Design firm: Out of Line
Project name: Swoop ADU
Location: South Orange, New Jersey, United States
Dimensions: 70 square meters
In an established residential neighbourhood of a small town in New Jersey, Out of Line studio has designed an "Accessory Dwelling Unit"(ADU), a type of living space that is becoming increasingly common in the US real estate landscape: an annexe to the main house designed to accommodate an independent family unit, whilst maintaining proximity to the original dwelling. Adjacent to the existing building, the new volume takes on a playful and vaguely postmodern character, featuring archetypal shapes, portholes and decorative elements. The design reinterprets the family home’s most distinctive feature: a clear horizontal dividing line (both in terms of material and colour) between the lower and upper parts of the façade, which the project prolongs into the new structure and transforms into a design element articulated through curves, transitions and drapes. From the corner entrance—carved into the building’s mass and marked by a gabled profile reminiscent of the neighbourhood’s roofs—the line continues into the interiors, running through walls, furnishings and details, like a narrative thread connecting the spaces, from the full-height living room overlooking the garden to the private rooms.
In New Jersey, Out of Line has reinterpreted the traditional annexe in a postmodern style
Swoop ADU was designed as an extension to a family home, building upon its most distinctive feature: a horizontal line that runs across the façade, forming a continuous element that links the exterior, interior, and furnishings.
View Article details
- La redazione di Domus
- 25 June 2026
- South Orange, New Jersey, USA
- Out of Line
- 70 sqm
- residential
- 2025
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
Photo Rafael Gamo
site plan
ground floor plan
section
axonometry
concept
axonometry