Ithaca Guest House

Ithaca, NY, USA

Photo © James D’Addio

Hotels + Hostels + Guest Houses

Architects: ikon.5 architects

Location: Ithaca, NY, USA
Year: 2013

Set in a bucolic residential neighborhood in Ithaca, New York, the simple zinc-metal and mahogany clad guest house rests upon an existing white-washed pool house foundation. The guest house is nestled across from an elegant whitewashed brick main house, complimented by a steel and wood pergola along its west edge, creating an intimate setting for an outdoor stone-terraced swimming pool court. The guest house cantilevers over the pool house to actively engage the main house while hovering above the existing pool.

The lofty, open plan guest house soars high above a dramatically sloping landscape, enjoying spectacular views of Lake Cayuga and the far hills beyond to the West. The space conveys a sleek modernity, with clean white walls, black honed granite floors, and minimalist amenities that create a captivating environment amid the natural surroundings.

Outside, the guest house wall overlooking the pool court from above is a rhythmic composition of mahogany-framed windows set within a frame of diamond-patterned zinc panels, while the fully fenestrated west end wall and balcony frame vistas to Lake Cayuga. These and a north-facing clerestory result in a space that is bathed with natural daylight.