Exclusive | 189 Further Lane, East Hampton
East Hampton: Secluded Showplace, $21.5 Million
A shingle-style house on 3.2 meticulously groomed acres just a short stroll from the pristine surf at Two Mile Hollow Beach in East Hampton Village is poised to enter the market at $21.5 million. Camouflaged by a berm with mature plantings, the two-story house sits on a bluff and is invisible from the road; its rooftop deck, dominated by a whimsical oversize cedar bench nicknamed “the Giant Lifeguard’s Chair,” has captivating views of the Atlantic Ocean.
The 7,400-square-foot residence at 189 Further Lane was completed in 2004. The annual taxes on the property, which includes a landscaped pool with a summer kitchen, terraced Asian gardens, a hot tub grotto and a hidden outdoor tennis court, are $65,698.81.
Framed by banks of rhododendrons, azaleas and evergreen shrubs, and guarded by an automated wrought-iron gate, the winding driveway follows a gentle upward slope to a detached three-car garage. Partway up the drive, the greenery is interrupted by a smaller wooden gate opening to a walking path that provides a shortcut to the beach.
The elegant house has five bedrooms, five full baths and three half-baths. It was designed by Dennis Wedlick of BarlisWedlick Architects; the landscape architect was Craig Socia, whose knack for unusual water features and sylvan nooks is evident throughout the property. A previous house was torn down except for the basement footprint; that space now contains a catering kitchen, the main laundry room and a media room with the screen mounted above the original fieldstone fireplace.
The house faces north toward its elaborate assemblage of perennial gardens, stone walls and Asian-inspired cabana. The tennis court is sequestered at the northwest corner of the lot and reached by a floating cedar bridge with twig railings, another architectural amuse-bouche.
The front door is curved walnut; every principal room has outdoor access. The capacious 38-by-20-foot kitchen has black granite counters, walnut cabinetry, a Yangtze limestone fireplace, a built-in bar and a breakfast area with a north-facing picture window. French doors on the south side open onto the backyard and a sunken hot tub grotto.
A south-facing screened porch runs the 36-foot-length of the formal living/dining/entertaining room, and two of the three-bedroom suites on the second story have south-facing balconies, the better to hear the pounding of the waves at night. All five bedrooms have en-suite baths, and there are two staircases. The main staircase connects the entertainment and bedroom levels; for the owners’ convenience, a back stairway links the master suite to the kitchen and the so-called winter living room/den downstairs as well as the roof deck.
There are two potential master suites on the second floor. The 27-by-16-foot corner suite has a windowed walk-in closet and a raised sitting area that opens to a balcony. Its en-suite 16-by-11-foot marble bath has a two-person stainless-steel soaking tub, a glassed-in steam shower and a separate rainfall shower, both with river stone floors. The alternative master suite has a sitting room, a ceramic tile bathroom in beach-glass hues and a private balcony.
The sellers are Peter Wilson, a retired partner of the law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Scott Sanders, an interior designer who recently designed the model apartment for the Printing House, a city landmark. They used the property year-round as a second home. Mr. Wilson, who grew up in Taiwan and favors Asian-inspired design, bought the property in 2002. Mr. Sanders joined the domicile in 2006, and began putting his imprimatur on the interior décor. Bailey, a miniature dachshund, came aboard two years ago and inspired the dog-shaped doorbell.
“I’ve always had an affinity for Asian tea pagodas,” Mr. Wilson said, referring to the design of the poolside cabana/gym. “And I loved the idea of having a tennis court but not having to look at it all the time.” Same goes for the pool: the richly textured shrubbery, colorful year-round, largely obscures it from view.
The couple are selling their home because, using the same architectural team, they have decided to build a slightly smaller house elsewhere in East Hampton.
“It will be bittersweet to leave, but we already told Dennis that we’re taking the kitchen and porch and living room with us,” Mr. Wilson said. “We love the process, so the thought of creating our own house together is pretty exciting.”
The co-listing brokers are Patricia Wadzinski and Ed Petrie of Sotheby’s International Realty and Michael Schultz of the Corcoran Group.
“It’s rare to find a home of this caliber that immediately causes you to relax and unwind,” Ms. Wadzinski said. “There’s an immediate sense of tranquility and warmth that says you’re home.”
Copyright © 2014 The New York Times Company. Reprinted with Permission. Gordon M. Grant/The New York Times.