Two innovative architects have successfully designed and built an unconventional porch that seamlessly blends indoor comfort with outdoor living, creating a unique architectural feature that challenges traditional home design concepts. Miroslava Brooks and Daniel Markiewicz of FORMA, a bicoastal architecture studio, envisioned their shared retreat in Hillsdale, New York, as a sculptural cube on a hill, but added one distinctive feature that pushes architectural boundaries by blurring the line between interior and exterior spaces.
The ground-floor porch feels both sheltered and open, featuring trapezoidal cutouts that frame spectacular views toward the surrounding hillside. Rather than adding a traditional porch that would compromise the purity of their cubic design, the architects integrated the porch directly into the base of the structure, making it an integral part of the overall geometric form. "We wanted to keep the whole house as a kind of perfect cubic volume, and so the porch was a carve-out of that volume, as opposed to a kind of additive element," explains Markiewicz.
The project began as a dream to build and co-own an efficient, compact cabin but encountered familiar pandemic-era challenges. Construction and sourcing delays significantly reshaped the project, resulting in three complete redesigns and conversations with nearly 40 upstate contractors. After five years of perseverance, the vision finally materialized as a three-bedroom, 1,474-square-foot house built on a 700-square-foot foundation.
The architects strategically oriented the house and the porch's largest opening toward the east to optimize natural light and capture the best views of the hillside landscape. The porch features generous openings on three sides, with floors positioned just barely above ground level and no railings to obstruct sight lines. This design creates clear, unobstructed views of the surroundings while maintaining an intimate atmosphere. "You're outside and you can see everything, but you are also kind of protected," says Markiewicz. "It's like a big wood blanket around you as you're having your coffee."
From the exterior perspective, the partial void created by the porch defines the cubic volume in a striking way. Half of the house sits firmly on the ground, accommodating three bedrooms in a stacked configuration, while the half containing the porch appears to be lifted up on two supporting legs. "The relationship is much more playful, like an animated character sitting on top of a hill," describes Brooks. "The geometry provided these different readings and also different ways of moving into the house."
The porch serves multiple functions simultaneously, acting as a direct connection to nature, elevating the living spaces above for enhanced views, and creating a welcoming entrance to the home. "It was both for entry into the house, like a foyer or part of the procession, but exterior as well," notes Markiewicz. The design successfully achieves what Brooks calls "almost like a 180-degree view" through its large openings on three sides.
Construction began with careful foundation work, designating a space measuring 26 feet by 13 feet and six inches for the porch, with a quarter-inch slope per foot incorporated for proper drainage. The architects employed a strategic approach by leaving the porch area as an open concrete slab until the end of construction to prevent damage from foot traffic. This decision proved beneficial, as the sheltered space allowed contractors to set up a temporary workshop for cutting wood and storing materials during rainy weather.
The porch features distinctive trapezoidal cutouts on three sides that complement the pentagonal windows positioned above. The south and north openings are smaller, measuring nine feet and eight inches wide at the bottom and four feet and six inches at the top. The eastern opening is significantly larger, spanning 19 feet and six inches at the bottom and eight feet and eight inches at the top, perfectly framing the most spectacular view of the landscape.
Material selection played a crucial role in achieving the desired aesthetic and functional goals. Western red cedar planks clad the porch's walls and ceiling, treated with a protective clear coat to maintain the wood's natural appearance. The architects chose to stain the exterior of the house dark gray using Behr's Semitransparent Stain and Sealer in Slate, while leaving the interior of the porch in its natural wood tone to create warmth within the carved-out space.
The construction details reflect careful attention to creating visual continuity throughout the design. Walls and ceilings utilize six-foot-wide, three-quarter-inch-thick boards, with the same dimensions used across the exterior to ensure the porch feels fully integrated rather than like an afterthought or separate addition. The floorboards differ slightly, using five-quarter-inch-by-six-inch premium grade boards, also crafted from Western red cedar. The cedar cladding runs continuously across floors, ceilings, and walls to create a unified wrapping effect.
Upon completion, the porch has provided the architects and their families with exactly the experience they envisioned. "You feel like you're sitting in your living room, but you're outside and you hear the birds—it's very calm and cozy," reflects Brooks. The successful realization of their vision brought a sense of accomplishment after years of challenges. "I think that moment of realization was like, 'Okay, we did a nice job,' and you really appreciate what you did and the struggles that you went through."
