Hamptons August 2023

The Place You’ve Circled the Globe to Find

Live on the world’s most private island. Estate-style homes on Fisher Island’s pristine shoreline, steps from the Spa Internazionale, racquet club, and award-winning golf course. The Residences’ unprecedented amenities and white-glove service set a new standard, with five-star dining, resort-style pools, and a waterfront lounge. It’s the pinnacle of coastal living, minutes from Miami but a world away.

FOUNDER | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SARAH G. HARRELSON

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

TALI JAFFE MINOR

CREATIVE PRODUCER

REBECCA AARON

ART DIRECTORS

SARA PENA, ALEXANDER WOLF

SENIOR EDITORS

MARGARET CARRIGAN

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ELLA MARTIN-GACHOT

COPY EDITORS

ELIZABETH GALL

JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR

HANNAH TACHER

INTERNS

ISABELLA BARADARAN

CAROLINE BOMBACK

AMELIA STONE

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

CARL KIESEL

PUBLISHER

LORI WARRINER

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After returning to Los Angeles after a restorative and invigorating week in the Hamptons celebrating our first edition, my team and I immediately set our sights on this issue. Much like the first, which was dedicated to the diverse ecosystem of artists who live and work out East, CULTURED’s late-summer Hamptons edition takes the region’s vibrant design community as its focus, with our guest editor, the indomitable Kelly Behun, as its guide. Kelly’s boundless energy is rare, and it was a privilege to watch my friend take on this role with such gusto. The artisans, architects, and designers whose stories she has brought to these pages represent the breadth of creativity fueled by the region’s magical landscape.

In the issue, we visit with Jules de Balincourt in his East Hampton studio, and with Pat Steir, who I have long admired for her work’s tenacity, and who has assembled a group show at Hauser & Wirth in August. We also have an exciting contribution from my friend Bruce Weber, who has been making pilgrimages to Montauk since the 1970s. Bruce curated a portfolio of sumptuous photographs from his personal archives for this issue, revealing his carefully documented love affair with the East End and its legendary residents, including his friends John Currin, Rachel Feinstein, and Julian Schnabel. Bruce’s contribution, like the issue as a whole, offers an intimate portrait of the seaside haven’s artistic legacy.

Thank you Kelly for lending your enviable taste and unerring eye to this issue. See you out East!

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14

COASTAL COOL

Hidden Gem’s founders Tanya Willock and Temidra Willock-Morsch have become known for a textured aesthetic influenced by their Hamptons upbringing and Caribbean heritage.

16

IT’S A SUMMER THING

Catch up on all the new shops, pop-up eateries, and seasonal retailers in town for an ephemeral summer run.

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INSIDER TRADING

We asked 11 East End experts to share their personal cheat sheets for making the most of the summer.

22

MORE THAN JUST MODERNISM

Among the East End’s leading architects, Blaze Makoid, Christopher Coy, and James Merrell draw from the legacy of modernism to create wholly contemporary homes designed to commune with their natural surroundings.

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ALL ABOUT THE BEATS

A chance high school encounter led to the creative collaboration Boys Are Rolling. A few years later, the young music producers are working with artists like Joey Bada$$, JID, and 070 Shake.

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A PERENNIAL FAVORITE

Edmund Hollander has countless projects under his belt but, as he shares with Linda Lee, his work is never done.

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CULTURE CALENDAR

Highlights from the Hamptons art season, from Southampton to Montauk.

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FAR OUT ON THE ISLAND

Bruce Weber digs into his archive and recalls some of his favorite stories of friendship and fun on the East End’s furthest shore.

38 COLLECTOR QUESTIONNAIRE

Twenty years ago, a George Condo watercolor launched Erica Samuels’s collection—and her career.

40 IN THE STUDIO

Jules de Balincourt has had a busy summer in East Hampton preparing for a major solo exhibition at Pace this fall.

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THE GOOD FIGHT

Jeremy Dennis, Founder of Ma’s House, and Jess Frost, the Director of the Arts Center at Duck Creek, run nonprofit cultural spaces on the East End that are dedicated to bridging divides through art.

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LIGHT MINDED

Meet nine creatives—designers, artists, songwriters and image makers—who have one thing in common: a desire to create in the Hamptons.

Kelly Behun, this issue’s guest editor, at her Southampton home. Photography by Garrett Bruce.

Sarah Harrelson and Kinga Lampert (left), and Harrelson with Sheree Hovsepian at CULTURED’s Hamptons June/July issue launch party in partnership with Alexander McQueen at Onna House. Photography by Andrew Tess.

From left: Sophie Elgort, Miles and Arno Sugarman, an image captured by Bruce Weber at the Morrissey estate in Montauk, and Zanele Muholi, Kusile 111, 2002 Cartwright, Cape Town, 2019.

Coastal Cool

SINCE LAUNCHING THEIR SOUTHAMPTON HOME-DECOR SHOP HIDDEN GEM FOUR YEARS AGO, SISTERS TANYA WILLOCK AND TEMIDRA WILLOCK-MORSCH HAVE BECOME KNOWN FOR A TEXTURED AESTHETIC INFLUENCED BY THEIR HAMPTONS UPBRINGING AND CARIBBEAN HERITAGE.

PORTRAIT

BY GARRETT BRUCE

INSPIRED BY MEMORIES of watching their Antiguan grandmother sell her crafts in the backyard, Hamptons-born sisters Tanya Willock and Temidra Willock-Morsch realized they too could run a small business to share their own work while supporting other makers. Hidden Gem, their homeware-andlifestyle boutique, quickly became a Hamptons go-to for eclectic goods by local and international artists. What was your inspiration for Hidden Gem?

Temidra Willock-Morsch: We were between careers and struggling to get our work into shops and galleries. That’s when we had the idea of starting our own shop.

Tanya Willock: We really wanted to create a space where we could showcase our work and creativity, as well as those of other artists from around the world. What is something that catches the eye of a lot of shoppers?

Willock-Morsch: Our custom resin-coated surfboards, which we make ourselves. People often think that the surfboards are made from marble because of the technique we use. How do you source the items you carry?

Willock-Morsch: It’s less joyful for me when I’m specifically looking for items to carry in the store, as opposed to unexpectedly coming across a cool artist. For example, I found a really amazing ceramicist in Greece when I was on my honeymoon, and eventually we were able to work together to get some beautiful ceramic pieces into the shop.

You each have your own creative background and practices: Tanya, photography, drawing, and painting; Temidra, fashion and textiles. What does your creative process look like?

Willock: I make the best work whenever I just feel it. I’ll get a random wave of inspiration and want to find my camera, paint, or dye right away, before the feeling fades. I find that I can see colors and patterns differently than other people do, and I think that helps me to create combinations that work effortlessly. It’s funny, because my artistic style is very different from my design style. When I’m creating a piece of artwork or taking a photo, I’m very thoughtful, controlled, and precise; but when it comes to interior design, it’s the more the merrier.

Willock-Morsch: I am very much inspired by my memories and life experience. I love to create motifs that are literal, but I create a pattern with them that makes it abstract. Most of my work is done digitally, but from time to time I will hand-draw patterns. How has the store changed or evolved since opening in 2019?

Willock: We have definitely leaned more into our own aesthetic. At the start we were still playing it safe in keeping some “Hamptonsy” colors and solids. Now we are more confident in our style and we do whatever we want. People love it. We now do tablescaping and events for all sorts of clients.

Willock-Morsch: I agree. As I like to say, “The people who get it, get it.”

Proof of Concept

FOR A NEW SHOW AT HAUSER & WIRTH, PAINTER PAT STEIR PAIRS TOGETHER ARTISTS WHO ARE ASKING THE SAME CONCEPTUAL QUESTIONS ACROSS DECADES OF DIFFERENCES.

BY MARGARET CARRIGAN

PAT STEIR has influenced generations of artists over her 60-year career. And multiple generations of artists are exactly who she is bringing together for “Two Pieces in the Shape of a Pear” at Hauser & Wirth’s Southampton outpost.

Pairing work by Cindy Sherman and Mickalene Thomas, Rita Ackermann and Avery Singer, Mary Heilmann and Martha Tuttle, and Rashid Johnson and herself, Steir creates a visual dialogue exploring questions that are central to her artmaking. “Does all art, no matter the medium, express the moment in culture when it’s made?” the octogenarian asks.

Steir is perhaps best known for her “Waterfall” paintings, which are a testament to her ability to marry abstraction and conceptualism—a trait that’s shared among the artists she has included in the show. “Curating this exhibition, I asked questions I have pursued for the last 40 years, beginning with The Brueghel Series (A Vanitas of Style),” Steir says, citing the work that propelled her to fame in the mid-1980s. For The Brueghel Series, she divided a reproduction of a Dutch still life by Jan Brueghel the Elder into a grid, painting each section in the style of a different artist. “Then I compared styles, not to each other but to the time in which they existed,” she says. “Now by pairing individual responses to similar conditions and subjects, variations on what is the same—or different—between the artists’ sensibilities and approaches come into view.”

The show, on view from August 5 through September 30, also nods toward the East End’s ongoing artistic legacy, with a number of the artists claiming the Hamptons as home, and others, like Steir, who have spent extensive time working out East. “I have been visiting the area since the ’80s,” she says. “After some time, the light off the water informs everything one does.”

Tanya Willock and Temidra Willock-Morsch at their store, Hidden Gem.

Pat Steir

Outstanding in the Field’s al fresco feast at Fireplace Farm in 2021

IT’S A SUMMER THING

CATCH UP ON ALL THE NEW SHOPS, POP-UP EATERIES, AND SEASONAL RETAILERS THAT ARE HERE FOR AN EPHEMERAL SUMMER RUN, PLUS A FEW OTHER HIGHLIGHTS ON OUR HAMPTONS RADAR.

 Outstanding in the Field Outstanding in the Field, the celebrated nomadic dining event hosted annually at scenic locales around the globe, comes to East Hampton’s Fireplace Farm this September for two al fresco dinners prepared by acclaimed Hamptons chefs. On September 9, the team behind Bridgehampton’s Elaia Estiatorio will offer a Greek-inspired feast. The following day, Jason Weiner, executive chef and co-owner of Almond Restaurant in Bridgehampton—and a veteran Outstanding guest chef—will offer a sumptuous seasonal menu.

2 Hog Creek Lane, East Hampton

Buttero Italian Steakhouse

The Dopo famiglia extends its roots with Buttero Italian Steakhouse in East Hampton. The Norman Jaffe–designed space has a lush private garden, multiple bars inside and out, and an oversize fireplace for cozy date nights— which would only be complete with a 38-ounce Porterhouse for two.

 Montauk Yacht Club

Storied properties are having a moment in the Hamptons this season, and among the establishments receiving a new lease on life is the Montauk Yacht Club. The 35-acre property—which includes tennis and pickleball courts, a private beach, several restaurants, and the largest marina in the Hamptons—is the perfect perch to take in the East End’s cultural offerings.

32 Star Island Road, Montauk

Montauk Yacht Club’s iconic lighthouse

 Orlebar Brown

Is summer even summer without Orlebar Brown? The brand’s East Hampton boutique beckons with the bright colors and bold patterns of its latest Flights of Fantasy collection. And while perusing new renditions of the Bulldog shorts and Ridley shirts, take note that many of these looks are carbon-balanced.

55 Newtown Lane, East Hampton

Swim shorts from the Flights of Fantasy collection

Isabel Marant

French fashion house Isabel Marant recently opened its first East End outpost, bringing a little extra je ne sais quoi to Newtown Lane. The boutique carries the women’s core collection, Isabel Marant Étoile, as well as jewelry and accessories artfully displayed among custom furniture, planters, and podiums.

66 Newtown Lane, East Hampton

 Gucci

Gucci’s East Hampton boutique is the only store in the country to carry exclusive pieces from the Vault Summer collection with Agua by Agua Bendita, including beachwear and hand-embroidered dresses. The Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura has also arrived East this summer for a collaboration with Sant Ambroeus. Available exclusively in the Hamptons, you can take home the Milanese confetteria’s signature puffed Ventaglio al Caffé cookie in a special tin adorned with archival Gucci motifs.

