The concept of memory and its impact on architecture and human experience is woven in the Montauk Residence, designed by Studio MUKA. By drawing inspiration from New York‘s landscape, the two architects utilize lighting strategies, scale and form, simultaneously integrating them with the interiors. Where fantasy meets reality, form meets function and gives shape to harmonious aesthetics and narratives.

architectural practice Studio MUKA uses the impact of memory on architecture through the Montauk Residence

all images courtesy of Studio MUKA

Architectural practice Studio MUKA was founded in Los Angeles, in 2021, by Zabie Mustafa and Neda Kakhsaz. The practice seeks to approach projects with holistic visions that span ground up ground up, residential, retail and hospitality projects based in California and New York. At the heart of this architectural practice’s approach lies a fusion of various disciplines: architecture, interior design, and furniture design. This design philosophy becomes evident in their Montauk Residence, where a dialogue between the history and context permeates the house.

‘The way in which we value historical context and research can be read as a through line in our work. From an intimately scaled interior room to the design of a full ground up private estate, we are always drawing from the material identity of our location,’ begins Studio MUKA.

the architects state that a built environment’s essence is deeply rooted in the memories of the site it occupies

Memory is a subject that we always return to,’ says studio muka

Memory holds a pivotal role in the creation of the Montauk Residence. The architects state that a built environment’s essence is deeply rooted in the memories of the site it occupies. Site research is crucial for this connection, enabling a relationship between place and design. As they craft spaces that evolve with natural light and resonate with material experiences, Studio MUKA envisions the passing of time and the impressions these spaces leave on those who inhabit them.

‘Memory is a subject that we always return to while designing. We believe that the built environment is always rooted in the memory of the specific place we are working in and therefore we take site research very seriously. We also think about how memory functions in the daily rituals of experiencing architecture, whether through the movement of daylight in a space, or the tactile experience of the specific materials in it,’ they continue.

the layering of volumes and the way the forms have been pushed and pulled create spaces that allow both dynamic and soothing lighting conditions

A repetitive roof form, reminiscent of a sail, expresses the design of the Montauk Residence. This dynamic interplay creates spaces illuminated by natural light, creating an almost ethereal quality. The green corrugated concrete walls erupt and as if peeling from the land, while the curved roofs seem to have taken shape in coherence with each other. The architects’ design embraces seasons, transitioning from summer foliage to the contrast of winter’s white hues. Every season reveals some different. 

‘The site is a lush landscape filled with trees that are hundreds of years old. In the summertime, the landscape is extremely green and overgrown. We wanted the form of the building to feel as though it was peeling up from the landscape and mysteriously anchoring itself within the overgrown glory of the site. Of course, we have meticulously placed the building on the site so that the most optimal light flows through the interior spaces,’ expresses studio MUKA.

contrast is revealed in the grand double-height spaces and the more intimate wood-paneled rooms

Lighting as architectural poetry

At the heart of the home and in the central volume lives the kitchen, with views and access to the rear garden and pool. According to the architects, the owners, both writers, are to spend long months in the home, with enough room to host many visitors from friends, to loved ones, to their adult children. The layering of volumes and the way the forms have been pushed and pulled create spaces that allow both dynamic and soothing lighting conditions, coming in from the large windows of one volume to the next.

‘We begin with laying out the interiors in a collage format and fantasizing about the perfect moments from large scale living rooms to intimate built-in nooks for close conversation. We then start to layer colors and textures that relate back to the overall site and part of the project. Since we begin projects in this intuitive way, all elements from the architecture to the interiors begin to merge in harmony as the project develops,’ says the Studio.

the curved roofs seem to have taken shape in coherence with each other

Contrast is revealed all around. Be it the grand double-height spaces or the more intimate wood-paneled rooms, the design process of the practice involves careful constant leaps between intuition and reality. To achieve this, collages, drawings, and plans are used as means for merging concept to function, to create the tangible structures. This approach expresses merely aesthetics, allowing architecture and interiors to organically harmonize into the same narrative.

‘These large clerestory windows project natural light into multiple rooms on the interior through our strategic placement of adjacent programs. The contrast of grand double height spaces filled with light and more intimate spaces with low ceilings and walls wrapped in Hickory wood paneling allows for varied light and scale throughout the building,’ they describe.

walls wrapped in Hickory wood paneling allows for varied light and scale throughout the building

‘the green corrugated concrete walls erupt and as if peeling from the land,’ says Studio MUKA

for the practice, collages, drawings, and plans are the main means for merging fantasy and functionality into tangible structures

Zabie Mustafa (left) and Neda Kakhsaz (right)