Windsor Road Modern

The 1950s ranch that stood here for seventy years was tired, but the two live oaks out front were not. The architect started with the trees, drew the house around their canopy, and kept the street side quiet: cedar slats at the entry, glass where the light comes in.

Downstairs is one long room: a kitchen with a ten-foot waterfall island and white oak cabinetry, a dining area, and a living room that opens through pocket doors to the back terrace and pool. A floating oak stair leads up to four bedrooms, the primary at the back with a bath in brass and green tile and a balcony into the trees.

This is Tarrytown at its most practical: Casis Elementary on foot, Lake Austin and Reed Park a few minutes away, and downtown nine minutes off on a good morning.