17 Newtown Lane, East Hampton

31 Race Lane, East Hampton

 Prada

Your quintessential summer wardrobe starts with a fresh interpretation of Prada’s wildly popular Symbole bag. Arriving in a bold geometric colorway punctuated by the iconic triangle logo, the embroidered Hibiscus Symbole tote is the perfect companion to the season. It’s available with a personalized tag available exclusively at the newly re-opened East Hampton store, which also houses capsule collections and exclusive products in its ivory-and-blue striped space. 2 Newtown Lane, East Hampton

The Prada boutique

Marni & Maison Margiela

Cameron Silver’s fashion residency at Sage & Madison continues with a series of weekly pop-up shops in Sag Harbor. From July 24 to 30, a curated selection of Maison Margiela’s Co-ed23 collection, as well as clothing, accessories, and shoes from its Signature White—including handbags in a Colorama color palette— will take center stage. Next month Marni arrives, showcasing its collaboration with lifestyle brand No Vacancy Inn. Running from August 16 to September 4, the capsule will feature alongside a Marni Market lineup and pieces from the Italian house’s Pre-Fall 2023 collection.

Loewe

If you’ve been obsessing over Jonathan Anderson’s playful Pre-Fall collection for Loewe, head to its brand-new East Hampton boutique, which opens August 1. The Main Street space will showcase furniture and objets d’art such as Utrecht chairs upholstered in vibrant fabrics, and a Surrealist artwork by Laia Arqueros made in collaboration with Loewe in 2021. A full range of ready-to-wear, accessories, jewelry, home fragrance and of course its beloved bags—including a new Puzzle tote—will be available at the boutique.

20 Main Street, East Hampton

Lingua Franca

Known for its sustainably-sourced hand-stitched cashmere sweaters, Lingua Franca returns to Montauk’s beachfront boutique hotel the Crow’s Nest this summer with a continuation of its specialty Montauk line, which includes striped tees, beach totes, and Crow’s Nest–branded sweatshirts.

31 Madison Street, Sag Harbor

4 Old West Lake Drive, Montauk 

PHOTO

Looks from Marni x No Vacancy Inn collection

Prada embroidered Hibiscus Symbole tote

Loewe Puzzle tote bag

Gucci wide-brim raffia hat

THE WELL Bay Harbor Islands is more than a high-end home. It’s 400,000 square feet of spaces and services surrounded by tranquil beauty to help you live a healthier, balanced everyday—It’s fresh-pressed juice at your doorstep, a weekly massage in your living room, yoga on the terrace, workouts in your private gym, a breakthrough session with your nutritionist, restored sleep, new meditation practices, fitness in body, mind and spirit—your home for personal wellness.

EXCLUSIVE SALES BY DOUGLAS ELLIMAN DEVELOPMENT MARKETING

This project is being developed by 1177 Bay Harbor Islands LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Developer”), which has a limited right to use the trademarked names and logos of Terra and THE WELL. Any and all statements, disclosures and/or representations shall be deemed made by Developer and not by Terra or THE WELL, and you agree to look solely to Developer (and not to Terra, THE WELL or any of their affiliates) with respect to any and all matters relating to the marketing and/or development of the project. The Terra and THE WELL groups of companies are each comprised of several separate companies that are legally distinct. Reference to Terra and THE WELL is merely for convenience and should not be relied upon for any other purposes. Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating the representations of the developer. For correct representations, make reference to this brochure and to the documents required by section 718.503, Florida statutes, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee. These materials are not intended to be an offer to sell, or solicitation to buy a unit in the condominium. Such an offering shall only be made pursuant to the prospectus (offering circular) for the condominium and no statements should be relied upon unless made in the prospectus or

INSIDER TR ADING

WE ASKED 11 EAST END EXPERTS TO SHARE THEIR SUMMER MUSTS. READ ON FOR AN UNOFFICIAL CHEAT SHEET TO MAKING THE MOST OF THE SUMMER .

PETER MARINO ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER, SOUTHAMPTON

You spent three years restoring and renovating the former Rogers Memorial Library for the Peter Marino Art Foundation. Are there any other iconic East End buildings or sites you admire?

Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse Reserve, Dia Bridgehampton by Dan Flavin, the Southampton African American Museum, and Guild Hall. Do you collect anything because it has a special connection to the Hamptons?

Works by de Kooning, Betty Parsons, Julian Schnabel, and Peter Dayton. During the summer, where can you most often be found at your estate?

On the tennis court!

What (or who) are your cultural touchstones here?

Rashid Johnson, Sanford Biggers, Ronald Lauder, and piano concerts at the Southampton Cultural Center.

Which East End art shows are topping your list this summer?

Harry Benson at the Southampton Arts Center; Tony Cokes at Dia Bridgehampton. How does your personal rhythm change when out East?

Tennis, swimming, and barbecues— cannot do this in town!

What’s your greatest seasonal indulgence while in the Hamptons?

Riding my motorcycle to Montauk, working in the rose garden, picking fruit from the vast orchard, and gathering honey from my beehives.

Even after years of living here, what continues to delight you about the area? The beauty of the landscape, the sound of the waves, and the fresh produce. What is the best way to wear leather in the heat? Sleeveless.

MÓNICA RAMÍREZ-MONTAGUT

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, PARRISH ART MUSEUM, SAG HARBOR

What are your favorite Parrish Art Museum events of the season?

The 125th anniversary celebrations, including the “Artists Choose Parrish” exhibition and our Summer Family Party in late August.

Do you have a favorite place to take a pause at the museum?

I love the museum’s built-in outdoor seating with the view toward our meadow.

What other cultural venues are you planning to explore this summer?

The Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center and the Madoo Conservancy. Walking in LongHouse Reserve’s gardens.

Have any local figures played a significant role in shaping your career?

Puerto Rican artist Tony Bechara has been an incredible mentor since I arrived here. If you could live in the Hamptons during another period of time, when would it be and why?

In the 1980s, before the hyper high-end development started.

What’s your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

Fried chicken at Armin & Judy, and George’s Ranch at Estia’s Little Kitchen.

Favorite local artist studio visit?

Bastienne Schmidt and Philippe Cheng.

How do you hope to see the community in the Hamptons change?

The most critical local matter is affordable housing; it impacts everyone. We need to come together, get informed and educated, and discuss feasible solutions.

GEORGE WELLS FOUNDER, WELLS GROUP OF NEW YORK, AMAGANSETT

Best way to spend a summer evening?

Hosting at home. There’s nothing quite like gathering close friends and loved ones for an evening of connection, conversation, and shared experiences.

What are your cultural touchstones in the Hamptons?

I’m on the board of the Parrish Art Museum, which is such a significant cultural institution in the Hamptons. The First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton has a predominantly Black congregation. Pastor Tisha Dixon-Williams is known for delivering inspiring sermons; it’s a must-visit for those seeking a spiritual experience or a sense of community.

Any favorite markets or local grocers?

Doubles has Caribbean-inspired food, including roti, fried-chicken sandwiches, plantains, and more. It’s pure bliss. Round Swamp Farm is where rustic charm meets fresh seafood and heavenly baked goods. Amber Waves, where food and community unite, is a great place to pick up prepared foods made by local culinary experts.

“THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE GATHERING CLOSE FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES FOR AN EVENING OF CONNECTION, CONVERSATION, AND SHARED EXPERIENCES.”

— GEORGE WELLS

Peter Marino

Mónica RamírezMontagut

George Wells

PHOTOS BY MANOLO YLLERA (MARINO); JENNY GORMAN (RAMIREZ-MONTAGUT); NIR ARIELI (WELLS)

TRIPOLI PATTERSON

FOUNDER OF TRIPOLI GALLERY, WAINSCOTT

Describe an early Hamptons memory that brings you great joy.

So many memories are associated with the summer, even though I experienced all the seasons growing up in Sag Harbor. As a kid, going to the beach with barely any clothes on, dragging a cooler with us and stopping at a farm stand on the way, running back and forth between my mom and the waves.

As a surf champion, how has the sport shaped your life as an art dealer?

I learned how to surf before I learned how to swim. I think I’ve carried that with me in my professional life: Just put yourself in the middle of something and figure out how to survive.

What are your favorite surf spots?

This year it’s Ditch Plains Beach. I used to surf there on longboards when I was 8 years old.

You hosted your first art show in the Hamptons when you were just 20 years old. What prompted you to open a gallery here?

This is my home, and I want to

contribute to the history of this place and support the artists who make it their home, too.

How has the Hamptons art scene changed over the past few years?

It has definitely changed a lot since the pandemic; a lot of bigger galleries in the city followed their collector bases when they left the city. Some might stay; some might not. I want the galleries that want to stay here to think of the history of this place, not just the wealthy people who live here but also the Indigenous people and creators, the artists and writers, the open-minded, creative people who made it the place that it is.

What kind of art shows do you wish you’d see more of in the Hamptons?

More shows that are influenced by the creators rather than the consumers. I also love the idea of long exhibitions, because so many shows leave so quickly.

How do you hope to see the community in the Hamptons change?

People get so much enjoyment out of being out East in the summer, but they also need to support year-round businesses here and be conscious of the entirety of the Hamptons population—the farmers, the fishermen in Montauk, the artists who live here full-time. It’s important to leave a place better than you found it.

FRÉDÉRIC MALLE PERFUME PUBLISHER, HAMPTON BAYS

Where do you turn for inspiration for your scents?

First I work with artists who compose perfumes, and it’s an inspiration that I’m sharing with them or that they are sharing with me. Inspiration can come from anything—nature, a fragment of nature, a nice-smelling object that we encounter in our everyday life, perfume classics (like classical art for contemporary artists). There is no one source of inspiration but many. Best scent notes for summer?

I think scents dress you, like a garment dresses you, and as much as you have garments that are too warm for the summer or too cold for the winter, the same applies to fragrances. I tend to choose very light perfumes for hot summer days, like our Cologne Bigarade, for instance, or a very energizing perfume like Geranium pour Monsieur. But come nighttime you can dial up into white flowers like Carnal Flower, En Passant, or Lys Mediterranee, all these white flowers that are so sensuous and apropos for a summer night. What sounds, colors, or smells do you most strongly associate with the Hamptons?

When I think of the Hamptons, I think of nature and the beach and being outside. I have Rosa rugosa by the water, which is one of my favorite smells. I actually made a home scent from this, and I suppose this is the smell that I associate with Long Island.

Which local cultural venues are you planning to explore this summer?

When I go to Long Island, I’m not in a cultural mode. I may stop by the Parrish Art Museum or the Peter Marino Art Foundation. But Long Island, to me, is all about sports, water, reading, and family.

What’s your favorite Hamptons beach?

The beach down by my house in Hampton Bays. But I also walk at Gin Beach quite a lot, along a track.

Who or what is your cultural touchstone in the Hamptons?

It’s people in my private life, and to be honest, this is something that I keep private. Polite French people don’t name-drop!

What is your theory on the best time to leave and return to the city?

This is a key question. As always in life, it’s about going against the trend. I leave late on Sunday night and come in during the weekday, quite late as well.

“I THINK SCENTS DRESS YOU, LIKE A GARMENT DRESSES YOU.”

Tripoli Patterson

Frédéric Malle

WILLIAM NORWICH EDITOR AND NOVELIST, EAST QUOGUE

What sounds, colors, or smells do you most strongly associate with the Hamptons?

The bracing ocean air and roar of the sea; the sand itself, which is always dancing, moving, shifting, reconfiguring itself; the golden sparkle of a late sunset; brave, beautiful blue cornflowers along the roads despite the speeding weekenders driving their sports cars like a Daytona racer hurrying to a Prada sample sale; herons feeding from ponds and inlets; a full moon rising.

If you could interview anyone of East End fame, who would it be?

The artist Fairfield Porter, who died in Southampton in 1975. The Parrish Art

ARTHUR GOLABEK

FLORAL DESIGNER, SAG HARBOR

Museum has some wonderful Porter works on view.

Which cultural events are flagged on your calendar this summer?

Author readings at the independent booksellers on the East End. Also, anytime the jazz composer and bassist Iris Ornig is playing, I try to go. And the “Brunch with Bob” Colacello series at the Peter Marino Art Foundation.

Is there a Hamptons story that you’ve written or edited that you regard fondly?

There was a story I wrote for Vogue about a pizza party Yvonne Force Villareal gave on the North Fork about 12 years ago that I will always remember. She was the first person I knew who hired Rolling in Dough, the mobile wood-burning pizza oven —housed in a 1943 International Harvester truck. It was so delicious and so much fun.

What’s on your summer reading list?

I just finished working on a beautiful book that Phaidon Press will publish in September, Linda Evangelista

Photographed by Steven Meisel, and I’m hoping to finish a novel I’ve been working on. What I am rereading actually, as I’ve taken up gardening, or at least trying to assist my partner in the dirt, is Becoming a Gardener by Catie Marron.

What’s your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

An honest answer? After a long ride on the Hampton Ambassador, the Impossible Whopper with cheese, french fries, and a chocolate shake at the Burger King in Southampton. It’s a delicious vegan cheat meal that combines taste and expediency without the high-decibel rosé-fueled frivolity of the fancier watering holes.

