There are two kinds of people in the world: the ones who see a barn and think “hay,” and the ones who see a barn and think
“perfect massing, iconic silhouette, excellent roof-to-wall ratio.” Remodelista’s Architect Visit series is for the second groupplus anyone
who secretly wants their house to feel calm, capable, and quietly brilliant.
In this particular double-feature, Remodelista spotlights two barn-inspired projects on opposite coasts: the Louver House on Long Island by
Leroy Street Studio, and the Aptos Retreat in California’s Santa Cruz Mountains by CCS Architecture. On paper,
“modern barn” can sound like a design cliché. In practice, these homes prove the barn is less a style and more a strategy:
big roofs for shelter, straightforward forms for efficiency, and flexible interiors that handle real life without melting down.
Let’s take the tourand then translate what we see into ideas you can actually use, whether you’re building from scratch, remodeling,
or just collecting the kind of inspiration that makes you suspiciously confident at hardware stores.
Why the “Modern Barn” Keeps Winning (Even When It’s Not Trying)
The American barn is an overachiever. It’s simple, sturdy, and designed around workmeaning it naturally prioritizes function, durability, and
clean circulation. When architects borrow barn forms today, they’re often chasing those same advantages, just updated for modern needs:
daylight instead of drafty gaps, insulation instead of wishful thinking, and kitchens that are allowed to be beautiful and useful.
Remodelista frames this Architect Visit as a look at two projects from its Architect/Designer Directory: a New York-based team and a
San Francisco-based team, both drawing from barn archetypes, both producing homes that feel contemporary without being cold.
The shared thread isn’t “rustic decor.” It’s disciplined architecture: strong envelopes, intentional materials, and layouts that make everyday life smoother.
Project 1: Louver House by Leroy Street Studio (Long Island, New York)
A barn silhouettethen a smart, layered skin
The Louver House sits near an open agricultural reserve on Long Island, and Remodelista notes how it captures traditional barn qualities
while meeting modern residential demands. The house’s magic trick is its “translucent wrapper”a layering of louvers and
rainscreen siding that ties together interior rooms and exterior zones, so the building reads as one cohesive idea instead of a bunch of add-ons
pretending they get along.
The main interior volume is described as an open living/dining/kitchen hall, topped by a delicate, three-dimensional hybrid
wood-and-steel timber frame ceiling and a slot skylight above. That detail matters: it’s a classic barn movecelebrate structure,
lift the roof, bring in light from aboveexecuted with contemporary precision.
How you enter matters more than you think
According to the project description, the entry draws you through the house’s louvered skin into a two-story foyer overlooking an interior garden courtyard.
Public spaces are elevated to capture long views, while the circulation creates a gentle sense of reveallike the house is telling you,
“Relax. I have a plan.”
That’s a lesson worth stealing: good homes don’t just have rooms; they have sequences. Even a modest remodel can improve how a space feels by
clarifying the path from “arrive” to “settle,” or from “kitchen chaos” to “calm, contained dining.”
Five outdoor courts under one roof: the real flex
Remodelista highlights that five outdoor courts and garden spaces are unified under a single roof, and that the louver/rainscreen wrapper
ties internal and external spaces together. This is not about having a giant lawn and calling it “outdoor living.” It’s about creating
outdoor roomsspaces with boundaries, privacy, microclimates, and purpose.
It’s also the opposite of a fussy house. Instead of designing ten separate “moments,” the architects create one strong envelope and let the
outdoor areas operate like extensions of interior life. You get shade, airflow, filtered views, and a feeling that the house is bigger than
its floor plan because it’s using the outdoors as real square footage.
What the louvers are doing (besides looking cool)
“Louvers” can sound like a fancy word for “slats,” but in projects like this, they do a lot of heavy lifting:
- Privacy without blackout: You get a screened effectviews out, limited views in.
- Sun control: Filter harsh light, reduce glare, and keep spaces comfortable without fighting the sun all day.
- Ventilation support: Encourage airflow around the building skin, which can help manage heat.
- Visual unity: The wrapper makes indoor/outdoor spaces feel like one ecosystem.
If you’re remodeling, the takeaway isn’t “install a museum-grade louver veil.” It’s “use layered boundaries”screens, slatted fences,
pergolas, breezeways, and covered porchesto create privacy and comfort without sealing yourself in a box.
Project 2: Aptos Retreat by CCS Architecture (Santa Cruz Mountains, California)
A rural compound built like a modern, two-part barn story
Remodelista places the Aptos Retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, about five miles from the Pacific Ocean, and describes it as barn-inspired.
