FEATURES

SIMPLE FORMS AND A PALETTE OF NATURAL MATERIALS ENSURE THAT THIS CALIFORNIA MODERNIST-INSPIRED HOME IS ALWAYS READY FOR A GATHERING

If Mies van der Rohe's admonition that form follow function and his belief that "God is in the details," seem hackneyed concepts in our design-savvy times, it's only because they were so central to the birth of modernism that we now take them for granted. Respect for the integrity of materials is also a Miesian ideal, as is an appreciation of old building methods, about which he famously observed, "There was meaning in every stroke of an axe, in every bite of chisel." To him, intention and purpose were everything.

The 2,800-square-foot Water Mill home of Mimi and Lorin Reisner is an embodiment of these principles, one that enables the Reisners' rich and active family life to unfold with order and spontaneity. The house they purchased a little over two years ago—revamped and redesigned by architect Carol Di Cicco Vinci and project architect Anne Corvi—was a slightly Frenchified ranch on an acre lot. From the start, says Mimi, "It was clear that the structure should remain on one level and that the scale should feel long, lean and proportional to the acre."

This was music to Di Cicco Vinci's ears. "Mimi really didn't want to overbuild on that site," the architect recalls. "I loved that because she was thinking architecturally, she wanted it to be about form and detail."

Other programmatic requirements: there should be a strong inside-outside relationship and the building elements should reflect the setting. "For me, it's always about the tactile nature of materials," Mimi says. The Reisners—Lorin, an attorney; Mimi, a homemaker active in various charities; and their children, Ali (13) and Ben (9)—also entertain frequently. "We have a large extended family and visitors are constantly running around," Mimi explains. "There's always activity and a lot of serendipitous drop-ins."