“I LOVE GETTING FLOWERS FROM LOCAL FARMS AND FORAGING, IF THERE’S EVER TIME AND ENERGY FOR IT.”

— ARTHUR GOLABEK

Describe your ideal summer floral arrangement.

A relaxed mix of local wispy and delicate flowers and grasses.

What sounds, colors, or smells do you most strongly associate with the Hamptons?

Sounds of the woods. Color would be green, of course! And the smell of the ocean, always.

From a botanical perspective, what sets the East End apart?

The fact that the ocean is just minutes away from the wild woods, right next to perfectly groomed hedges.

Do you have a go-to source for flowers when in the Hamptons?

I love getting flowers from local farms and foraging, if there’s ever time and energy for it.

JOEY WÖLFFER

CO-OWNER & CHIEF BRAND OFFICER, WÖLFFER ESTATE; FOUNDER, JOEY WÖLFFER, SAG HARBOR

Describe an early Hamptons memory that brings you great joy. Riding on Gibson Beach with my mom and dad as a little girl!

Which new cultural venues are you planning to explore this summer?

My go-to cultural venues are the Parrish Art Museum and Guild Hall. I am so happy that Guild Hall has reopened.

Besides your own shop, Joey Wölffer, what are a few of your favorite local boutiques?

I love Leallo for basics, Stella and Ruby for my kids, Lazypoint Variety for beautiful fine jewelry and vintage homewares, Love Adorned for gifts, and Knockout Beauty for the best beauty.

Have any local figures played a significant role in shaping your career?

My father was a pioneer in the Hamptons. He had a vision for the winery that was way ahead of its time. I am constantly inspired by his ability to take risks and stand up to the naysayers.

How do you hope to see the community in the Hamptons change?

I hope that people realize the importance of affordable housing. We are in a major hiring crisis across all businesses in the Hamptons. People cannot afford to live and work here.

What sounds, colors, or smells do you most strongly associate with the Hamptons?

The light in the Hamptons is unlike anywhere I have ever been in the world. The color is a beautiful burnt orange with shades of fuchsia. The smell is fresh grass, and the sound is birds singing and crickets!

What inspired your collaboration with Zimmermann?

It was important for us to work with a brand that had the right synergy. We are one of the first wine companies to do a collaboration with a fashion brand, and I love marrying both my worlds!

“THE LIGHT IN THE HAMPTONS IS UNLIKE ANYWHERE I HAVE EVER BEEN IN THE WORLD.”

— JOEY WÖLFFER

PHOTO BY PAT KEPIC (NORWICH); WIL WEISS (GOLABEK); COURTESY OF WÖLFFER ESTATE (WÖLFFER)

William Norwich

Arthur Golabek

Joey Wölffer

JOE NAHEM

DESIGN PRINCIPAL, FOX-NAHEM ASSOCIATES, AMAGANSETT

Name a couple of your favorite projects you’ve worked on in the Hamptons.

I worked on a turn-of-the-century windmill house for Robert and Susan Downey. It was a unique and challenging project and a treat to work with both of them. We went on to work on their Malibu home, too. When did you know you wanted to become a designer?

The first time my parents left on a vacation and came home to find that I had completely “redecorated” our living and dining rooms.

Can you offer one piece of design advice that you live by?

Learn never to say never.

What are your cultural touchstones in the Hamptons?

The Atlantic Double Dunes Preserve. How does your personal rhythm change when in the Hamptons?

Regardless of how busy I am here, everything goes a little slower. It sounds cliché, but just breathing the air out East impacts my routine. I feel lucky every day.

What’s your top seasonal indulgence? Corn, watermelon, and all local produce.

What’s your number one packing essential for heading out East?

A good audiobook for the ride and one of the dogs we are currently fostering. What is your theory on the best time to leave and return to the city?

When Blade has a flight available. What positive change have you recently seen in your community?

Increased diversity. Many Latino families are now a part of the East End community, and I have seen their children grow up here. So many of these young people have gone on to be successful and made their parents—and community—proud.

LEE MINDEL ARCHITECT, SOUTHAMPTON

Any young or emerging design talent who’s captured your attention?

Fitzhugh Karol, a local sculptor whose large-scale metal abstractions interact so sensitively with landscape.

Most recent book added to your design library?

Architecture Unbound: A Century of the Disruptive Avant-Garde, written by Joseph Giovannini and published by Rizzoli. In his 800-page opus, he details the emergence of a new architecture movement beginning in 1983 through the present.

Which local philanthropic organizations do you champion?

Peconic Land Trust, the Long Island Center for Conservation, the Parrish Art Museum, the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Guild Hall, Dan Flavin Art Institute, the PollockKrasner House and Study Center, Bideawee, and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

What’s one of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on out East?

The two projects that come to mind are creating a compound on 48 acres that border the ocean and pond while keeping the scale low-key and sensitive to the agrarian context. And perhaps a more difficult challenge was building my own home.

How has the local landscape affected your own work?

Whether it’s a horse meadow, seagrass, orchards, a beach, magnificent light, or the flora and fauna, I’ve become more keenly aware of the natural.

STEPHANIE NASS CHEF AND FOUNDER, CHEFANIE, EAST HAMPTON

What are a few tried-and-true at-home entertaining hacks that we should commit to memory?

Keep your pantry stocked with nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, cheese straws, and cookie mix in case of unexpected guests.

The first thing that guests see when they arrive at your home is a drinks tray, so make it wow! Cocktail napkins are an automatic conversation piece, and make sure to offer a plethora of spirits.

Everything tastes better on a beautiful plate, so never stop collecting china.

What’s your favorite farmers market or local grocer?

The Saturday Farmers’ Market at Ashawagh Hall.

What’s your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant?

I love the spaghetti pomodoro at Scarpetta—plus the ocean view there can’t be beat.

What’s your greatest summer culinary indulgence each year?

Raw corn enjoyed straight out of the husk at the peak of corn season.

Lee Mindel

Joe Nahem

Stephanie Nass

More Than Just Modernism

BY JESSICA KLINGELFUSS

AMONG THE EAST END’S LEADING ARCHITECTS, CHRISTOPHER COY , BLAZE MAKOID , AND JAMES MERRELL DRAW FROM THE LEGACY OF MODERNISM TO CREATE WHOLLY CONTEMPORARY HOMES THAT ARE DESIGNED TO COMMUNE WITH THEIR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.

CHRISTOPHER COY

BARNES COY ARCHITECTS, BRIDGEHAMPTON

For Christopher Coy, architecture begins with the site. “Everywhere you look out here, there’s the ocean, fields, hedges—that’s what it is to be here,” he says. “I use transparency in architecture to bring the natural colors of the landscape inside the house.” Over the past 30 years, the Bridgehampton-based firm he founded with his longtime friend and work partner, the late Rob Barnes, has developed a reputation for tranquil domestic oases with a modernist flair and an emphasis on light and beauty.

“Modernism is my approach, not as a style but as a guide through the process of design, and it encourages a reinvention of architecture for each project,” Coy explains. “The different sites in the Hamptons favor design that references not historical precedence but the site itself.” The architect harnesses his intimate East End knowledge for each project—he grew up summering in the area before becoming a full-time resident in the early 1990s.

To wit, Coy invites nature into his designs either visually—by virtue of the site’s surroundings—or physically, through the strategic use of glass and natural materials like wood and stone. “I have to balance both natural and zoning constraints,” he says. “The responsibility of design is that it be beautiful and useful; the intention is to create space that encourages well-being.”

BLAZE MAKOID

BMA ARCHITECTS, BRIDGEHAMPTON

Since its founding in Bridgehampton in 2001, Blaze Makoid’s firm has been a family affair of sorts—he recalls bringing his young daughter with him to project sites on Saturdays, where “she would occupy herself by building things out of the scrap wood lying around.” Over the years, BMA Architects has become known for its sleek “legacy project” homes, which are designed to endure for generations, and the firm’s popularity has prompted the addition of offices in Miami, Lake Tahoe, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Makoid’s architecture philosophy is guided by three principles: that designs are highly personal to each client, that they support social connections, and that each home is made to be lived in, “with all the messiness and chaos that entails,” he says.

The high expectations of his discerning Hamptons clientele have encouraged Makoid’s firm to take on “great creative opportunities that far exceed almost anywhere else we’ve worked,” he says. Naturally, the local landscape has been influential. “It’s hard not to be affected by the water. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling a certain calmness that its presence quietly instills.” Jack Lenor Larsen’s LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton is a frequent touchstone for him, as much for the grounds as the late textile designer’s life-as-art ethos.

Since the pandemic, Makoid says, the East End has seen many families permanently relocate from the city and invest in the region long-term—a trend he hopes will continue. “We’re also starting to see more progress in developing workforce housing, which is desperately needed,” he adds.

JAMES MERRELL

JAMES MERRELL ARCHITECTS, SAG HARBOR

“The Hamptons has been a laboratory for innovation in residential architecture for over a century, thanks to our proximity to the creative hub of Manhattan,” says James Merrell, founder of his eponymous practice. Since 1988 the firm has championed exactly that— innovation—with forward-thinking residential projects throughout the East End.

Merrell’s designs are undeniably cutting-edge. “We don’t begin our design process with any particular style or fashion in mind,” he explains. “If you can put a style to one of our houses by the end of a project, then I feel we have failed … because when people can name a thing as ‘modern’ or ‘traditional,’ they stop seeing what is unique about it.”

His favorite type of client is a “reflective” one, because “an innovative design process requires reflection.” Merrell says, “Clients who truly engage in the design conversation will be changed by that process. Every choice they face requires them to think about how they live, or want to live, and essentially who they are—and that makes it an adventure.”

“The Hamptons has been a laboratory for innovation in residential architecture for over a century.” —James Merrell

ALL ABOUT THE BEATS

A FEW YEARS AGO, “THE BOYS ARE ROLLING” WAS JUST A CHANT HEARD IN THE HALLS OF NEW YORK CITY’S CALHOUN SCHOOL, WHERE BROTHERS MILES AND ARNO SUGARMAN MET CROSBY SPAGNOLI. THE TRIO BEGAN COLLABORATING ON BEATS, AND NOW SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN HIP-HOP—JOEY BADA$$, JID, AND 070 SHAKE—ARE CALLING ON THE PRODUCERS TO BRING THEIR MUSIC TO LIFE. HERE, THE BROTHERS SHARE HOW A MUSIC THEORY CLASS LED TO THEIR CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP, BOYS ARE ROLLING.

BY MIRA KAPLAN PORTRAIT BY GARRETT BRUCE

How did Boys Are Rolling come to be?

Miles Sugarman: I took a music theory class with Crosby Spagnoli in high school. As I was getting closer with him, I realized he was making beats on his computer. At the time I knew no one else our age doing that besides my brother, Arno, so I had to introduce them. They hit it off so quickly, and Boys Are Rolling started a few months later.

What does the name mean?

Miles: Crosby played hockey for a bunch of years, and it was a term you would say to pump up the team. He would just say “the boys are rolling” all the time. At one point everyone in our high school was saying it.

I like to steer away from genre, but it does help to situate music. What genres and artists influence your sound?

Miles: We grew up listening to many different types of music, whether it was our parents playing Jimi Hendrix, the

Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers...50 Cent, Biggie, jazz records. Music never was just one genre.

Arno Sugarman: What really got me into producing was 808 Mafia’s early work with artists like Future and Young Thug.

How does your upbringing influence the musical cultures you gravitated toward?

Arno: We have so much pride for our city—the three of us were born and raised in Manhattan—so we want to tie New York into as much of what we are doing as possible.

Tell us about your production process.

Miles: If I want to describe it to a friend or parent, I say, “Everything that isn’t the

“MUSIC AND FASHION GO HAND IN HAND. IT’S A COMPLETE PICTURE.”

— MILES SUGARMAN

vocal from the artist is what the producer does.” It’s the instrumentation that doesn’t have to do with vocals.

Describe the interplay between music and fashion—I see you each share a lot of “drippy” posts.

Miles: Music and fashion go hand in hand. It’s a complete picture. When people walk through the door of our studio, I love to see what they’re wearing. It’s an open door into who this person is in a way they probably couldn’t describe themselves, at least not as easily.

Fashion can speak a thousand words.

How do you build a song?

Miles: When we have an artist over, we love to get to know them for the first hour. We’ll ask them what they’ve been listening to recently, go through their playlists, and have them plug in to the speakers. Sometimes that just brings out inspiration that the artist didn’t even know they were looking for.

