Curve Appeal
Curved walls clad in shingles were constructed in some of the early Summer Colony houses in the Hamptons and were also a feature of Newport mansions and the summer houses of prosperous merchants along the New England coast. Curves were not novel—they commonly appeared in Queen Anne style houses—but wrapping them tightly in shingles was new.
Architecture: Curved walls and round porches add a graceful, pliant component to this large shingle home. Bands of horizontal trim and massed windows suggest the bow of a superstar yacht.
Site: In the hills on the north side of Bridgehampton, on 5 acres with pool, poolhouse and separate garage.
The inside word: It has all the frills and conveniences that you would expect and that are now the droit du seigneur of all those crossing the Shinnecock Canal. At least here it is packaged well and the opulence does not overwhelm the nicely proportioned and pleasing structure. Offered at $4.25 million.
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First Neck and Foremost
First Neck Lane was the site of most of the original houses built specifically for summer in Southampton. The mini construction boom started there in about 1879, when the summer population reached about 200 people following the establishment of railroad service from New York City in 1870. Such houses were always called cottages even as they increased in size and value, and that term was in use at least until WW II.
Architecture: The scale is mighty but the forms and shapes are traditional and orderly. Gambrel roofs, dormers, brick chimneys and simple casings all reflect local building history and are polite acknowledgements of the neighborhood.
Site: First Neck Lane in Southampton, on 2 acres with pool, poolhouse, spa and tennis court.
The inside word: Balanced and tasteful, as it should be for the location. When you are on First Neck Lane, if you trifle with tradition there is a price to pay. There is also a different sort of price to pay if you don’t trifle with tradition. In this case, it is $14.950 million.
Uncommon Ground
When houses are king sized anyone can be king, lineage notwithstanding. All it takes really is money and the stamina to get through a marathon party season. If people were judged by size of their homes, we’d have plenty of kings and queens, and not a few dukes, princes, counts and lords. And any commoners? Non-nobles, like a small house in a good neighborhood, would be harder and harder to come by and more and more sought after.
Architecture: Elevations are dissimilar, with varied forms and massing, giving it a bountiful, enthusiastic outlook. The sundry elements play off one another in a pleasing way, divergent and plentiful but certainly not random. The architect took some chances and the result is successful.
Site: Adjacent to the Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, on 4.6 acres.
The inside word: Since the property comprises two separate lots you get a main house and a guest cottage as well as pool and tennis. What is really special to us is the sense of estate living. Like the grand estates of another era, you stroll across the lawn to the pool and tennis court. It’s not too far, but when you get there you find an enchanting little house, just right for some afternoon dalliance.
Play the Field
Do you dream of fields? Much of our farmland is gone, so what remains is all the more precious. A good portion of existing farmland has been protected by zoning, the sale of development rights, or deeded easements, and will remain agricultural. People lucky enough to own homes abutting or close to protected fields are assured of natural light and expansive views.
Architecture: A classic, comfortable, traditional house. There are no grand gestures, but a resolute confidence in what is correct, right down to the simplicity of the details, seems ingrained in this house.
Site: Five acres of open meadow, north of East Hampton Village, with pool.
The inside word: The former potato fields bordering Cedar Street, Long Lane and Route 114 in East Hampton are mostly preserved, some as nurseries, some by non-profit EECO Farm. This house, highly suitable to its surroundings, sits on high ground north of Stephen Hand’s Path and overlooks the protected bit of pastoral countryside. In a way the view is nature as a stage set, but it is far better than looking at a subdivision. Offered at $5.5 million.