Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1536611
I n a windswept corner of Montauk on Long Island's eastern shore, Lauren Rottet has revived one of modernism's prized architectural gems: a hexagonally structured house designed in 1961 by George Nelson, the celebrated architect and visionary behind the Herman Miller design legacy. He collaborated on the project with Gordon Chadwick, a former protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. Rottet, a renowned architect and designer, has led restoration projects ranging from the New York Stock Exchange to The James Royal Palm and Cap Juluca, A Belmond Hotel. She approached the Montauk house with a similarly restrained hand, honoring Nelson's original vision. It has since become both a personal sanctuary and a living laboratory — a place where ideas about proportion, light, and architectural clarity come to life. "Every room is designed as a hexagon, and the energy it generates is extraordinary," Rottet says. Without a single 90-degree corner, the house feels perpetually in motion — a space that inspires fresh possibilities for how to live and think. In true modernist fashion, the angled forms lead one space into the next, creating a series of unfolding rooms. The design reflects the principles Nelson championed: expansive views, natural light, and an open plan free of unnecessary walls. Perched on a rise with panoramic views of the surrounding nature preserve, Lake Montauk, and the Atlantic Ocean, the house feels suspended in the landscape. George Nelson's legacy is embedded not only in the bones of this house but in the furniture he made famous. An industrial designer best known for shaping the look of 20th-century modern furniture, Nelson is widely regarded as a founding figure of American modernism, and is lionized for designing the Bubble lamp, Marshmallow sofa, Coconut chair, Nelson platform bench, and the Ball clock. Through his firm, George Nelson Associates, he designed private residences across the country, though few were ever built. This house was commissioned by Rudolph and Ethel Johnson and designed by Nelson for their property on the rocky shores of Montauk Point. Their son, O.R. "Dick" In Montauk, a rare house by the iconic architect and furniture designer is revived by Lauren Rottet, who was smitten with the architectural gem. Johnson, a leading advocate for local land preservation, made it a gathering place for conservationists. Years later, when Johnson was forced to sell, he was devastated to learn that the new owners planned to tear it down. Before demolition began, Johnson salvaged everything he could: built-in cabinetry, furniture, and architectural fragments. In 1989, he reconstructed the house on a nearby site, faithfully following Nelson and Chadwick's original blueprints and working with many of the same 34 George Nelson's hexagonal house, clad in stone and shingles, angles into the sky. Opposite page, clockwise from top: A ramp leads to the second-floor kitchen door. Early McGuire table and stools are original to the house. Vintage Franco Albini wicker chairs. Fireplace screen designed by Lauren Rottet. George Nelson built-in cabinet holds Tauba Auerbach paper sculpture.