Arno: The creation of songs really varies from artist to artist. Many of the trap acts we work with like to come to the studio and hear beats we’ve been working on for them and select from that batch to record on. Usually once the recording is done, aside from a few minor tweaks in post-recording, the song is pretty much complete. On more long-term projects, like the upcoming Joey Bada$$ album, many of those records start out the same way, but much more editing happens in post-recording.

Who is your music community?

Arno: It all started when we turned my bedroom into a real recording studio. We worked with a few innovative artists making waves in the revitalized SoundCloud scene, and word spread in the underground about the unique vibe we were creating. That opened the door to work with many talented artists who have also become friends.

Brothers Arno, left, and Miles Sugarman in the dunes outside their family’s Southampton home.

AH OUTDOOR SERIES

BY ALFRED HOMANN

ALFRED HOMANN | The AH Outdoor Series features a rigorous aesthetic paired with Homann’s sense of soft shapes – as evidenced in the beautifully curved armrests, backrests, and seats, where the braces elegantly grip the frame. All the tables and chairs can be stacked for ease of storage when not in use, exemplifying Homann’s attention to detail and understanding of form and function. All chairs and lounges have optional cushions.

Outdoor Dining Chair, teak, untreated, AH501 without armrest, $495 and AH502 with armrest, $615 | AH501S Cushion, Agora Life Oat 1760, $95 | AH501B Cushion, Agora Life Oat 1760, $45 | AH902 Outdoor Dining Table, 98.5x100 cm teak, untreated, $1,295 | AH701 Outdoor Lounge Sofa, teak, untreated, $1,495 | CU AH701S Seat Cushion, Agora Life Oat 1760, $225 | CU AH701B Back Cushion, Agora Life Oat 1760, $190

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CARLHANSEN.COM

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A Perennial Favorite

EDMUND HOLLANDER HAS COUNTLESS PROJECTS UNDER HIS BELT, BUT, AS HE SHARES WITH LINDA LEE, HIS WORK IS NEVER DONE—AND HE DOESN’T MIND THAT AT ALL.

A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT’S relationship with a client doesn’t end when the last perennial is plopped into the ground. “You get invited back,” says Edmund Hollander, head of Hollander Design Landscape Architects of New York and Chicago. “Landscapes keep growing.”

He and his staff often rethink projects. “I say, ‘What did we do wrong? What can we do better?’” What old variety of plant has been discovered? What should have been moved, even by a yard? “Every project, 400 houses. We’ve never been perfect yet,” he says. “If I finally get it right, I can retire.”

Hollander, 68, is self-deprecating. His firm of 30 associates does landscapes as far away as Hong Kong and as large as terraces surrounding a building at Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. But Hollander and his wife, a musicologist, have lived in Sag Harbor for 30 years, and his heart lies in the Hamptons.

For a new project with the architect Peter Pennoyer, Pondside, Hollander planted Russian sage near the pool. Russian sage is a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plant that deer and rabbits won’t touch. Its blue-lavender blossoms attract bees and butterflies, as do those of nepeta, or catmint, also planted on the grounds.

Hollander understands that dogs pee on trees, and kids trample plants. Fine with him.

Gardens are places of play and enchantment. They are meant to be lived in, not looked at. Native plants, used with no fertilizer and requiring little water, are best.

“Ed is serious and fun at the same time,” says Pennoyer, who worked with him not only on Pondside but also on the renovated Guild Hall, East Hampton’s revered arts center, which reopened in July with a lawn and gardens by Hollander.

Andrea Grover, the executive director of Guild Hall, practically coos about Hollander’s new lawn, which replaced thirsty bluegrass with two kinds of fescues, native-adaptive grasses. “They are soft, downy, little hills of grass,” Grover says. He used similar native grasses when he did pro bono work on the 1.25-acre John Steinbeck Waterfront Park, which reopened in Sag Harbor in May. He added a naturalistic amphitheater, an improved boardwalk, and a small sandy beach.

Will people be allowed to wade in the water? “People are allowed to do whatever they want in Sag Harbor,” he says. Not so with pools at private homes. By law pools must be fenced. Hollander runs stainless steel fences in wave-like formations, or around small hills like a renegade Christo and Jeanne-Claude. “The fence swoops and meanders and becomes elegant,” he says. “I still have fun every day.”

You believe him.

PHOTO BY NEIL LANDINO; COURTESY HOLLANDER DESIGN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS

A crape myrtle allée at Pondside, a new residential project Edmund Hollander worked on with architect Peter Pennoyer in East Hampton.

SIX SHOWS TO SEE

Beat the heat with a visit to some of the East End’s coolest art spaces. From Tony Cokes’s Billboard on Highway 27 to rare snapshots inside Lee Krasner’s studio, here are our top shows to see through September and beyond.

BY MARGARET CARRIGAN

DIA, BRIDGEHAMPTON

Known for his light- and text-based works that play on politics, mass media, and identity, Tony Cokes’s sprawling installation takes Dia Bridgehampton’s history as a former firehouse and Baptist church as its starting point. The artist projects texts from Dia’s archive on the walls of the first floor, awash in fluorescent colors reminiscent of the permanent Dan Flavin work installed upstairs. Cokes has also commandeered two 61-foot-tall electronic Billboards, operated by the Shinnecock Indian Nation, both of which will broadcast his bright but oblique political missives intermittently throughout the exhibition. “Tony Cokes” will be on view through May 2024 at Dia Bridgehampton.

HALSEY McKAY GALLERY, EAST HAMPTON

David Kennedy Cutler may be locally remembered for his 2018 show “Off Season,” an installation and durational performance work in which he lived in Halsey McKay Gallery during the winter

months. The artist will return to the gallery in August, at the height of this year’s summer season, for a joint multimedia exhibition with IvorianAmerican artist Monsieur Zohore, who, like Cutler, is known for playful yet incisive critiques of social media and pop culture. Come September the vibe mellows, as Martha Tuttle’s tactile, minimalist paintings—crafted out of hand-dyed fabrics and tenderly stitched together into simple geometric forms— will usher in the welcome hush of fall.

“David Kennedy Cutler and Monsieru Zohore” will be on view from August 5 through August 30, 2023, and “Martha Tuttle”will be on view from September 2 through October 16, 2023, both at Halsey McKay Gallery in East Hampton.

POLLOCK-KRASNER HOUSE AND STUDY CENTER, EAST HAMPTON

In 1969, Mark Patiky took the only known photographs of the inimitable Abstract Expressionist Lee Krasner working on a painting in her studio. That painting was Portrait in Green, and it’s the centerpiece of this small but beautiful exhibition. The standout moments of the show—which includes related gouaches and other works on paper, also from 1969—are undoubtedly the candid color photographs of Krasner in the process of painting in her groundbreaking gestural style, which Patiky donated to the Pollock Krasner House in 2003. The painting is on loan from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, courtesy of Kasmin Gallery.

“Lee Krasner: Portrait in Green” will be on view from August 3 through October 29, 2023 at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in East Hampton.

OUT THE SUMMER

HARPER’S, EAST HAMPTON

Sometimes the East End summer feels like a fever dream—a hot and hazy escape from the mundane that is as fleeting as it is fun. Once back to the daily grind of the city, summer can feel like it may not have happened at all. That sense of vibrant, ephemeral delirium is exactly what Harper’s latest group show feels like. “Poetics of Falsification” features works by seven rising-star female artists known for their flair for the fantastic. Hyegyeong Choi paints psychedelically Edenic landscapes filled with exuberant, plump bodies that defy rigid standards of beauty, while Michele Fletcher fashions an ambiguous, floating femininity with her fluid paintings of flora. Ji Woo Kim fabricates memories from family photos, blurring the line between reminiscence and fantasy. With additional works by Cece Philips, Chloe West, Anastasia Komar, and Lumin Wakoa, the show begs the question, What is real and what is imagined?

“Poetics of Falsification” will be on view from August 19 through September 13, 2023 at Harper’s in East Hampton.

TRIPOLI GALLERY, WAINSCOTT

Featuring works by nine women artists including Sally Egbert, April Gornik, Mary Heilmann, and Pat Steir, “American History” considers the historical weight of the East End art community through a contemporary, all-female lens. To cap off the season, “A Magical Day at Ditch,” curated by Katherine Bernhardt, channels the best of the beach with works by Katherine Bradford, Jerry Wilkerson, and Deborah Caton, among others.

“American History” will be on view through August 14, 2023, and “A Magical Day at Ditch” will be on view from August 18 through September 18, 2023, both at Tripoli Gallery in Wainscott.

SOUTHAMPTON ARTS CENTER

Featuring dozens of works on loan from the illustrious collections of Jane Holzer, Pamela Joyner, Christine Mack, Lisa Perry, Holly Peterson, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Neda Young, and the late Emily Fisher Landau, “Change Agents: Women Collectors Shaping the Art World” shines a spotlight on how a groundbreaking generation of women collectors are reshaping art history, from DeWoody’s dedication to showing under-recognized artists to Joyner’s label as “activist collector” for her focus on political works by Black artists.

“Change Agents: Women Pioneers Shaping the Art World” will be on view from July 22 through September 30, 2023 at Southampton Arts Center.

Tony Cokes, Installation view, Dia Bridgehampton, 2023.

David Kennedy Cutler, Ensemble (Study), 2023.

Zanele Muholi, Kusile 111, 2002 Cartwright, Cape Town, 2019.

Katherine Bradford, Swimmers Walking in Surf, 2023.

Hyegyeong Choi, Dead Fountain 2023.

Mark Patiky, Lee Krasner at Work on Portrait in Green, 1969.

FAR OUT on the

FAR OUT on the

I FEEL FUNNY WRITING ABOUT A PLACE THAT was once so secretive, but Montauk has changed enough that I think it’s okay to share some stories of the early days.

The first time I visited Montauk was in the early 1970s. I’d been invited out by Bob Bear and Peter Schub, two agents who represented many great photographers, including Irving Penn, Lord Snowden, and Peter Beard. Bear and Schub were funny guys, completely immersed in the high-powered photo scene that existed in New York at the time, and I was just a square kid getting his start. Their house was extraordinary; their next-door neighbor was Edward Albee. Years later a big piece of property they owned on the beach would be purchased by the government and turned into Shadmoor State Park.

That first day we drove to Paul Morrissey and Andy Warhol’s house. The landscape was shockingly beautiful of course, but the house had quite a mysterious quality. It was once a fishing camp owned by the Church family, and I could almost feel the ghosts of past visitors welcoming me. Lee Radziwill was renting it from Morrissey at the time. She walked into the living room fresh from an ocean swim, her hair all wet and with sandy feet, wearing a bikini. She looked so extraordinarily beautiful, like she had stepped out of a Slim Aarons photograph. Peter Beard was on the floor with all the photographs he’d taken on the Rolling Stones’ recent “Exile on Main Street” tour. He and Lee were wonderful together, so intimate. Bea Feitler was also there. She was the talented art director who had just left Harper’s Bazaar to start Ms. magazine with Gloria Steinem. Andy wasn’t there. He didn’t go to the house much after Halston rented it, so it was mostly Morrissey’s place. Back then, Montauk was filled with eccentric, passionate people. It felt that day as if I’d fallen into the most glamorous bohemian dream imaginable.

Years later my wife Nan and I decided that we wanted to be in Montauk for the summer, and by that point we knew a number of people who had rented Morrissey’s house. I hadn’t yet met him personally, though when I first lived in New York, we had many friends in common, Candy Darling most notably. Nan and I first rented the house in the summer of 2000, and we fell in love with its bare-bones simplicity. We never had keys; the door was always open. The small house to the right was perfectly situated. It looked out over a field in the back and big rocks along the coast, and it had a long, uninterrupted view of the beach with its huge waves. Nan and I were just starting to work on a film that became A Letter to True, and this house became the most perfect, private place to tell a story like that—the dogs could run all over, the water was right there, and the light was always cinematic.

Even then Montauk had an unfinished quality. There weren’t too many stores. The charming old cinema was still there. One of my funniest memories is going with my pals Ingrid Sischy and Sandra Brandt to catch a matinee of Snakes on a Plane. Ingrid had a habit of talking through every movie. There was only one other person in the theater, and he was sitting right in front of us. He finally turned around and asked her to quiet down—it was Paul Simon, enjoying a Snickers bar.

When Morrissey finally sold the house, many of us in town were crying about it. My friends and I had hoped that we might each one day buy one of the little buildings on the compound and live there together, like summer camp. But Paul wanted all of it to go to one person. After the sale the surfers lost their easy right-of-way to the beach. Montauk back then was a playground for adults and children—and adults who behaved like children.

Tai and True at the Morrissey estate at sunset, Montauk, 2002.

