The house grasping the steep hills of Garrison should seem cold and unfriendly. Most of its walls are almost empty. What furniture there is is spare, with minimal ornamentation and clean, crisp lines.

Even the owners of this weekend residence, who asked that they not be named, offer a somewhat dry summary of the place, one as crisp as the house itself: "Modernism coupled with contemporary style achieved with the use of traditional but not precious materials. Also to maintain simple geometrical structure that would not interfere but rather enhance the magnificent view."

Yet this space is an object lesson in the ability of superlative detail and strongly crafted art to seize the mind's attention and not let go. And while there may be few objects in the house, all of them have been chosen because of their beauty and strengths as works of art, whether they are paintings or furniture.

The cleanness of line and attention to detail has a purpose as well, for it goes beyond the usual fit and finish of a home to a spare precision that has a fierce power of its own, the same way the correct frame can add immensely to a painting's appeal. And the building is more than just a frame for its contents, for what is outside is as important to the structure's aesthetic as what resides within—a gasp-inducing, sky-seizing view that covers a panorama from West Point to Cold Spring and beyond.

Originally the house looked nothing like this. Built in 1994 to a design created by an architectural student, its only truly graceful line was the curve that shapes the south side of its front wall. The building's interior was an awkward jumble of small rooms, its walls a shade of white that managed to be both glaring and dreary at the same time.

This was not intended to be the main house on the property, a 60-acre estate. A much larger, older, and more complex structure stands higher on the hill. But the owners felt it would be easier to start with a smaller structure rather than take on a wholesale revamp of a bigger one.

Some people bring drawings, color samples, and floor layouts to their renovation projects. The property's owners brought something more subtle: a sensibility—an awareness of the appeal and potential of mid-century modern furniture and of the synergistic ways it can interact with contemporary art.

Using their connections as collectors and volunteers in the art world, they found Beacon architect Aryeh Siegel. The assignment they gave him was deceptively simple: recreate an awkward house as a picture frame for their values, art, and the wonderful view it faces. "We explained to Aryeh that we wished to renovate the existing dwelling as well as complete the unfinished parts of the house. Also the house felt somewhat tight, and we asked Aryeh if he could develop a plan that would give us additional space. After that we let him develop his own plan, which turned out to be both clever and stunning," the owner says.

The elegant and restful master bedroom.

"They really just gave me a general program; then, as the design of the overall space developed, we started getting a lot of the details," Siegel says. These details were numerous. Instead of conventional Carrara marble, they asked for ultra-white Thassos marble, the stone of choice for Roman sculptors of antiquity. Light fixtures play a crucial role in setting and maintaining the home's atmosphere. From the slightly off-round globes in the bathroom to the halogen spotlights hanging from a taut crisscross of cables in the walk-in closet, each fixture was chosen to make a statement as well as do a job.