The plan splits the home into two parts: a “live” building and a “sleep” building. The sleep volume slides under the roof of
the live volume, connecting the structures and creating a protected passagewayan elegant move that separates zones without turning them into enemies.
The exterior is clad in sustainable, reclaimed barn wood. Inside, Remodelista notes cedar-clad walls and ceilings,
concrete floors, and a stone fireplacea material palette that reads warm, grounded, and durable. And in the kitchen:
a live-edge walnut slab for the island, adding an organic note that feels more “honest materials” than “Pinterest rustic.”
Why two buildings can feel simpler than one
Splitting a house into “live” and “sleep” zones is an old idea in a modern suit. It can:
- Control noise: Cooking, entertaining, and bedtime don’t have to share the same acoustics.
- Create breathing room: A covered passageway becomes a decompression corridorespecially powerful in retreat settings.
- Reduce perceived bulk: Two smaller volumes can sit more gently on a site than one large mass.
- Support flexible use: Guests can occupy one zone without taking over the whole house.
Even if you’re not building a compound, you can borrow the concept by designing “quiet wings,” using pocket doors, creating a secondary TV den,
or relocating bedrooms away from the loudest household traffic.
Steel, Corten, and the not-so-secret ingredient: restraint
Remodelista also notes that the barn portion uses prefabricated steel frame components with Corten steel walls and roof.
That combinationweathering steel outside, warm wood insidecreates contrast without visual noise. It’s a reminder that you don’t need
twenty finishes to make a space feel rich. You need a few materials that age well and work hard.
In other CCS projects, the firm’s interest in sustainability and material authenticity shows up in different ways. Remodelista’s feature on a
Palo Alto residence describes how rammed earth was used for the first floormade from soil excavated for the foundationgiving the house an
earthy, low-impact backbone. Meanwhile, a Marin-area seaside home is described as photovoltaic-powered, generating electricity and sending surplus
energy back to the grid, with integrated electric-based systems for hot water and heating/cooling. Different sites, different solutionssame mindset:
pick a strategy that fits the place.
Meet the Firms Behind the Photos
Leroy Street Studio: craft, collaboration, and the long game
Leroy Street Studio is a New York-based practice known for a collaborative approach that centers clients’ needs and treats construction craft as part of design.
The studio was founded in the mid-1990s by Marc Turkel and Morgan Hare, and later expanded its leadership team. Beyond residential work,
the firm also launched Hester Streeta participatory design/build initiative focused on improving the physical environment
in underserved New York City neighborhoods. That community-minded foundation matters: it suggests a studio that thinks about how spaces actually function
for real people, not just how they photograph at golden hour.
The Louver House reflects that sensibility. It’s not a “statement object” dropped on a site. It’s an organized system:
a clear envelope, strong circulation, outdoor rooms with purpose, and structure that earns its keep.
CCS Architecture: coastal modernism with a sustainability backbone
CCS Architecture is associated with architect Cass Calder Smith and a multidisciplinary practice with studios on both coasts.
The firm’s public descriptions emphasize design excellence, detail, material authenticity, and the balance of boldness with simplicity.
Across projectswhether it’s a rammed-earth residence, a photovoltaic-powered coastal home, or the barn-inspired Aptos Retreatthe throughline is
a practical kind of elegance: design that looks composed because it’s technically resolved.
In Remodelista’s Architect Visit framing, CCS represents the West Coast cousin to Leroy Street’s East Coast barn logic:
still grounded in vernacular forms, still modern, but tuned to climate, landscape, and sustainable systems.
The Remodeler’s Translation Guide: What You Can Steal (Legally and Ethically)
1) Use one strong “idea” to unify a messy program
Both homes avoid the “collection of rooms” problem by sticking to a primary organizing conceptan envelope, a roof, a wrapper, a clear split between zones.
If your remodel feels chaotic, pick a unifying move: align ceiling heights, repeat one wood tone, standardize trim details, or create a consistent lighting plan.
The goal is not samenessit’s coherence.
2) Create outdoor rooms, not leftover exterior space
The Louver House’s courts are a masterclass in treating exterior areas like rooms with boundaries. You can do this without major construction:
add a pergola, use slatted screens, build a simple bench wall, or define zones with gravel and planting beds. The instant upgrade is psychological:
the outdoors becomes usable, not just visible.
3) Embrace “filtering” instead of “blocking”
Louvers and rainscreen strategies teach a broader lesson: you don’t always need a wall. Sometimes you need a filtersomething that softens light,
reduces direct sightlines, and still feels airy. Think reeded glass, open shelving as a divider, slatted wood partitions, or even layered curtains.