I met Peter Beard in New York City. He was living in a car in front of Lexington Labs, downtown, and used its bulletin board as his personal diary. He would hold court with all the admiring photographers, like me, and tell stories about his adventures, which would distract us from our work. Peter was extremely charming. One time C.Z. Guest said to me with a wink, “You know that Peter Beard—he doesn’t wear anything under the sarong!”

When Nan and I rented the Morrissey estate, Peter would come over all the time. He’d call me occasionally and say, “I’ve met a wonderful girl in town and she’d love nothing more than to come meet your dogs.” I always said, “Sure.” But any women who stopped by with him could have cared less about my dogs—they only had eyes for Peter.

I did a story for Italian Vogue with Minnie Cushing at Morrissey’s house. Minnie had been a society darling—Foxcroft, apprentice to Oscar de la Renta—a real beauty with a mane of chestnut hair and a wild streak. She used to ride a motorcycle and surf off the beach in front of her family’s house in Newport, Rhode Island.

Minnie and Peter met and fell in love. At their wedding in Newport, arguably the most glamorous of all time in America, the couple broke away from their guests and walked out to the cliff. “Let’s jump in,” dared Peter. Minnie went first, but then Peter stayed on land, laughing and looking better than ever.

When Minnie came to the house to do the Vogue sitting with me, she invited Peter to come along. He put together a collage of all the photos he’d taken on their honeymoon safari. It was pretty extraordinary.

When it came to his work, Peter was the most generous photographer I have ever met. If you mentioned a photo of his that you had seen and liked—and if he liked you—then there was a good chance it would show up in your mailbox a couple of days later, hand-inscribed like the Francis Bacon one seen here. If the photo was from his time in Africa, then the signature would be written in his blood. I took his generosity as a good model of how to be a photographer. Peter was like the old sage of Montauk but with the heart of a child. I really miss seeing him out there.

Clockwise from above: Peter Beard and Zara, Montauk, 1989; Beard, Montauk, 2005; Francis Bacon by Peter Beard with the inscription “Special Delivery to Bruce from next door, Driftwood Cove, July 14, 2002;” Beard, Montauk, 1989.

Julian Schnabel is my next-door neighbor in Montauk. For years I’ve photographed him and his family as it has grown, and I’ve taken special joy in seeing his children find success as artists and gallerists and filmmakers and actors in their own right. We’ve had so many great times together. The photograph below, showing Julian’s father, Jack, was taken with the great surfer Herbie Fletcher (at left) and his sons, Nathan and Christian, at Morrissey’s house. When we were renting it, Nan and I would wake up in the morning to let out the dogs, and Julian would often be strolling across the lawn with some surfer friends, off to check the waves. He’s always reminded me of Cy Twombly in the way he puts together his homes with such care and elegance but in a very relaxed way.

Clockwise from top: Julian Schnabel and Shooter at home, Montauk, 2019; Schnabel, 1989; (from left) Herbie Fletcher, Nathan Fletcher, Jack Schnabel, Julian Schnabel, Christian Fletcher, Montauk, 2003.

As a young photographer, I grew accustomed to seeing lots of photos of China Machado, taken by Richard Avedon, in the pages of fashion magazines I hoped to work for someday. She didn’t look like any other model you would see in those publications back then. China went on to become the fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar around the time it was being designed by Ruth Ansel and Bea Feitler. China was an amazing editor. Oftentimes she would take fabric on set to drape over the models and create the clothes she wanted to see just before the photograph was taken.

I first photographed China at Morrissey’s house in Montauk for Interview with Nicolas Ghesquière, when he was still at Balenciaga. They got on really well—I think Nicolas was delighted to see her

wearing clothes he had designed. He looked like a kid in a candy store that day.

Around the same time, I had also been working with Geoffrey Holder, along with his wife, Carmen de Lavallade, on a story for our All-American journal. I just knew that he and China would be great together in pictures, so we all gathered at her house in Noyack. The combination of personalities was beyond crazy—I didn’t know where to look first. They were a little competitive with each other, but they absolutely loved working together. I asked Alex White, the fashion editor, to make China a gown out of all the photos she did with Avedon. I know that China’s daughter has been working on a film about her mother’s life. I can’t wait to see it when it’s done.

Clockwise from above: China Machado in a dress made of Avedon photographs designed by Alex White, Noyack, New York, 2009; Machado and Geoffrey Holder, Noyack, 2009; Juan Heredia, Machado, and Jeremy Everett, Montauk, 2011; a photo of Machado and Picasso from her personal collection.

When I first started to travel to Miami to work during the winter months, we rented a place in Key Biscayne. Models, lifeguards, hairdressers, and surfers were always coming through and hanging out at our place. The city was really wild and quite free in those days. One time a girl happened to stop by, and she looked nothing like any other person I’d seen in all of Miami-Dade County. It was as if she had stepped out of a 17th-century Italian painting: hair piled high, the most beautiful nose. Her name was Rachel Feinstein She came from a wonderful family and was best friends with all the male models I was photographing at that time. She was like their kid sister, and they were her bodyguards. To this day I can’t help but smile when I run into her, because Rachel still has the same overwhelming enthusiasm and warmth that she had all those years ago as a teenager. She and her husband, John Currin, have a place in Orient Point, which is on the North Fork, across the sound from Nan and me.

From top: Rachel Feinsten, Key Biscayne, Florida, 1988; John Currin and Feinstein, Mount Desert Island, Maine, 2019.

Opposite page, clockwise frop top: Jane Wilson, Southampton, 2010; (from left) Mary Rattray, Howard Kanovitz, Clarice Rivers, Willem de Kooning, Wilson and daughter Julia Gruen, Larry Rivers, Southampton, 1962; a watercolor by Wilson from the collection of Bruce Weber and Nan Bush; Julia and John Jonas Gruen with Wilson, Southampton, 2010; Wilson and Gruen by Hella Hammid.

I first became familiar with Jane Wilson through her husband, John Jonas Gruen. I liked his book of photos of all the artists who lived on the East End in the 1960s. He captured that moment of bohemia in such a great, casual way, and Jane was always front and center in his pictures. Their backyard barbecues were attended by the likes of Willem de Kooning, Jane Freilicher, and Frank O’Hara.

When I arrived at John and Jane’s house, I felt like I was in the presence of East End royalty. Jane painted the atmosphere of that part of the world in such a delicate, evocative way. And the camera loved her—it’s no surprise that everyone from Ken Heyman and Inge Morath to Diane Arbus wanted to photograph her, or that Fairfield Porter had her sit for several portraits. We spent such a great day together. Their daughter, Julia, who works for the Keith Haring Foundation, stopped by. I’m sure she learned how to be a good caretaker of an artist’s legacy from growing up in their home.

Twenty years ago, a George Condo watercolor launched Erica Samuels’s collection—and soon after, her career.

A SHARP EYE AND A DECISIVE APPROACH HAVE SHAPED THIS ADVISOR’S COLLECTION , AS WELL AS THAT OF HER CLIENTS, MANY OF WHOM LIVE OUT EAST. HERE SHE SHARES WHAT DRIVES HER PASSION AND COMMITMENT TO THE CONTEMPORARY ART WORLD.

BY TALI JAFFE MINOR PORTRAIT BY CASEY KELBAUGH

What do you think makes the Hamptons art scene distinct?

I started going out East in earnest when I was researching Willem de Kooning’s abstract landscapes from 1956 to 1963 for my master’s thesis. De Kooning had moved from New York City to Springs while falling in love with, among other things, the open spaces and the North Atlantic light. I was trying to retrace his steps and find that light. Through that research I would always see these pictures of artists gathered on the beach. It seemed like such an amazing community, a perfect atmosphere for sublime thinking and artistic exploration. Where does the story of your personal collection begin?

The story really begins in 2002 in Paris. A friend and I went over for the fashion shows—his mom was a very cool woman and couture client. We were students at the time, studying the history of art and connoisseurship, and we were inspired by everything. We went to FIAC together, and in the closet of the Galerie Jérôme de Noirmont I saw an incredible watercolor that just vibrated off the wall. It’s a 1999 watercolor by George Condo. It was like all of modernism had been compressed and spit out onto this piece of paper. I had no business buying that work, but I did. I wasn’t leaving Paris without it. It hangs in my entryway. How would you describe your approach to advising?

I try to be as thoughtful and comprehensive as possible. I try to cover as many time periods as I can. I try to connect the dots in a client’s collection, and make it multi-generational and multidimensional

across mediums. Many of my clients buy in depth and can think encyclopedically. I learn from them. It’s really amazing to see a collection born and mature as tastes change, instincts sharpen, and confidence builds.

Can you share one of your proudest acquisition moments for a client?

The placement of Walton Ford’s More Than a Mile from 2020. We did the viewing during Covid on the porch outside, all masked up. It now has a prominent place in the living room of a Sagaponack home.

Where do you most enjoy viewing art?

I cover a lot of ground, and I think of the venues very democratically, though museums do have a bit more prestige over commercial venues like fairs and galleries. Studio visits are always a good idea—getting to sit with the artist in their

place of business, often surrounded by source material, is a privilege and benefit of my job. I joined the board of Art21 this year in part because it creates films that take you right into the source of contemporary artistic creation. Which work or works provoke(s) the most conversation from visitors?

I have Christian Marclay’s Telephones from 1995 installed in my foyer, and people love to sit and watch it. I have a friend who can literally name all the films in it. The work is a feat of cinematic knowledge and editing genius. How do you discover new artists? I try to go to as many fairs and see as many shows as I possibly can. I look to museums and curators for inspiration as well. The Venice Biennale is always an incredible source of inspiration. It’s one of the places where I can go and not have

to ask how much something is, even though things might be for sale. Which artist are you currently most excited about?

That seems like advice I should reserve for my clients. But if I must, I am absolutely smitten with the instinctive painterly work of Adrianne Rubenstein. What was the most challenging piece to acquire for your personal collection?

A lot of my collecting has come fairly easy to me. However, I did hunt down an [Andy] Warhol Hamburger painting many years ago. I am very glad to own this work and I love living with it. There is a Thomas Houseago that, while it wasn’t so difficult to acquire, was very difficult to install. It didn’t fit in the elevator and was way too heavy to bring up the stairs, so we arranged for a crane and brought it through the window. It’s never, ever leaving my apartment. Is there one piece that got away or that you still think about?

A Richard Prince Trix photo. It’s also the cover of his “Spiritual America” catalog. I didn’t have the money to buy it from Per Skarstedt then and probably wouldn’t now, if it became available. It’s such an iconic photo. But like I tell my clients, “There is always more art.”

Who or what was your biggest influence in fostering your passion for art?

Definitely my mom. She had me collecting vintage Whiting & Davis bags and teapots when I was younger. She even indulged my collection of inflatables—my early entrée into kitsch! She dragged me to museums and would rip out magazine articles and leave them for me to read.

Erica Samuels, founder of Samuels Creative & Co., sits in front of George Condo’s Gray and Orange Profile, 2013. On the opposite wall hangs Marguerite Humeau’s Lilo, the intense desire to bite deeply into the forearm of someone you love, 2021, and in the background is Mark Grotjahn’s Untitled (Capri), 2021.

IN THE STUDIO

Artist’s Retreat

FINDING BALANCE BETWEEN CITY AND COUNTRY, JULES DE BALINCOURT HAS BEEN ENJOYING “A SELF-IMPOSED RESIDENCY” AT HIS EAST HAMPTON STUDIO AS HE PREPARES FOR A MAJOR SOLO SHOW AT PACE IN SEPTEMBER.

BY JACOBA URIST PORTRAIT BY AXEL DUPEUX

IN SEPTEMBER,

Paris-born Jules de Balincourt will unveil his first New York City solo exhibition in a decade—his second with Pace, following an impressive debut with the gallery in Hong Kong in spring of last year. Known for an arrestingly post-Pop sentiment of acid-bright figuration, land, and leisure-scape, de Balincourt’s scenes develop within themselves as he visually synthesizes personal experiences, political realities, and social media. He describes his language as pointedly accessible, working from imagination and memory to digest 21stcentury culture through pigment and paintbrush. We caught up with the artist for a sneak peek at his new show and to learn about studio life on the East End. Tell us about the paintings for your upcoming fall exhibition at Pace’s Chelsea flagship?

It’s been about a year that I’ve known about this show, and I always work until the very last minute. I love pressure.

I have a collection of almost 35 to 40 paintings now, which is the first time I’m going to have a surplus and will be able to edit out the best 15 or 20 works. Right now I’m in that last editing phase, homing in and focusing on that final stage, really going all the way with them.

