Introduction

Nestled within a densely built quarter-acre site in Amagansett, New York, House in the Lanes by Khanna Schultz Architecture offers a quiet yet commanding contradiction to its surrounding Hamptons context. Its dark-toned shell, reminiscent of rural Japanese vernacular structures, conceals an interior of luminous serenity and spatial sophistication. This home stands as a remarkable case study in adapting Eastern design philosophies to North American residential design—interweaving traditional Japanese concepts with contemporary sustainability imperatives and high-performance building technologies.

At the heart of this project lies a personal story: a recently divorced philanthropist, returning home from decades of life in Japan during the pandemic, sought a residence that reflected her cultural experiences and personal reinvention. The resulting architecture—both intimate and accommodating—balances privacy with openness and introspection with sociability.

Design Philosophy and Japanese Influences

The architectural strategy is deeply informed by Japanese principles of spatial sequencing and hospitality—most notably, the idea of omotenashi, or layered ceremonial welcome. From the onset, architect Robert Schultz envisioned the home as an object that unfolds gradually, like a treasured piece of Japanese craftwork presented in a series of ever-smaller boxes. This technique of gradual revelation is a key tenet of traditional Japanese architecture, offering spatial experiences that deepen as one moves through the house.

The approach is both literal and metaphorical. Visitors cross a moat-like courtyard on a small bridge—a purposeful threshold that demarcates a transition from the public to the private realm. Beyond, the dark-stained cedar cladding recalls yaki sugi (charred wood cladding), emblematic of rural Japanese construction. This exterior, at times austere, amplifies the surprise and relief of the bright, welcoming interior.

Site Integration and Ecological Sensibility

Situated on a small in-town plot with neighboring properties tightly encircling the perimeter, the house resists the common Hamptons formula of visual statement-making. Instead, the building embraces the Japanese concept of shakkei—or borrowed scenery—to enhance spatial depth while maintaining privacy.

Site-sensitive planning played a critical role in this project’s success. Two existing crepe myrtle trees with sinuous trunks were preserved and deliberately framed in outdoor rooms, their irregular forms balancing the architecture’s formal clarity. Similarly, rather than demolish and replace the existing pool (a typical maneuver in Hamptons development), it was retained and integrated into a new spatial arrangement of porch, terrace, and garden.

Native plantings, selected in collaboration with Beitel Landscape Associates, promote biodiversity and reduce irrigation demands—themes that mirror the holistic environmental consciousness embedded in the design.

Spatial Planning: Efficiency Meets Emotion

Split between serene solitude and festive hospitality, the architectural program responds to dual patterns of use. With a total of four bedrooms (plus a flexible family room that can become a fifth), the layout caters to both the client’s solitary retreat and her extended family gatherings.

The spatial arrangement demonstrates what Schultz refers to as “automotive-level precision.” Every square inch of the plan was maximized for utility, echoing the Japanese architecture traditions where compactness drives ingenuity. Despite the tight site, rooms retain generous volumetric qualities, thanks to meticulous relationships between ceiling heights, window apertures, and material transitions.

Communal areas flow openly, with no hard partitions between living, dining, and kitchen zones. Yet these spaces are subtly differentiated by light levels, materials, and sightlines, maintaining both continuity and containment. In contrast, sleeping and meditative spaces are placed with prioritized views and acoustic separation.

Materiality and Cultural Specificity

The material palette is reductive, but not minimalist in the cold contemporary sense. Rather, it reflects the principle of ma—the meaningful void. Bleached oak floors and museum-grade white walls serve not only to diffuse daylight and expand perceived volume, but also to foreground the client’s extensive Japanese art collection.

Carefully curated furnishings reinforce the cross-cultural narrative. Original pieces from George Nakashima Studio pay homage to Japanese woodworking techniques and Wabi-Sabi ethos. Complementary custom works by furniture designers like Mark Jupiter and Patrick Weder add textural interest and organic forms without clutter.

Key Japanese customs were translated into architectural elements: a recessed entry vestibule functions as a genkan for removing shoes; layered screens modulate daylight while maintaining privacy, echoing the sliding shoji employed in Japanese homes. These culturally rooted details serve functional purposes while deepening narrative richness.

Sustainable Systems and Net-Positive Energy Performance

Beyond aesthetics and form, House in the Lanes represents a case study in how small-scale residential buildings can achieve net-positive energy performance—producing more energy than they consume on an annual basis.

The sustainable system integration is comprehensive. Its rooftop features a photovoltaic panel array capable of offsetting all the home’s energy usage. Complementing this system is a vertical closed-loop geothermal heat pump that provides both heating and cooling with exceptional thermal efficiency. Heat and moisture are recovered via a high-performance Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system, which continuously exchanges indoor and outdoor air without sacrificing thermal comfort.

These systems are not merely additive, but mutually reinforcing. The reduced energy demand from geothermal and ERV operations makes the solar panel capacity highly effective, creating net surplus generation. An on-site EV charging station extends sustainable performance into the mobility domain.

This house exemplifies the principle of “living lightly on the land.” It targets not only operational sustainability but fosters a deeper environmental ethic—where compactness, energy intelligence, and beauty coincide.

Reframing Hamptons Residential Architecture

House in the Lanes stands in contrast to dominant residential typologies in the Hamptons, where real estate development often favors large footprints, conspicuous facades, and expansive manicured grounds. This house embraces the opposite: inward orientation, spatial restraint, and ecological sensitivity.

The dark exterior silhouette, minimal site disturbance, and screen-filtered thresholds suggest a model of contemporary Hamptons architecture grounded in introspection rather than display. It marks a shift away from speculative development and toward individualized, contextually rooted, and climate-conscious design practice.

For North American architects and residential clients, this project offers a compelling template for responsive infill: building gracefully within spatial and regulatory constraints, relying on quality of experience rather than volume or ornament to define luxury.

Execution and Collaboration

The project was led by Khanna Schultz partners Robert Schultz and Vrinda Khanna, supported by design contributors Veronica Patrick and Navajeet Khatri. Flanzer Construction realized the build, while DiLandro Andrews provided structural engineering support.

Such tight coordination was indispensable, particularly given the high craftsmanship standards and integrated building systems. The team demonstrated that exceptional detailing and sophisticated energy performance are not mutually exclusive but can be synthesized through disciplined design and clear communication.

The result is architecture that doesn’t announce its eco-credentials as novelty but quietly expresses them through comfort, resilience, and understated elegance.

Takeaways for Practitioners and Homeowners

• Design for Layers of Experience: Use spatial sequencing, thresholds, and sensory variation to enrich experiences of movement and arrival.
• Embrace Smaller Footprints: Compact homes can deliver luxury and comfort through thoughtful planning and high-quality materials.
• Prioritize Energy Synergies: Pair geothermal, solar, and ERV systems to reduce operational loads and achieve renewable self-sufficiency.
• Ground Design in Biography: Consider how personal histories, cultural values, and rituals can inform form and materiality.
• Revalue the Inward-Focused Home: Architectural excellence need not rely on size or visual prominence—it can thrive in subtlety and precision.

In translating a distinctly Japanese aesthetic and ethic to the Hamptons, House in the Lanes offers an elegant argument for architecture that is at once personal and universal, restrained yet rich. It challenges architects and homeowners alike to consider not just what a house should look like—but how it should feel, function, and remember.