House on a Hill | FORMA

This home is a creative response to real-world constraints—a blend of idealism, pragmatism, and design ingenuity shaped by pandemic-era realities – reflecting broader shifts in how Americans are thinking about space, location, and lifestyle in a post-COVID world.
FORMA

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Background Story

This home is a creative response to real-world constraints—a blend of idealism, pragmatism, and design ingenuity shaped by pandemic-era realities. It’s a story of first-time homebuilding that reflects broader shifts in how Americans are thinking about space, location, and lifestyle in a post-COVID world.

In the middle of the pandemic, Miroslava Brooks and Daniel Markiewicz – longtime friends, architects and business partners heading the architecture firm FORMA – pooled their resources and purchased a 9-acre, mostly-wooded, empty lot in Hillsdale, two hours north of New York City. What began as a simple idea to build a weekend home during the pandemic turned into a five-year odyssey of design, determination, and reinvention for the two architects. Longtime city renters—Ms. Brooks in Stamford, CT, and Mr. Markiewicz in Brooklyn—they were both craving access to nature and reevaluating their living situations amid lockdowns. Their shared vision eventually led them to co-design and construct a uniquely configured modern home with expansive views in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Originally envisioning a 2,700-square-foot two-story home, they were quickly confronted by skyrocketing pandemic-era construction costs and labor shortages. After approximately two years of complete redesign that included two entirely different houses, two sets of construction documents and conversations with no less than thirty-five upstate contractors, they finally arrived at a design and a construction team that could realize their vision. 

They ultimately developed a 3-bedroom, 3-bath home with a double-height living/dining space cleverly positioned on the second floor to maximize light and views, all sitting atop a compact 700-square-foot footprint. The vertical layout and minimized foundation drastically cut costs without sacrificing livability or aesthetics. 

Two children and two cross-country moves later, the house that began as a pandemic dream finally became a reality. As life evolved—Mr. Markiewicz relocating to Philadelphia with his family, and Ms. Brooks expanding their firm’s reach to the West Coast with a move to Los Angeles—they made the decision to sell the home. Their goal: to carry forward the insights and hard-earned lessons from this deeply personal project into future self-initiated builds in their new cities.

Location:  Hillsdale, New York

Type:  Residential, Single-Family Ground-Up House

Status:  Completed in spring 2025

Scale: 1,474 SF (3 bed, 3 bath)

Photography: Devon Banks

Photographer’s Website: www.devonbanksphotography.com
Instagram: @devonbanksphoto