial group of designers to contribute to the collaborative effort (including Ari Segal as architect, EKB Kitchens of Beacon for cabinet design, and Kate Dayton of Green Courage LLC) to source environmentally safe products. An island kitchen was a logical element. A seamless, 16-gauge stainless steel sheet with a double Elkay sink, stovetop and a retracting vent tops the 13-foot island (more like a continent, actually). All the work areas, cabinets and appliances are oriented so that whoever is cooking or cleaning in the kichen faces the living area--no one in the kitchen is cut off from the activity and energy in the rest of the living area. The island structure and lower cabinets along one wall offer ample storage underneath--all the space is used for storage of one kind or another. Drawers are deep and divided; small, odd-shape spaces also serve storage functions (one of Sachs's favorites is a narrow, pullout cabinet that holds sponges and cleaning supplies). The otherwise unusable, shallow ends of the island were converted to bookshelves. With the exception of a single, Don Judd-like cabinet in one corner of the kitchen, there are no upper wall cabinets to intrude into the visual or living space. The couple's budget and green sensibilities were satisfied by scouring the internet for deals. They found Green Demolitions www.greendemolitions.com) to be an excellent source for used/reconditioned appliances--the Gaggenau oven is a prime example of what can be found there. The LG refrigerator was bought new, but at half price because of a small, barely noticeable dent in one door. The openness and light of this interior can be breathtaking. Thirty people can gather for a dinner without crowding; five can spend a day canning tomatoes without once bumping elbows or getting in each other's way; or two can sit at the island with the Sunday papers and have breakfast and never lose sight of the art on the walls. And there's still room for a basketball hoop or two. ELEMENTS: Refrigerator: LG 21cf, Panorama french door; Energy Star Oven: Gaggenau (used, from Green Demolitions) Stove top: Bosch PGL, 5-burner (gas) Stove top vent: Bosch DHD, telescoping downdraft Faucet: Pegasus Dishwasher: Bosch Intergra series; Engery Star | 
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