4) Pick materials that age like adults
Reclaimed barn wood, cedar cladding, concrete floors, stone fireplaces, Corten steelthese are materials that don’t panic when life happens.
If you want a home that improves with time, prioritize finishes that patina gracefully, hide wear, and feel better after a few seasons.
5) Separate “loud” and “quiet” zones whenever possible
Aptos Retreat’s live/sleep split is the big gesture version of a small, powerful remodel rule: keep noise away from rest.
Even minor changesmoving a laundry, adding a door, relocating a desk nookcan make a home feel more restful and functional.
How to Get the “Modern Barn” Feeling Without Turning Your House Into a Theme Park
A modern barn house works when it’s about proportion, light, and honest structurenot decorative pitchforks (unless you’re actually moving hay,
in which case: respect).
- Roof-first thinking: A well-designed canopy, porch roof, or pergola can create barn-like shelter and scale.
- Structure as design: Exposed beams, simple trusses, or a clean timber detail adds warmth without clutter.
- Big, calm volumes: Even in small homes, you can create a “hall” feeling by opening sightlines and simplifying transitions.
- Layered daylight: Slot skylights, clerestory windows, and filtered screens help spaces glow rather than glare.
- One or two standout textures: Wood + concrete, or wood + stone, goes a long way. Too many finishes can cancel each other out.
The best part? These moves improve daily living. They’re not just prettythey’re behavioral. They help you breathe, circulate, gather, and rest.
Conclusion: Two Barn-Inspired Homes, One Big Lesson
Remodelista’s Architect Visit pairing works because it doesn’t sell you on a styleit shows you a toolkit. Leroy Street Studio’s Louver House uses a
translucent wrapper and a strong roof to unify indoor life with multiple outdoor courts, proving that filtering and sequencing can make a home feel both
private and expansive. CCS Architecture’s Aptos Retreat splits living and sleeping into connected volumes and leans on reclaimed wood, cedar, concrete,
and steel to create a retreat that feels modern, durable, and grounded in place.
If you take nothing else from these projects, take this: the most “timeless” homes aren’t frozen in a look. They’re built around decisions that remain useful
good light, honest materials, clear zones, and an architecture that supports the way people actually live. The barn just happens to be an excellent teacher.
of experiences related to the topic
Field Notes: The “Architect Visit” Experience (Even If You Never Leave Your Couch)
An Architect Visitwhether it’s a real-life walkthrough or a deep photo tourchanges how you see houses. The first shift is emotional:
you stop reacting to “pretty rooms” and start noticing the decisions that make those rooms feel inevitable. The second shift is practical:
you start collecting moves, not moods.
Start with the outside. When you look at the Louver House, the silhouette reads barn-simple, but the surface is doing something more sophisticated.
That’s the moment to ask: “What problem is this solving?” Privacy? Sun? Wind? A desire to connect courtyards without building a maze of walls?
Once you frame architecture as problem-solving, your own remodel decisions get easier. You’re not picking between two paint colors; you’re deciding
what kind of light you want to live in.
Next, notice the transition spaces. Both projects obsess (politely) over thresholds: passing through a louvered skin, moving along a protected
passageway between live and sleep buildings, stepping from interior hall to outdoor court. These are the “calm-making” moments. In everyday life,
transitions are where clutter gathers and stress spikesshoes, bags, barking dogs, forgotten chargers. Architects treat transitions like
opportunities to slow the heart rate. You can steal that by giving entries a bench, adding hooks where you actually drop things, or creating a tiny
“buffer zone” between kitchen and living space so noise doesn’t spill everywhere.
Then come the materialsthe part everyone loves because it’s tangible. The Aptos Retreat’s reclaimed barn wood and cedar interiors aren’t just warm;
they’re forgiving. Concrete floors don’t flinch at wet boots. Stone fireplaces don’t demand perfection. Live-edge wood adds character without requiring
you to decorate. When you’re evaluating finishes, a helpful question is: “Will I like this more after five years of use?” If the answer is yes,
you’re probably choosing like an architect.
Finally, try the “one-page takeaway” test. After any Architect Visit, write down:
- One big organizing idea (e.g., a wrapper that unifies spaces, or a live/sleep split).
- Three details worth borrowing (slot skylight, screened porch, reclaimed wood cladding).
- One behavior the house supports (quiet mornings, outdoor dinners, kids running between courts).
- One change you can make this month (a screen, a new lighting layer, a clearer entry setup).
Do that a few times and you’ll build a personal design compassone that doesn’t rely on trends or “what’s in,” but on what reliably makes spaces work.
That’s the real payoff of Remodelista’s Architect Visit: you come for the pretty barns, and you leave with a smarter brain for your own house.