You split your practice between three studios: Bushwick, Brooklyn; Malpais, Costa Rica; and Springs, East Hampton. Describe your space here in the Hamptons. My Springs studio isn’t insulated. It’s just a two-car garage, so it’s a summertime studio. I don’t have the courage that Jackson Pollock had. I need heating. You see Pollock’s studio and go, “Well, there’s this American genius.” He was working in a little 300-square-foot shack. My studio here is a bit bigger than that.

How is working in your Springs studio different from painting in Brooklyn?

Working in Costa Rica and Springs, I’m much more aware of the elements and nature. The studios in both locations are partially indoor-outdoor. There are insects

that can crawl across paintings. There can be dust or rain. I work more at nighttime in Springs. There’s something a little more primitive and intuitive, almost mystical, when I’m out of the city working, something a little less intellectualized and more subconscious.

There almost couldn’t be greater polar opposites: Bushwick and Springs. Bushwick is über-urban, concrete, and gritty, while Springs is fresh, with good air, insects, and animals. It’s nice that I have opposing places that I balance between. The Hamptons feels a bit like a self-imposed residency. I’m not inclined to a real schedule here and work at my own pace. I also have no assistants here, so there’s something more selfreflective and isolated.

How did you discover Springs? What drew you here? It’s been a long love story with the Hamptons since I’ve been in New York. Initially I was working as an art handler, from 2001 to 2003, and used to deliver work to the Hamptons. I would drive a big graffiti-covered art truck to install a print and then drive back to the city. I grew up in California, so surfing was a big passion of mine. Then I discovered surfing in the Hamptons and I would come here to camp, and graduated to renting a place. Then, eventually, in 2014, I bought a little house in Springs, not far from the Pollock house.

Do you find the legendary Hamptons light as extraordinary and inspiring as it’s made out to be?

I’m drawn to spaces where land meets ocean. In a lot of my work, there are themes of ocean and water, or boats. You can deconstruct that recurring imagery for whatever metaphors you want. I think it also has to do with my being a surfer. But I’m not giving the Hamptons light enough glory. It is beautiful. Most of my paintings are really from my imagination. I absorb all the different light of California, Costa Rica, and Springs and put it into my work, whichever studio I’m in.

Top: Works in progress for Jules de Balincourt’s solo show, opening at Pace’s New York flagship on September 15.

The Good Fight

JEREMY DENNIS , THE PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF MA’S HOUSE, AND JESS FROST , THE DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS CENTER AT DUCK CREEK, RUN NONPROFIT CULTURAL SPACES ON THE EAST END THAT ARE DEDICATED TO BRIDGING DIFFERENCES THROUGH ART. TALI JAFFE MINOR SPEAKS WITH THEM ABOUT INDIGENOUS LAND, REPRESENTATION, AND THE POWER OF COMMUNITY.

Both of you have deep roots in the community here. Jeremy, you were born and raised in Southampton, on the Shinnecock Reservation. And Jess, you’ve lived here full-time for nearly 20 years and spent your childhood summers out East. What changes in the community have either of you witnessed recently?

Jess Frost: It’s gotten a lot more diverse, and there’s a broader demographic. I feel like there’s a sort of middleclass that’s developed, and the community has become a lot more colorful. Would you agree, Jeremy?

Jeremy Dennis: There’s definitely more of a year-round community, especially after the pandemic hit, which was when Ma’s House was just getting going. People are invested, and they want to see more programming and

Before the season is over, be sure to

Ma’s House “Kinship Compositions,” a solo exhibition featuring metalworks by Akwesasne Mohawk metalsmith and artist Margaret Jacobs, will be on view through July 22.

“Family Ties: A Celebration of Love, Kinship, and Belonging” is an off-site group show of work by alumni artists from the Ma’s House residency program and other artists of color celebrating families— biological, chosen, or extended. August 4 through September 29, Old Stone House, Park Slope, Brooklyn.

community gatherings. There has been such a rich art community here historically, and today there’s a need for new spaces that follow new models.

Frost: I think that organizations with ethical systems like Jeremy’s or Duck Creek’s thrived in that moment [of the pandemic] because our goals are not necessarily to make money. We’re trying to support the community. Jeremy, do you find that by having a greater platform like Ma’s House, you are bringing more awareness to the Indigenous people of this region and others who are maybe not as well represented?

Dennis: Oh, absolutely. Outside of the Shinnecock Indian Powwow—the largest powwow on the East Coast—there are so few opportunities for us to communicate more

add these events to your calendar.

Arts Center at Duck Creek “Tara Geer,” a show of works on paper, will be on view in the John Little Barn from July 22 through August 20, with an artist talk on August 20.

William Eric Brown’s “Atka” is a collection of works reconstituted from his father’s photos of Antarctica from the 1960s, on view in the Little Gallery from July 22 through August 20, with an artist talk on July 23.

broadly. The powwow is the only time in the year when all the artists sell their work to support their families, but it only lasts four days. We’re trying to bring in more support for our community and other artists of color year-round. Beyond the many places bearing the Shinnecock name in town, how else is the Nation represented locally?

Dennis: In Southampton—which is our closest town, just a five-minute drive [from the reservation]—there’s almost no Native or Shinnecock representation, aside from this old illustration featuring a Shinnecock person and a colonist meeting on the beach, and I think those images are only visible as stickers on garbage cans in town. There’s so much more that we, the Shinnecock Nation and businesses, can potentially do, but prices are so prohibitive for us to have, for example, a Shinnecock storefront or community space. We are the original stewards of Southampton, so I find it strange that there’s no kind of acknowledgment by the town, or most of its residents, of our historic friendship contributions and peaceful coexistence with those who reside in the Hamptons today. It’s almost as if we were intentionally being erased or made invisible by our neighbors. Do you feel that way?

Dennis: Oh, that’s a whole bigger conversation. But we do have a lot of clashes over land usage with the town. Of course the biggest industry out here is real estate, and the town gets a lot of the tax revenue from selling and developing our ancestral and sacred burial sites.

Frost: It is an interesting microcosm of what’s happening across the country. There should be more in the towns that introduce people to what we all value the most about this place, which is the land and the history of the land. The reservation is a really important part of our history, and I have to say, I really do see so many more people digging into that. Jeremy’s done land acknowledgments for several organizations out here, including Duck Creek. What is the significance of land acknowledgments, Jeremy, especially since there are still “clashes” over land usage, as you noted earlier?

Dennis: Land acknowledgments are reasonable first steps to establish better relations between institutions and local Indigenous communities. They provide education and context for the land on which they operate, and state the displacement of Indigenous communities in that area. After understanding, hopefully action can follow—this includes programming, educational opportunities, and fundraising for Indigenous causes, all the way up to considering land-back initiatives.

And this is why Ma’s House exists, why Duck Creek exists. We want to build community, bring together people who have historically never been able to come together and celebrate differences—and the things that make us similar.

There’s so much still to be done.

“Shinnecock Perspectives: The Boys and Girls Club of Shinnecock Nation” is a celebration of the arts of the Shinnecock community and seeks to engage in dialogue between the Shinnecock Nation and the East Hampton community at large; July 29.

2023 Music Series, curated by Adam O’Farrill, includes acts by Vagabonds, August 5; Kaoru Wantanabe, August 19; Anna Webber’s Shimmer Wince, September 9.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST (DENNIS)

Jeremy Dennis

Jess Frost

MINDED

Meet nine creatives—designers, artists, songwriters, and image makers—who have one thing in common: a desire to create in the Hamptons.

KELLY BEHUN

GUEST EDITOR KELLY BEHUN IS EMBEDDED IN THE HAMPTONS COMMUNITY.

SHE’S MADE IT HER BEACH RETREAT FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, AND HAS HELPED SHAPE THE LIVES OF MORE THAN A DOZEN HAMPTONITES, BRINGING HER SIGNATURE STYLE TO THEIR EAST END RETREATS. HERE, BEHUN SHARES A LITTLE ABOUT HER OWN SERENE SOUTHAMPTON SPACE WITH EDITOR IN CHIEF

SARAH HARRELSON.

PORTRAIT BY GARRETT BRUCE

Where is your favorite space to get your ideas flowing?

Anywhere from walking on the beach, riding my bike into town, or visiting friends for dinner. For me, the ideas flow when I see something that triggers me—in a good way. So the flow is most active when I’m in motion, seeing different things in succession, and then they evoke or connect to something else…like a branch that could be a door handle, a shell that could be a sink. Then I love being back in my little home office, which overlooks a grove of honey locust trees that create the prettiest dappled light through the window. It’s there where I like to pull together all the disparate thoughts into something more concrete, or at least that’s the goal.

What is your favorite room in the house?

Wherever my boys are, and by that I mean my husband and sons. They bring an energy to a room that even the finest decor cannot. There is nothing that compares to the vibe that the right mix of souls can bring to a room, and they are my three favorite humans. I love our conversations and the family dynamic and seeing the charming young men my sons have become.

What is your morning ritual?

I start my day with a tried-and-true mix of anxiety and guilt—with the guilt coming from feeling anxious in the first place. It’s a heady brew and jump-starts my mornings without a need for caffeine. I think it comes from being so busy, which is an old chestnut of a cliché at this point, because I don’t know anyone anymore who isn’t busy, and to be honest, the thought of not being busy is even more stressful. Waking up in the Hamptons, though, exerts a pull toward the serene.

Where and when do you make the time or space to be creative?

I know that some people are able to successfully schedule their creative work, writers especially, but I have never figured out how to do it myself. For me, it’s a window best left open, always.

Where do you like to entertain?

I love to have small dinner parties around the dining table I made some years ago. It’s still one of my favorite pieces. The table was inspired by the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, and it’s meant to capture his unique way with nature. The table’s wood top is an organic, meandering shape. Over the years, I have found that it invites the people sitting around it to be at slightly unconventional angles, which in turn creates a looser, more convivial feel, and I really love that.

Does your mindset shift when you are in the Hamptons?

In the city I marvel at the built environment, the almost man-over-nature aspect of it all and the “take your breath away” sweep of Manhattan’s grand skyline. Here in Long Island I am reminded of the overwhelming beauty of nature, the realization that the ocean we are fortunate to be near could, without too much effort, just wash away everything we’ve built and amassed and are so impressed with, and that’s a powerfully humbling reminder. We are so lucky to be a part of the environment here— the ocean, beaches, bays, dunes, farmland, and woods. There is a remarkable variety to it all that makes this part of Long Island extremely special.

What’s your favorite recent addition to your home?

We are in the process of installing a beautiful Michael Heizer sculpture comprising a large boulder balanced improbably on two intersecting steel plates. My husband and I have been fans of his work since visiting his massive lifelong project City some years ago in Nevada. I have always found his work really poetic and powerful in its simplicity. It feels quintessentially American.

Do you have a piece of art or design that generates a lot of conversation?

We have a 14-foot-tall metal chair that we call the lifeguard chair in our backyard. I had conceived it to be more of a sculptural

piece silhouetted against the dune, but it’s also functional and over the years has become a favorite spot that guests naturally gravitate to. It has simple ladder-like rungs that you climb to get up to the seat, and for those who take the journey, the reward is a gorgeous view southwest over the water. While growing up, we used to spend time over the summers in Bethany Beach, Delaware, and I remember loving the simple white lifeguard chairs that dotted the beach at regular intervals. I especially liked how they looked when empty at dusk, when all the lifeguards were off duty. The lifeguard chairs were like beautiful lonely sentinels, and I guess that vision always stuck with me. I did a sketch and then had mine made by Gabrielle Shelton, a wonderful sculptor and metalsmith in Brooklyn.

Do you have a ritual that’s specific to your time at your Hamptons home?

Afternoon napping on my screened porch feels so nostalgic and restorative. We used to have a screened porch at the house where I grew up near Pittsburgh, and that was my favorite room in the house during the summer. It was filled with potted plants, wicker seating, and the biggest jade plant I’ve ever seen. No matter where a screened porch might be, it always takes me back to the one of my childhood. That’s what I adore about design: the power to evoke those memories from long ago.

What’s your favorite way to entertain outdoors?

There’s nothing like a beach bonfire with friends. I do a mean setup with rugs and cushions and a well-constructed fire to make it all look very impromptu, even though it’s not. We did one once where we dug out large, opposing curved benches in the sand and covered them with throws and rugs and pillows and had a big fire in the middle. There was a full moon, and it was altogether the most magical effect. Nights like that bring out the best in people and create memories that are etched somewhere deep forever.

