Not Garden Variety.
Can you call a collection of flowers and shrubs hip and innovative? After all, isn’t it just a variation on nature? Can you call a home that grew organically with multifarious and eclectic elements pioneering and leading edge? Even if there is no single guiding design principle? We are so used to thematic organization, certain looks and predictable forms that departures from the mainstream of real estate can be unsettling.
Architecture: Modern forms encompassing rich materials—stone, metalwork, rare woods—give this house an unexpected and lively quality. What began as a quite conventional modern house has, with lavish renovations and additions, morphed into a veritable compendium of progressive taste.
Site: One acre in Georgica, densely planted with trees, shrubs and flowers. The current owner writes on gardening and the property frequently appears on garden tours. The pool, sequestered in a green space, has the feeling of a sanctuary.
The inside word: Definitely not a commonplace property for a run-of-the-mill buyer. The myriad of unusual, often hand crafted details, combined with a heavyweight art collection, keeps the eye constantly engaged. The East Hampton home seems destined for a buyer with refined and forward-looking tastes, and with $2.450 million.
Horse Trading
In Kentucky, five acres would not be considered a horse farm. But this is the Hamptons, where land does not come cheaply and labels bestow status. So to have a barn, some equine residents, and to call your property a horse farm definitely gives you some bragging rights. We think it would be heaven to get up in the morning and ride around the paddock, and who needs all that pasture anyway?
Architecture: The house seems suited to the property. Wide porches, dormers, traditional windows and country house detailing all relate to the semi-rural setting. The design is right for the context without seeming like an imposed theme.
Site: If the five acres were in the midst of a developed neighborhood it would seem an anomaly, but with reserve and horse farms in the adjacent area, even a small farm feels special. A simple and pleasant 6-stall barn seems right.
The inside word: Amagansett has always had its country-like aspect, but what was genuinely rural at one time is by necessity a bit manufactured today, and priced accordingly. The creators of this property have done the job with taste and restraint.
Offered at $2.650 million.
Winning Bluff
We were asking real estate professionals what the market is really like and what the rest of us should really know. Acceptable answers must not include the company line, or the overly practiced, overly optimistic sound bite. Most agents were hesitant to name a single favorite property, but one agent was quite decisive and pointed to this
Montauk oceanfront estate.
Architecture: The original house dates from the 1930s. With additions and modifications, it has grown into a large comfortable beach cottage that is correct for its site. Houses like this have a distinction that no totally designed new house can match.
Site: It’s a rare and beautiful location: on a bluff, with 100 feet of sand beach, plus an additional acre that can be built on.
The inside word: This is an impressive house with lots of bedrooms and splendid views. Current buyers will probably want to glitz it up a bit. The question is, after spending $12 million, should you put in more money? Given the history of oceanfront properties, the answer is, why not?
Southampton Sophisticate
Only the exorbitantly wealthy can now afford to buy on the ocean in the estate areas, but you only have to be immensely rich to be close enough to toss on your flip flops and stroll to the beach. We recently visited this Southampton property quite close to the ocean.
Architecture: Mediterranean influenced architecture from the 1920s. It’s lavish but somewhat more restrained than if someone were trying to do it (or overdo it) today.
Site: One acre with house plus two-bedroom guest cottage and pool, in Southampton, right where you want to be.
The inside word: This is a fine small estate, pretty and polished, somewhat laid back, but with lots of style. There is something inherently gracious about estate houses from the 20s, a well-bred urbane quality that we like. Cocktails by the pool and all that. Offered at $3.8 million.