Free Float” is a modest but visually powerful pool cabana in Sands Point, New York, that employs a dramatic cantilevered canopy to meet the homeowner’s requests for the project.  The owners — a family of four — originally set out to build a traditional cabana in the style of their house, but discovered that the restrictions of the neo-traditional aesthetic was preventing it from meeting their goals. They hired The UP Studio to create a modern design that would achieve the unobstructed views and flexibility they desired.

The cabana’s contemporary design allows unobstructed views to the Long Island Sound and the rest of three-acre estate. The cantilevered, column-free canopy enables the flexibility to accommodate many configurations of outdoor furniture in its shade. The building houses a full-service bar on the exterior; a bath, changing room, and storage room on the interior; and an outdoor shower hidden from view.

The composition of dramatic black Belden brick and dark painted steel contrasts a delicate wood trellis and lush landscaping that creeps up into a green wall facing the pool — a mélange of carefully calibrated textures. Outdoor furniture picks up the muted dark tones of the building and lighter wood stain of the trellis.

On the interior, white-washed wallboards align with the exterior brick pattern and, along with a stone-wrapped walnut vanity, creates a simple, clean interior aesthetic. The travertine tile floor continues from indoor to outdoor and surrounds the pool.

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