A Kid-Proofed Hampton Beach House

Tanya Wexler and Amy Zimmerman decided to renovate their 1999 Hampton beach house acquisition in 2005, after the couple became pregnant with their fourth child. They realized that the then 1200-square-foot vacation home could no longer accommodate the controlled chaos that comes with raising four children. The redesign is simple, thoroughly kid-proofed, and employs choice Knoll pieces throughout the refurbished space. 

Photograph by Joao Canziani.

Resolution 4 Architecture, the firm responsible for the renovation, has made a name for themselves by manufacturing modules that can be customized on-site to suit the needs of their clients. They explain the choice of Knoll furniture as wholly consistent with the fundamental principles that governed the design process: "Having been prefabricated by means of mass-customization, the house is analogous to its mid-century furniture in terms of efficiency, both in design and implementation. Elegant, comfortable, and durable, the furniture speaks to the simple principles from which the house was conceived."

Photograph from Knoll Archive

The process of sourcing furniture resulted in the acquisition of a pair of vintage Florence Knoll Parallel Bar Series settees. Their architecturally-derived design originally set out to emulate the exterior structure of Mies van der Rohe's modernist buildings. Thus Florence Knoll, in advocating for the harmonious synthesis of an interior's entire spatial surroundings, succeeded in bringing the structural aesthetic of modern architecture inside.

Photograph by Joao Canziani

And yet the most frequently inhabited piece of furniture in the home is Saarinen's iconic Womb Chair, sequestered in the corner of Zim-Wex's private room. It provides the perfect sun-drenched nook to curl up for a nap, a chat, or just some end-of-day reading. Ergonomic, efficient, and multifunctional, the chair's muted teal upholstery serves the secondary function of distracting from room's intentionally sparse aesthetic. Perhaps the one room in the house that doesn't run the same risk of having a glass of orange juice knocked over, Zim-Wex's bedroom affords the couple a quiet moment of respite from all joys of rearing children. 

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