The Hamptons are defined by a storied past. As wealthy New Yorkers were drawn to this part of Long Island’s South Fork for the last century and a half, they increasingly built a series of exclusive and luxurious homes. Today, new residences along the coastline are some of the most expensive properties in the United States. As summer homes and vacation getaways, many of these residences are designed as private retreats surrounded by nature.
Homes in the Hamptons have become synonymous with decadence. Popularized through television and film, this string of seaside communities are built around diverse landscapes. Between Long Island’s dense woodlands and sandy beaches, new homes embrace the outdoors and provide space for recreation and relaxation. Close to sea level and surrounded by nature, they are made with new approaches to Long Island design while including ample space for an affluent few.
Hamptons Residence / Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Set among fields along the south-facing coast of Long Island and within a short walk to the ocean, this Hamptons residence is a quiet refuge for a growing family and offers extraordinary views of the surrounding landscape. The residence lies parallel to the water, looking south into preserved agricultural land and north to a field of wildflowers and native grasses.
Peconic House / Mapos
The Peconic House is comprised of a 4,000-square-foot building and 2,000-square-foot terrace. Gently wedged into a hillock just north of the great sycamore and featuring low-slung proportions, the residence is designed to preserve the tree’s sun exposure and original views to Peconic Bay. Its roof is planted with native meadow grasses to camouflage human intervention.
Further Lane Pool House / Robert Young Architects
The goal for this Hamptons pool house was to create a maximum variety of experiences within a relatively small set of indoor and outdoor spaces, all within eyeshot and earshot of each other. Moving through the space reveals a range of dedicated areas: a seating area with fireplace, trellised sections that frame the sky, as well as enclosed areas for storage, a changing room and bathroom.
Northwest Harbor / Bates Masi Architects
Straddling freshwater wetlands and a tidal estuary just six feet above sea level, this house’s site demanded sensitivity to environmental concerns. The house’s basic massing was limited to a one-story, 1,900 square foot design, raised eight feet above the ground. The spaces within this envelope are articulated by a structural system that organizes the home.
Pool House / Robert Young Architects
Building codes in the Hamptons specify that a pool house can only contain 200 square feet of interior space. Here, the interior section — maxing out at exactly 200 square feet, and enclosable by folding doors — was carefully crafted to maximize the space: it contains a kitchenette, bathroom, day bed and chair.
C+S House / AE Superlab
Located at the edge of a heavily wooded 3-acre plot in East Hampton, New York, The C+S house is a complete redesign and renovation of an existing 1970’s era residence and serves as a retreat for the Manhattan based clients; a graphic designer, and an art consultant and curator. Clean lines and minimalist details were chosen to breathe new life into the existing house.
Sagaponack Compound House / Blaze Makoid Architecture
Designed by Blaze Makoid Architecture with interiors by Purvi Padia Design, this 17,000 square foot family compound is located on a flat, four-and-a-half-acre flag lot in the Hamptons with views of Sagg Pond. It was conceived of as a ‘garden wall’ in that the landscape connects agrarian inspired ‘outbuildings.’
Northwest Peach Farm / Bates Masi Architects
This residence is primarily used when the clients’ extended family comes from England for long visits. The design objective was to make unique spaces by providing a range of destinations within the site through diverse scales, functions, and views: from gathering in the expansive living room overlooking the fields of the former peach orchard to reading alone on a shaded bench between the library and the edge of the forest.
