Sumptuous Rooms with a View
Do you remember when people actually made compromises in buying homes, deciding what was more or less important and what they could afford? It seems a quaint notion now in an era when no luxury is overlooked and no price is daunting.
Architecture: A handsome blend of time-honored forms in the shingle-style “cottage” tradition. Paneling, coffered ceilings, arches, wainscoting, fireplaces, balconies and diamond-paned windows—all add up to a wealth of custom detailing.
Site: A well landscaped two-acre lot on Two Mile Hollow Road with some ocean views, as well as pool, spa and tennis court.
The inside word: It’s a lot of house, a lot of sumptuous living space, but no less than what you would expect when you are spending $8,500,000 in the estate area of East Hampton.
Island Hopping
Small private islands evoke all sorts of wonderful images, most of them (at least based on a quick survey of my peers) alluring and romantic, if not downright quixotic. It’s not your everyday Hamptons real estate but there is a real island for sale.
Architecture: The sweet little cottage on the property is not the lure of this $3,500,000 listing.
Site: Three acres, close to nature and near the entrance to Three Mile Harbor, in a protected spot surrounded by water. It’s not exactly getting away from it all, but it’s not moving to Maine either.
The inside word: Evocative of boating and fishing traditions of the Springs area, reminiscent of a simpler time when one’s pleasures were closer to the land and the sea and the homestead, this island is probably unique in the Hamptons.
Forgetting the Past
The evolution of Sam’s Creek from a pristine estuary where we used to dig for shellfish to a manicured neighborhood of expensive weekend homes could be a paradigm of life in the Hamptons. No longer close to nature, the tradeoff is that we have interesting homes and interesting people.
Architecture: A long shingled house with a rhythmic pattern of columns. We like the fact that it is not assertive about its age or style.
Site: Fronting on Sam’s Creek, the 2 ½ acres easily accommodate the house, pool, tennis court and a dock.
The inside word: It’s a top Bridgehampton location, but one that has turned its back on its heritage as a farming community to look more like a wealthy suburb. A mixed blessing for some and heaven for others. Offered at $3,975,000.
A Home for the Very but Not Vastly Rich
Only the vastly rich can now afford to buy on the ocean, but very rich can still be close enough to toss on their flip flops and stroll to the beach. We recently visited this Sagaponack property with a deeded ocean access.
Architecture: This house was built in the Postmodernist style so popular a few years ago. It’s a nice casual home that happily avoided some but not all of the excesses we now associate with that trend.
Site: Situated three properties back, but reasonably close to the ocean; you can see the surf from the second story windows.
The inside word: It’s the sort of place where you send the kids to beach, invite friends over for tennis and kick back and relax. Nothing pretentious here, just a good family house, priced at $3,995,000.