TAYLA PARX

AT 29 YEARS OLD, TAYLA PARX HAS MANY CREDITS TO HER NAME: LAUDED ACTOR (THE BROADWAY MUSICAL HAIRSPRAY, THE SPINNING GOLD BIOPIC); GRAMMY-NOMINATED SINGER-SONGWRITER FOR HITS SUCH AS ARIANA GRANDE’S “THANK U, NEXT;” AND THE BRAINS BEHIND HER BURGEONING MUSIC EMPIRE, TAYLAMADE INC. THE NATIVE TEXAN BRINGS THE SAME LEVEL OF AMBITION TO HER “HOMESTEAD” IN THE HAMPTONS, WHICH INCLUDES A DIY CHICKEN COOP AND A MUSIC STUDIO HOUSED IN AN OLD AIRSTREAM.

PORTRAIT BY GARRETT BRUCE

What is your connection to East Hampton, and why did you decide to put down some roots here?

I started to come here about eight years ago, and in an unexpected way it reminded me of small Southern towns. I’m originally from Texas, so I think the feeling of being in a tight-knit community where I can do things like ride my bike around the neighborhood and shop locally felt really nostalgic. Tell us about your home music studio, which is housed in a vintage Airstream on your property.

I’ve always wanted a camper, and when I was looking at properties, this one already had a 1978 Avion camper. It was honestly meant to be.

Is your home out here meant to be a buzzy hub for friends and other creatives, or more a place of solitude?

It’s a place of solitude. My L.A. property has become a place for so many amazing creatives to record their projects in the studio and all that, but this place is meant to recharge whoever steps in. You refer to your home here as the dojo. Where did that come from, and how would you describe the vibe you were going for?

I’m influenced by Japandi style. A mixture of that and the idea of wabi-sabi has allowed me the opportunity to find beauty in simplicity, which aligns with the way I like to live here. A dojo is a place to learn, observe, and recenter. I’ve had so much fun experimenting with maximalism and Art Deco in the past, but designing this home has been an incredible creative exercise. Most times an album describes where I am in life, and I know that looking back on this property, I’ll have a very similar feeling.

You have ambitious plans to house chickens and llamas on the property, which you refer to as the homestead. Did you have animals when growing up?

I’ve always loved having pets. Lately I’ve also learned so much about permaculture, homesteads, and sustainability within those structures that it’s led me onto a whole new exciting path. From making my own compost to understanding how my animals and I can be a part of limiting our carbon footprint as a team, it’s all been a learning experience that loops back around to my values.

What’s on your summer playlist?

The whole Kaytraminé album, “Plebada” by Peso Pluma and El Alfa, “New York Afternoon” by Yasuko Agawa, and “Fall in Love (Your Funeral)” by Erykah Badu.

“It’s a place of solitude. This place is meant to recharge whoever steps in.”

ULLA JOHNSON

THE FASHION DESIGNER AND HER HUSBAND SPENT A DECADE VISITING MONTAUK BEFORE PURCHASING A HOME IN THE AREA IN 2017. NOW THE PAIR, ALONG WITH THEIR THREE CHILDREN, RETREAT TO THE FAR EAST END TO SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY THE RHYTHM THIS OASIS AFFORDS THEM.

BY RACHEL MARLOWE PORTRAIT BY DAVID BENTHAL

When did you first start coming to the Hamptons? Why did you settle on Montauk? We had been spending weekends in Montauk for nearly a decade before we began looking for a place of our own. We used to share a house with dear friends during the years my husband and I were having children. We were drawn to the great sense of openness that exists in Montauk—the sky, the sea, the surf, the wildness of being at the very tip of Long Island. We looked at quite a few places, but in the end our house was a bit of an impulse purchase. It was so unique to find something designed at that time, in that area, that had so many details that spoke to us: the clean lines, the wraparound windows, the green roof fully in bloom.

How did you want this house to be different from your home in Brooklyn?

We wanted the house to be a weekend oasis from the city, to be relaxing and laid-back but still feel tactile and layered and uniquely our own. There is a deep sense of bringing the outdoors in. It feels a bit like living in the trees from the main floor and like being on a boat from the roof, with views of the canopy below and the bay and sea above. Our home is a gathering place for our friends and family and for the collections and treasures we have gathered together through the course of our travels—shells, found objects, ceramics, baskets. Each detail has a memory and a story embedded within.

How much time do you spend at this home, and how is your daily rhythm different here?

We come out as often as we can! Less than I would like of late, due to the kids’ complicated weekend scheduling, but we do our best. Our

rhythm here is so different from city life. The agenda is always not much at all: Read the paper, spend time outdoors hiking or biking or surfing in the summer, build cozy fires in the winter, host dinner for friends.

How did the location play into your design choices?

For evening cocktails and sunset viewing, we created wraparound floor seating with custom-made oversize cushions on the elevated platform on the roof. There are living rooms upstairs and down, to accommodate kids and guests, and a family room in the basement with all the trappings of suburban life, including a much-loved ping-pong table and, for me, an infrared sauna. Do you have a dedicated office in the home, or is work off-limits while you are here on the weekend?

I do not! The sound of “Montauk office” makes me shudder a bit. I do have to work here on occasion, but I usually just occupy the dining area or sometimes a space outside by the pool.

How does this location and environment inspire you? What do you feel or do differently when you are here as opposed to in the city?

I’m endlessly inspired by the natural world, and the garden and birdsong and sound of our pool’s infinity-edge waterfall are so peaceful. It’s certainly a space of creative meditation and inspiration—nature bathing, as it were.

What is your favorite part of this home?

My cutting garden. I worked with Miranda Brooks to plant it very informally, so things feel quite wild and free. Every weekend when we return, something new is in bloom. Tulips and fritillarias and daffodils in the early spring, irises and eremeri, followed by peonies, dahlias, wild roses, hydrangeas, and Japanese anemones, then hellebores in the winter. I am always arranging bits and bobs throughout the house, and it gives me great joy.

“My kids bake with my mom, take pictures with my dad. My parents don’t worry about the house getting messy. My mom has said that it’s a canvas for creativity.”

SOPHIE ELGORT

PHOTOGRAPHER SOPHIE ELGORT HAS SPENT MOST SUMMERS (AND LOTS OF TEMPERATE WEEKENDS) IN THE HAMPTONS SINCE SHE WAS BORN. A FEW YEARS AGO, SHE AND HER FAMILY BOUGHT THEIR OWN HOME AND HAVE BEEN CONTINUING IN THE TRADITION OF EASYGOING ENTERTAINING, WHERE THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE AT THE TABLE.

PORTRAIT BY ARTHUR ELGORT

How much time do you spend out East?

A lot of weekends throughout the year and most of the summer. My parents started coming in the early ’80s, so I grew up coming out here ever since I was born, most weekends once it was warm enough—the house was not insulated—and summers.

Do you find yourself more inspired here?

More at ease?

My work is influenced a lot by light, water, movement, and nature—things that are everywhere out here. Even at our house, little things make a difference. Like, we don’t have a TV in our living room. I end up relaxing in a different way.

How does it feel to bring up your children in the same environment?

My parents are still in the same house that I came to growing up, and even though we’ve had our own place for the past few years, theirs is still like an extension of our home. We show up unannounced and hang out around their house. My kids go there for sleepovers without us. They bake with my mom, take pictures with my dad. My

parents don’t worry about the house getting messy. My mom has said that it’s a canvas for creativity. I love the way that my parents raised us while still guiding us, and now as a parent myself, I admire how they did it and hope that I am giving my kids the same space they gave us.

What do you most love about this space? Being outdoors, letting my kids run out the door to play outside by themselves.

Where do you and your family most often gather in your home?

At my parents’ house! It’s a revolving door of an interesting cast of characters, friends, and people who have become family. My mom always makes room at the table for whoever is around.

How do you like to start your day?

Nursing my baby, Skyler, in bed. My husband usually brings him in to me when he wakes up, and then he goes and makes breakfast. This sounds much calmer than it is. Often my other two kids climb into bed too, and it becomes complete chaos.

Can you share your most cherished image

taken at home in the Hamptons? Describe it to us, please.

Most of the pictures I take in the Hamptons aren’t at our house as much as in the surrounding areas. There is one I love at home, though, from a couple of summers back. There was a heat wave, and it was pretty deep pandemic times. Our AC went out, and we were so hot. We bought a little blow-up pool and filled it with water from a hose, and the kids played in it all day. I love the snaps from that moment.

What do you love most about working in the Hamptons?

The light, the water, reflections, nature. It’s so beautiful and there’s usually a breeze.

Do you ever use your home as a location, or is it a strictly work-free zone?

I haven’t used it as a location yet, but I’m sure I will in the future.

Did you have a heavy hand in the design of your home?

No, it’s an old house that had been recently renovated while still keeping a lot of the original unique design elements. One of the

reasons we bought it was because we loved the design as it was. We actually bought it furnished, too. I didn’t want to deal with designing and furnishing a house from the ground up. We have a lot of art, so all the art is ours, and little by little we’ve replaced furniture. I also added a swing set that I got at a garage sale, and I have lots of other things I want to do with the property, but for now it’s slow going.

Do you entertain much? If so, what’s your go-to meal and style of hosting?

I love to entertain, and I’m pretty casual about it. I’ll invite 10 people for dinner and not worry about what the meal will be until an hour or so before. I usually do the cooking myself. We put out bottles of wine and glasses for people to help themselves, and we usually have kids and adults together. One of the things I grew up with was mixing generations, and it’s something that has stuck. There’s always music, candlelight, and an element of chaos that I hope makes people feel at home. I try to enjoy myself too, of course.

“There was a lot of what we call ‘talkitecture,’ which means no blueprints and a lot of sketches on napkins and a certain amount of yelling at each other at the dinner table.”

JOHN MARGARITIS

NEW YORK SUNSHINE DESIGNER JOHN MARGARITIS IS A LONGTIME HAMPTONS RESIDENT WHO’S QUICK TO CREDIT HIS FAMILY FOR SHAPING HIS CAREER TRAJECTORY. A TESTAMENT TO HIS COLLABORATIVE NATURE, HIS NEW HOME AND STUDIO ARE INTENDED TO BE PLACES FOR EXPERIMENTATION FOR ALL MAKERS WHO’D LIKE TO JOIN HIM THERE.

PORTRAIT BY GARRETT BRUCE

You have a strong connection to the Hamptons. Did you grow up here?

I actually grew up on Long Island, in Nassau County. I had family out here and my uncle had a restaurant and lived here full-time. When I graduated from high school, my parents and three brothers moved to Southampton. I think when people hear “the Hamptons,” they think about what they see on TV, like it’s just big multimillion-dollar homes and lavish parties. But the truth is that a lot of the locals are working- and middle-class people who live here yearlong.

You have worked all over the world. Why was it important for you to make the Hamptons your home base?

When I was younger, all I wanted to do was be in Manhattan. But now that I’m a bit older, I’ve realized that I want the change of pace offered out here, and I embrace it. My family is here, and being close to my dad’s cabinet shop is important because that’s where we develop my ideas and bring them from sketches to physical form. We built a shop for my dad, and

in the same structure above, I have a whitewalled studio and gallery space to display what I’m working on. We need a lot of space for our tools and machinery. The shop allows us to make projects to scale, and the studio allows us to display them in a large, clean space outside a sawdust-filled work setting. I want people I respect to be able to come out here and collaborate with my dad, work with me, and use the space to get creative. I would like to invite people who might not otherwise have the access to machinery and space. What were your inspirations, from an architectural and design standpoint, for your home and studio?

This property sits on a hill, which most people think is undesirable. But my dad had the vision to build his shop inside the hill, which is how they used to build potato barns out here. There was a lot of what we call “talkitecture,” which means no blueprints and a lot of sketches on napkins and a certain amount of yelling at each other at the dinner table. Design decisions were really made

on the fly, which is how I like to work. My aesthetic is very minimalist, with clean lines and a lot of concrete and wood. Donald Judd is one of my favorite artists, and seeing his home and studio in Marfa, Texas, inspired me a lot before we started building here. You design and build everything from furniture to basketball courts and largescale art installations. How did you develop all of these skills?

It started in school, drawing on things that weren’t meant to be drawn on—like graffiti on desks and bathroom walls. I became interested in screen-printing graphics, and then that turned into New York Sunshine, which started out as a T-shirt company and has since evolved into art and design as well as fashion. As soon as I started dealing with 100-pound bags of cement, that’s when my dad joined the team. Without my dad’s wizard skill-level of carpentry, it definitely would have taken me much longer to get where I’m at. Where did the concept of the Install Team come from?

I kept asking my friends to help me out with different projects. They all worked in different fields: welders, carpenters, painters, creative heads, and some degenerates, just guys who could lift heavy shit, were able to work hourly, and were fun to have around. It turned into a group of people who were excited about art projects.

You were fortunate to have been cosigned by Virgil Abloh. How did that relationship affect your career?

