A Delicate Balance
Building new houses in traditional styles can be trickier than you think. Stick too close to the formulas and you have mere imitation; wander too far and you have dissonance and confusion. We are always pleased when we see a house that achieves the correct balance.
Architecture: While this 7,000 square foot house exhibits many of the familiar and predictable elements of the current neo-shingle style—gambrel roofs, dormers, massed windows, large chimneys—it mostly does so in an interesting and original manner.
Site: Four acres on high ridge in the hills of Bridgehampton, fine ocean and bay views in the distance, tastefully landscaped, with pool and tennis.
The inside word: The house is well matched with its sloping hillside site. Though architect designed, it has a sense of the vernacular about it that makes it a handsome and close relation to the early shingle-style houses of the Hamptons. That is no small achievement, and we admire it. Offered at $3.7 million.
Fashionable Farmhouse
We like the idea of change in the Hamptons—the sociological changes that accompany the weather changes each season of the year, and the changes in community life as we have evolved from a farming and fishing economy to a world-class residential resort.
Architecture: The simple, clean lines of an old farmhouse have an innate harmony and sense of tranquility that is rarely duplicated in newer construction. Don’t look for razzmatazz here. This is for traditionalists who value the past.
Site: On a Sagaponack lane, south of the highway, in an area that was once totally potato farms down to the ocean. The 2.6 acres are now improved with a pool and tennis court.
The inside word: The house is as indigenous to the locale as you get in the Hamptons. By surviving for generations, the house pays homage to our farming traditions while incorporating the up-to-date amenities a buyer with $3.250 million will no doubt look for.
What’s New Is Old
One of the prevailing current fashions in architecture is for old England. Houses with dramatic weeping rooflines, large, elaborate chimneys, and massed paned windows are now being built throughout the Hamptons. Ironically, New England architecture, spared down and austere, has a much older tradition in our area.
Architecture: Traditional New England “added on” look, with several rooflines to suggest a house that has been constructed and expanded over time. At its best this type of design offers a reassuring comfort and great sense of hearth and home. This well built house is offered at $2.250 million.
Site: Good established location in the Devon Colony, north of Amagansett Village with Gardiner’s Bay and the bay beaches nearby. Two acres with pool, gardens and orchard.
The inside word: Location is the key here—a seemingly rural neighborhood near the Devon Yacht Club that has a group of devotees who would not live anyplace else. Being a bit out of the way—you don’t go through here to get to anyplace else—gives it true integrity and, in the process, a bit of snob appeal.
Clever Move
Although the Hamptons are much written about and much discussed, relatively hidden areas still exist. Though hardly cloaked in mystery, these secluded places are worth discovering. You may recognize the names or locations, but the real pleasure of understanding comes with discerning the character of a place.
Architecture: Turn of the twentieth century Victorian style, with several Queen Anne elements, including a turret. The period details are well preserved in this graceful medium-sized house.
Site: Tucked in a charming corner of Water Mill near Mecox Bay in a fine neighborhood with a gratifying balance of homes, farms and water.
The inside word: This is the kind of house that was typically built along village streets—so you may wonder about its location in this farming area. In good Hamptons tradition, it was moved some years ago from the center of Water Mill Village to its present site. Offered at $1.799 million.