Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536611
contractors his parents had hired decades earlier to ensure the craftsmanship remained precise. F or years, Rottet had been searching for a second home in California, far from the blistering heat of Texas. But a spontaneous visit to a friend's house in the Hamptons shifted her attention east — and led her to a rare opportunity: the chance to restore an architectural landmark by one of modernism's most influential figures. It wasn't the kind of project she had been seeking, but it was one she couldn't pass up. The historic house aligns naturally with the preservation-minded ethos of Rottet Studio, the Houston-based architecture, design, and branding firm she founded in 2008. With additional offices in Los Angeles and New York City, the firm supports a global portfolio of residential, hospitality, corporate, and maritime projects. Rottet's custom furniture line, the Rottet Collection, has earned multiple accolades, including four NeoCon Best of Year awards. She is also the first woman ever to be named a Fellow of both the American Institute of Architects and the International Interior Design Association. As an architect, Rottet is trained to analyze form and function, but she responded to the Montauk house on a purely emotional level. "I was smitten," she says. "It was like being in the perfect treehouse — gray- washed shingles inside and out, 360º views of the Sound, Lake Montauk, and, in the distance, the Atlantic Ocean. It was an energy I had never felt before in a house." At first, the idea of renovating and living in a space composed entirely of hexagonal rooms felt daunting. "It was disorienting because we're all trained to think in boxes," s h e s a y s . " B u t what first seemed restricting ended up being completely liberating. You're not forced into corners." Rottet spent more than a year getting to know the house before making any changes. "Being somewhat of a minimalist, I had initially thought I might change the random, multicolored flagstone floor downstairs and the orange–and–black kitchen cabinets, which had yellowed slightly. But the more I lived with it, the more I loved it all," she Opposite page: Downstairs, original multi-hued flagstone floors, hexagonal shingled ceiling. Mid-century Italian Stilnovo light fixture from Lynn Goode Vintage. In background, Homenature table and stools. Vintage Franco Albini rattan lounge chair. Arne Jacobsen wicker Paris chair from Sika Design, Shakopee, Minnesota. Above: Built-in cabinets, paneling, and shingles are all original to the house. Italian 1950s bar cabinet. Vintage boat diorama from Barbara Trujillo Antiques, Bridgehampton, New York.