Quonochontaug House is a daylit vacation home in Rhode Island that uses light as sculpture

New York–based design studio Bernheimer Architecture designed this daylit vacation house in Rhode Island, the interior of which plays with light as if it were a sculpting with a chisel.

The Quonochontaug House looks elegant and simple on the outside, but its surprising interior features a myriad of spaces that change with the shifting of natural light.

The house, located in Charlestown, Rhode Island, has a ground floor that features a double-height skylight above the kitchen, living room, study and entry foyer. Parts of the ceiling are are high enough so not to be visible from some areas on the ground floor and create light-filled volumes. Three compact bedrooms are placed around a shared bathroom on the second floor in order to provide more room for common spaces and have natural light that penetrates the furthest corners of the house.

The architects elevated the house on concrete piles two feet above Base Floor Elevation-a requirement set by the coastal regulations. Thanks to this intervention, the house offers views of the adjacent pond. Contrasting the daylit interior, the facade is clad in charred cypress slats, while the first level elevation features large sliding doors that open up to a pool area located in front of the house.