Project Feature

LaGuardia Design Group restores a coastal bluff overlooking Sag Harbor Bay

LaGuardia Design Group transforms a steep Sag Harbor waterfront by preserving its natural topography, integrating native planting, locally quarried granite, and ecological shoreline restoration into a landscape that feels inseparable from its surroundings.

Set within the wooded waterfront of Sag Harbor Bay in Sag Harbor, New York, LaGuardia Design Group has transformed a steep coastal property by responding to its existing topography instead of reshaping it.

Buildings, outdoor spaces, and shoreline restoration are carefully integrated into the land, preserving the mature Oak and Cedar Forest while strengthening the connection between the home and the bay.

Photography above by Eric Petschek.

The existing landforms guided nearly every decision. Buildings, terraces, walkways, and the pool follow the property’s changing grades, reducing the need for extensive excavation and allowing much of the woodland to remain untouched.

As the ground falls toward the water, each outdoor space is revealed gradually instead of all at once, making the experience of moving through the property feel tied to the terrain itself.

Stone became one of the defining elements of the project.

Every piece of granite was hand-selected from a local New York quarry before being digitally surveyed and modeled, allowing each boulder, retaining wall, and paving element to be positioned before construction began.

The process improved accuracy on site while limiting unnecessary disturbance, and the consistent use of a single granite gives the project a strong sense of continuity.

Movement across the slope is handled with the same level of restraint.

Timber boardwalks connect the terraces while bridging changes in elevation, reducing ground disturbance where traditional paths may have required more extensive grading.

It’s a relatively simple move, but one that allows the topography to remain the organising feature rather than something to overcome.

An almost entirely native planting palette threads between the architecture and surrounding woodland, softening transitions without competing for attention.

Instead of introducing a highly ornamental garden, the planting supports the existing forest and allows the built elements to settle comfortably into their surroundings.

Restoring the waterfront bluff was another important part of the project.

Reclaimed stone from the property reinforces the base of the slope, while coir logs interplanted with native beach grass stabilize the bluff and encourage long-term ecological recovery.

The restoration works quietly in the background, protecting the shoreline while remaining consistent with the overall composition.

The project demonstrates that careful intervention can often achieve more than dramatic transformation. Advanced surveying technology, locally sourced materials, and ecological restoration each play an important role, yet its success comes from how seamlessly these elements work together.

By responding to the existing land rather than attempting to reinvent it, LaGuardia Design Group has created a landscape that feels inseparable from its setting, allowing the woodland, shoreline, and architecture to exist as a unified whole.

Recognized with the 2025 Architizer A+ Jury Award in the Private Garden category, the project reflects an approach in which ecological restoration, material craftsmanship, and respect for the site’s natural character are integrated from the very beginning.

LaGuardia Design Group is an award-winning landscape architecture firm with studios in Water Mill and New York City.

Since 1993, the firm has created landscapes that seamlessly integrate architecture, ecology, and the natural environment, specializing in high-end residential, institutional, hospitality, and commercial projects.

Guided by a commitment to stewardship, craftsmanship, and innovation, LaGuardia Design Group designs enduring landscapes that enrich the way people experience the outdoors.