I was a big fan of his work, so I asked our mutual friend if she would introduce us. He came by my shop and was so supportive, down-to-earth, and cool. We became friends, and whenever we would hang out, he would take a photo of what I was doing and tag it @newyorksunshine. At that time, his support meant more to me than any press coverage. I want to do the same for young artists and makers in the local community. It’s important to give creative workers a place, even just the space to photograph their work.

TALIA ORINGER

THE CO-FOUNDER OF AQUALILLE, A HAND-PAINTED WALLPAPER COMPANY, FINDS INSPIRATION IN HER IDYLLIC SURROUNDINGS—AS WELL AS IN THE CIRCUIT BOARDS OF HER IPHONE. HER BRIDGEHAMPTON HOME IS ALWAYS ABUZZ WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS, GATHERING FOR A CASUAL POOL PARTY OR BEACHSIDE BONFIRE OR A MORE FORMAL DINNER PARTY WHERE PERFORMANCE ART IS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY.

PORTRAIT BY CARL TIMPONE

How does spending time in the Hamptons influence your work?

When I have the ability to recharge and connect with nature, creativity abounds. I find being out East very conducive to generating new ideas—less so for implementation!

Your company, Aqualille, makes beautiful hand-painted wallpapers. Where do you find inspiration for new designs and patterns?

Nothing interesting happens if you stick only to what you know, so I try to dive into unfamiliar territory every so often, and usually that is where the best inspiration lies. I am drawn to various artists and art forms, from contemporary to old masters, sculpture and architecture to technology, and I enjoy using that breadth of eclecticism to steer new designs.

Have your local surroundings played into any of your designs?

Some of the most incredible gardens I have ever experienced are in the Hamptons. Many of the floral references and hues in our botanical designs are inspired by those very gardens.

What is your favorite space in your home?

Wherever my family is. Even if that is in the garage, among four pinball machines and a collection of outdated car seats, I’m there! The media room is also a favorite. It is a multipurpose space in the chicest sense in that it is where we work, play games, entertain, hang with the kids, watch movies, and even have late-night dinners by the bar.

What is your typical weekend ritual?

Coffee. Everything that happens after that is subject to change. Lately, weekend activities have included signing up for Pilates class, skipping the class, playing with the kids, farm-stand-hopping, and attempting to do a little boating near Sag Harbor.

How is your daily rhythm different in the Hamptons than in the city?

I try to slow down a little and recharge. A big component of success for me in all aspects of life is sleep.

Tell us how you like to entertain.

I love some good fun. Nothing too formal, but definitely thoughtful. While I relish creating a lavish table or bringing a theme to life, ultimately the guests’ enjoyment is the most important factor. I prioritize food, booze, music, and comfort—and usually a good surprise. I once had the sculptor Calvin Seibert build an exquisite Cubist sandcastle on the beach.

When it comes to dinner or cocktail parties, I view the format, ambience, and table as a collective art experiment. Drama and intrigue drive me visually and can also lead to memorable interactions. I aim for the enjoyable and the memorable and am not opposed to some performance art!

NATASHA ESCH

AFTER 13 YEARS OF WORKING AS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER, THE SWISS- AND GERMAN-RAISED TASTEMAKER WANTED AN OUTLET TO PRESENT HER OWN DESIGN AESTHETIC, A BLEND OF CONTEMPORARY AND VINTAGE, REFINED AND RUSTIC. HER GALLERY, MONC XIII, IS A PLATFORM TO EXPERIENCE ESCH’S TEXTURED APPROACH, WHICH IS A REFLECTION OF HER OWN SAG HARBOR HOME.

PORTRAIT BY

DAVID BENTHAL

You moved from Los Angeles to Sag Harbor. What are some of the greatest differences in living on the East Coast?

We were bicoastal for several years before we finally moved back East full-time in 2010. I think that life and design on the East Coast are more defined and structured. California has the ability to be more bohemian in its design; there is more exploration and a “thrown together” aesthetic. The East Coast is more serious and proper. Both are appealing for different reasons at different times. The biggest difference is the weather, which does inform the lifestyle a lot. You are clearly passionate about design. Were you formally trained? What else (or who else) has informed your design vision?

I am self-taught and could say I joined the

school of Amazon, as I self-educated largely through voracious reading and absorption of books. Additionally, I was in the creativemarketing world prior, and so I have spent much time around fashion, travel, etc., which has definitely influenced my design choices.

Have any new furniture or accessories designers landed on your radar lately?

We have just launched a line with ceramic artist Mathilde Martin for Monc XIII. She does beautiful vessels, both as sculpture and for flowers. This summer we will also feature a new Belgian furniture-design firm, Alinea, which makes amazing travertine tables.

Can you share some of your current or recently completed interiors projects?

When I started Monc XIII, I laid down my design hat. I travel a fair amount to

source for the gallery, so I am pretty busy. Additionally, my husband and I have spent the last few years renovating an island off the coast of Connecticut, which has been all-encompassing to say the least. However, I do love design and being a part of creating a home, so maybe I’ll go back to interior decorating in the future.

Describe your favorite space in your own home and why you like it.

It’s probably my kitchen, which basically looks like my kitchen at Monc XIII. I love to cook, and food is very important to me. I love eating and gathering, whether with my family or with friends. I love shopping mainly at farms when I am out here. The Green Thumb Organic Farm and Amber Waves are two of my favorites. Stuart’s Seafood Market

in Amagansett has the best key lime pie I have ever tasted, and I buy it often. I love the Wainscott Seafood Shop, and their prepared ceviche is something I am addicted to. I also love our living room. It’s a very unusual space for a Hamptons home—it is a double-height space, so the volume and light are just lovely. Tell us about how you like to entertain at home.

I try to keep things simple. We are blessed to have amazing produce and seafood here. So I am a fan of making beautiful platters of food, and everyone can serve themselves, whether it is a Niçoise salad or a nice seafood cioppino, or lobster rolls with a beautiful tomato salad. Also, I am always lucky to be able to snatch up any last-minute tabletop items from my store!

What are your summer travel plans?

We mainly travel between Sag Harbor and our island in Connecticut, as well as to our home in Montecito, California. All these places are pretty magical, so we have no other travel plans. I spend a fair amount of time traveling during the year for Monc XIII, so summer is really a time for us to decompress.

CHARMAINE BURDEN

A FORMER FASHION STYLIST AND EDITOR—AND A GRANDDAUGHTER BY MARRIAGE TO THE IMPECCABLE STYLE ICON BABE PALEY—CHARMAINE BURDEN KNOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD FIT. THIS SUMMER, THE BRIDGEHAMPTON-BASED AUTHOR AND ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHED HELLO TAILOR, A BESPOKE SERVICE THAT OFFERS LUXURY ALTERATION AND STYLE ADVICE IN THE CONVENIENCE OF ONE’S HOME.

PORTRAIT BY DAVID

BENTHAL

How long have you been living in the Hamptons?

Since 1993, when I moved to New York. My husband would come here when he was growing up, and we stayed at his family’s house in Water Mill until we bought our own place in Bridgehampton in 2000.

Is there a space in your home where you feel most creative?

I love my vegetable patch. I feel so inspired watching what I’ve planted grow. I love being out there with my pugs.

How did your early career as a fashion stylist inform your love of clothing?

I’ve loved clothes since I was a little girl, and going to design school in Paris at 17 fueled the fire. I worked for some young designers, which was a great learning experience, but I

didn’t love pattern-making or sewing samples. Working as a freelance fashion editor in Paris in my early 20s was pretty amazing, too. You appreciate all that much more after the fact. When I moved to New York, I worked as a fashion stylist, and after I had kids, I moved on to other creative projects. I did a line of children’s scrapbooks that Barneys sold. But my true love is clothing and style.

What was the impetus for starting your new company, and why does now feel like the right time?

I started Hello Tailor out of my own frustrations with getting my clothes tailored. My pile of alterations was huge. I had to take in my son’s pants to be hemmed. My husband’s beloved worn jeans had a giant hole. Every option for tailoring required taking clothes

someplace, bringing my family members, and then picking it all up again. I thought, “Why isn’t there a service that comes to you, pins things, tailors them, and delivers it all back?”

There was a need for this service, and I will be Hello Tailor’s best customer. I have to have almost everything I buy tailored—hemmed, taken in, let out, a lining added, a hole in a coat pocket mended, pockets taken out….

How are you incorporating sustainability into your company’s mission statement, and what are your thoughts on fast fashion?

Once I started thinking about this as a business, I realized the opportunity it presents. Fashion produces enormous waste. Did you know that every year in the U.S. alone, we generate around 17 million tons of textile waste that ends up in landfills? Of course I

had read Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas and was horrified. If we buy better and buy less and take care of our things, we stop some of this insanity. I think you can make great clothing at low price points, but there has to be some accountability. Hello Tailor will also pick up unwanted clothes, mend them, clean them, and donate them.

Where do you shop locally for the perfect frock?

I love Tenet, in Southampton and East Hampton, and Hampton Flea + Vintage. Your husband’s grandmother was the fashion icon Babe Paley. How has that legacy impacted you?

Working in fashion, I knew and admired the stylish beauties of the past, and my husband’s family has many. Babe came from a generation of women who were always immaculately tailored. They had fittings for everything to make sure their clothes fit perfectly. The idea of off-the-rack was just beginning. It’s something to aspire to. There’s a quote by John Keats I’ve always loved, which makes my sons roll their eyes: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” But it’s really true.

NATHAN ORSMAN

NEW YORK– AND SOUTHAMPTON-BASED LIGHTING DESIGNER NATHAN ORSMAN’S CLIENT LIST—INCLUDING INA GARTEN, STEPHEN COLBERT, AND OPRAH WINFREY— MEANS A LITTLE LIMELIGHT IS AS MUCH OF AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD AS FLUORESCENT OVERHEAD BULBS. THE AUSTRALIAN DESIGNER WORKED IN TECH BEFORE MOVING TO NEW YORK, WHERE HE STARTED HIS EPONYMOUS FIRM IN 2005. SINCE THEN HE’S BECOME KNOWN FOR HIS PRECISE BALANCE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW IN HOMES ACROSS THE HAMPTONS, INCLUDING HIS OWN.

PORTRAIT BY GARRETT

BRUCE

You are hosting a big fundraising event for the Hetrick-Martin Institute at your home this summer. Why is supporting LGBTQIA+ issues important to you?

As a member of the community myself, I think it is important to give back. Right now is an especially important time to support the community, with the pendulum swinging in the direction of less acceptance and many queer people facing outside threats. HMI in particular supports LGBTQIA+ youth who experience homelessness and family abandonment. I want these kids to have the support and resources to grow up and be whatever they want to be.

How was designing the lighting in your own home—are you an easy client?

It was a fun process. We maintained some of the original lighting layout, simply replacing the bulbs with Ketra bulbs, which can mimic daylight and candlelight and change color. We completely changed the lighting in other parts of the house, which allowed me to use some of my favorite fixtures and get creative. For example, for the powder room, our studio made a custom 360-degree linear LED pole that stretches from floor to ceiling, which is one of my favorite details in the whole house.

What is your typical weekend routine?

A summer weekend in our house usually involves Barry’s bootcamp; tennis every weekend as a couple with my partner, Jose Castro; some time by the pool or taking the dogs to the beach; and of course lots of dinners outside with friends and family.

What else do you do to unplug?

I’m notorious among my friends for playing practical jokes. Recently I put stickers that say “voice activated” on random [non-voice activated] devices, one of which I placed on the toilet. People were actually talking to it, asking it to “flush,” and of course nothing happened! My latest joke was hiding a device that makes cat noises every 20 minutes. You are so in tune with the subtle nuances of light. Do you find it true that eastern Long Island has the most glorious light?

We definitely have exquisite light out here. Especially in September, when the sky is incredibly crisp, there is a quality that cannot be described in words. My theory is that it has something to do with the two large bodies of water on both sides of Long Island. I think it has influenced me by making me more conscious of how lighting can create that beauty and that moment that is difficult to describe but is somewhat perfect.

What are your favorite local restaurants?

My favorite restaurant is my barbecue. I serve guests 24/7. I can basically cook anything on it. I grew up in Australia, making breakfast on the barbecue, too, though I have yet to do that here.

Sounds like you have a lot of summer house guests. Any tips for how to be an exemplary one?

To be a great guest, you have to help out a little. Don’t leave your crap everywhere, and put stuff in the dishwasher. We’re not running a hotel, though sometimes I would like to bill people.

TWO PIECES IN THE SHAPE OF A PEAR

A GROUP EXHIBITION CURATED BY PAT STEIR

5 AUGUST – 30 SEPTEMBER SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK