Accessories Included
There was a time when being on the water had significant practical benefits. Even twenty years ago, breezes cooled most waterfront houses and their inhabitants were cooled by a fresh dip in the bay or pond or ocean in front. It seems quaintly old-fashioned now that central air conditioning and swimming pools have taken over those functions. The water, now more decorative than useful, has become the ultimate home accessory.
Architecture: Interestingly offbeat, this home eschews the currently prevailing neo-traditional shingle style for a distinctive combination of stone, copper, glass and some shingles.
Site: One acre in The Springs section of East Hampton, with bay views and a vanishing edge waterside pool.
The inside word: We like the pleasant departure from standard new house design. The unusual forms and shapes manage to be harmonious. The airy second floor seems right on a secure first floor base, nice for both sun and storms. The price of $3.45 million is also a departure for the area.
Pretty in Paint
Houses reveal themselves in different ways. Some are flirtatious, some assertive. Some require that you make the discoveries. Others, like a good host, appear to make a welcoming and friendly effort. We found this new listing summoning our attention.
Architecture: A simple, classic structure, medium sized, composed of very straightforward elements, but dressed up and ready to strut its stuff with a bold, white columned front gable containing ornamental trim, and varied window sizes.
Site: Northern part of Wainscott, going toward Sag Harbor. Three acres in the woods with a pool and room for tennis.
The inside word: We like the restrained embellishment. Traditional shapes with careful detailing, a lovely sunroom, and plenty of amenities add up to the kind of real estate package now almost constitutionally guaranteed to the young, affluent crowd, at least those ready to indulge with $1.575 million.
North Star
We like to report now and then on the continuing and inexorable spread of the estate areas. They spread initially from the old summer colonies near the ocean to nearby neighborhoods, and then reached out in all directions—as far as money can go. We see it as a typically expensive Hamptons version of the desertification of areas of China and Africa. There it is a force of nature, here a force of human nature.
Architecture: When you have a lot of land you can spread out, and this house does so assertively. A series of basically simple gable structures are connected and intertwined without grand gestures or ornament, but with sensitivity.
Site: Four acres in a hilly part of the Northwest section of East Hampton, with large pool and plenty of landscaping. Out in the woods, but worth the trip.
This inside word: With significant earthwork and stone retaining walls, the builder has created an unusual and pleasing landscape. It all works well with the house design. The broker claims the property sets a new standard for the Northwest Woods, and the price of $3.995 reflects that standard.
Blissful Bridge
Before numerous subdivision roads and sundry driveways opened the fields of Sagaponack to new construction, houses were built only along the three east-west roads and a handful of north-south streets. For the most part, these were farmhouses, then still occupied by the farming families, and modest sized newer houses, often for the sons and daughters of the farmers, and only occasionally for the second home owner.
Architecture: The comfort food of architecture—plain, homey, domestic. Don’t look for excitement, much less drama in the design. The appeal is in the familiar.
Site: Plenty of exuberance here. One acre not far from Sagg Pond with a 35 agricultural reserve stretching to the north.
The inside word: We like the location, the Sagaponack portion of Bridge Lane, west of the bridge. Prices of properties fronting the pond are stratospheric, and anything in the general area should be considered top-flight real estate. We’d happily settle for a plain Jane house on this very desirable street. Offered at $2.2 million.