The Architectural Equivalent of a Rewrite: An Elegant 1970s House Update by TBo

The house was a modest modernist proposition set amid open fields and woods in Katonah, one of New York City’s choicest northern hamlets. It went up in 1974, and a decade later, the original architect Walter Pestrak was summoned back to nearly double the size, tacking on bedroom and laundry wings and a porch and terrace. Many years of hard use followed. When architects Bretaigne Walliser and Thom Dalmas appeared on the scene, the 50-year-old property, now belonging to a young family of four, required the architectural equivalent of a fresh draft.

Fortunately, Thom and Bret, a couple who together run TBo, are masters at well-composed revisions (scroll to the end to see their many projects that we’ve featured—and note the way they build cohesion and serenity into all their work).

Reports Bret of the tasks at hand: “Some issues were more immediate: the surrounding greenery was nearly swallowing the house, trees were growing through parts of the roof, and a chain-link fence used for a dog run had a prison-yard feel. Some issues were aesthetic but felt no less dire: the bathrooms and kitchen needed full gut renovations. And the windows, doors, and skylights were falling apart. We also made fundamental layout changes to improve circulation.

All that said, much was worth saving: “The house came with a great California-Sea Ranch/Mission-Style sensibility that beautifully suits the area and its rolling horse pastures.” Join us for a tour of the update, plus a glimpse of the project Before and In Progress.

Photography by Matthew Williams, courtesy of TBo (@tbo_partners).

Above: The house, now cleared of overgrowth and given a softened roof line, “sits more tenderly into the surrounding fields and forests,” says Bret. Scroll to the end to see the structure as it was. Above: The architects preserved the deep eaves on the south façade, which overlooks a meadow. They replaced the roof and all of the windows and re-stuccoed the exterior. Above: The newly open-flow living area has a preserved Douglas fir beamed ceiling ceiling and new oak floor. Above: The original arched chimney breast is newly plastered and open to the surrounding living space. That’s an Alvar Aalto vintage Tank Chair in front of the fire. Above: The 1980s renovation and additional wings had kind of pinned the kitchen into a dark core,” says Bret, noting that they reconfigured the layout to allow easy passage between all the living spaces.

They replaced “white laminate on its last legs” with cabinets of vertical grain Douglas Fir that “feels both well-dressed and relaxed.” The integrated j-pulls, Bret notes “allow the wood to take precedence.”

Above: ‘We looked to materials that would complement the wood ceilings and earthy Saltillo tile and feel at home with the tendencies of the house,” says Bret. A giant new skylight over the island “bathes the space in soft, diffuse light.” The appliances are by Thermador.

Bret says they expanded the tiled area by “feathering in new tiles with old.’ They also replaced damaged areas with new handmade-in-Mexico Saltilllo Tiles from Pyramid Imports of Houston. “We scoured every tile place, and this was the only one that almost exactly matched the vintage examples.”

Above: The kitchen island is framed with Balsaltina, a fine-grained gray Italian volcanic stone sourced from ABC Stone also used on the counters and backsplash. The island is inlaid with McIntones Ceramics tiles in Flannel from Complete Tile. Above: Mutto’s Strand Open Pendant Light hangs over an antique farmhouse table with views from every angle. Above: A Saltillo-tiled mudroom hall leads into the kitchen and media room (which is painted a Benjamin Moore color called Terracotta Tile). Above: The architects clad the primary bath in clear cedar and built a custom cedar enclosure for a Kohlmer bathtub with Waterworks Flyte collection fittings. Above: As part of TBo’s “daylight strategies to better connect interior spaces with the surrounding landscape,” the Balsatina-tiled parents’ bath became one of loveliest spots in the house. Above: An unused attic was transformed into a study with new windows, Douglas Fir-paneled ceiling, and a spiral stair. Above: Rooms pop in and out of the rebuilt bedroom wing (see it in progress below).

Floor Plan

Above: In addition to opening the living areas, TBo’s revisions in their words “softened massing, expanded glazing, and carefully framed views.”

Pestrak, the original architect, died in 2024, but Bret tells us their clients inherited a tube filled with blueprints and drawings.”It’s always an incredible experience to look through documents charting the original design process—and to see some of the meandering paths taken before arriving at the finished ideas.”

Before and In Progress

Above: The house came with “very steep shed roofs that were popular in the 1970s, but felt a little out of step with the landscape,” says Bret. “We worked with an engineer to reframe the rooflines and soften the massing.” Above: The living room had been divided from the kitchen and dining area.

Above: The bedroom wing was entirely “reorganized” to contain two kids’ bedrooms, a playroom, and the primary bath. Above: In dark corners, TBo inserted light wells and tubes. This one frames a skylight tube that illuminates the kid’s playroom.