FEATURES

A NEW YORK REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND HIS WIFE TURN AN ARCHITECT'S NINTH-CENTURY PERSIAN-THEMED DESIGN INTO A LIVABLE REALITY

When New York architect William Gleckman erected an all-stainless steel spec house in the then sleepy village of Sagaponack in the early 1980s, it certainly wasn't the first modernist building in the Hamptons, but it may have been among the most controversial. Reflections off the all-metal structure—more industrial looking than residential—made it glaringly visible. There were even rumors of leaves on neighboring trees being singed by the heat. According to a statement issued by the architect, his intent was "to create an elegant tent as would befit an Asiatic chieftain," and surround the building with a moat—in this case a 150-foot-long swimming pool meant to evoke a ninth-century building in Bukhara. In this predominantly traditional "shingled" community, his unique design evoked more anger than awe.

Two owners and almost 25 years later, a New York real estate developer and his wife noticed the property. While the overgrown surroundings didn't flatter the building's hard-edged profile—"I actually looked at it for two years and couldn't make myself go inside," he says—when a realtor finally coaxed him and his wife into taking a closer look, they were sold in an instant. "There's a 38-foot ceiling when you enter and the proportions are just magnificent," he says. "The house just brings you into itself. There are three level changes that walk you down into the living and dining room where you look out and are surrounded by water."

Carefully thought out geometry aside, some things about the original 4,700-square-foot layout didn't work. "The previous owners had grown children, and there were essentially three master bedrooms," says the new owner, who reconfigured the floor plan to make five bedrooms and a playroom to better accommodate life with three children under the age of seven. But so much about the initial design was right, including the use of materials like metal, stone, wood and water.

Throughout the house, cedar walls and concrete floors—selected for sustainability by the forward-thinking architect—nestle under the pitched stainless steel ceiling. The floors are impervious to dripping bathing suits and sandy feet. The shadow play created on the interior surfaces by sunlight bouncing off the cool blue pool water, instills the house with a shimmery, magical quality all day long. While the couple embraced the idea of living in a low-maintenance "tent," they also sought to put their own imprint on the property. "When we do a project, we try to pick a theme and stay true to it," he says. "This time, we imagined we were in some romantic Italian coastal town in the 1960s."

The retro furnishings and Italian glass accessories the couple selected are distinguished by a color scheme plucked from the highly visible landscape. "The purples and blues in the living room came directly from the garden so that the landscape's palette continues inside as well," says the owner. "The doors are open all the time so there's no distinction between inside and out." In keeping with the modernist architecture, the owner followed his minimalist leanings—"I prefer a few pieces that are all great," he emphasizes.

In the living and dining rooms, the couple introduced a subtle change by replacing the wood walls with sheet rock painted flat white. "Cedar is still a dominant element, but the white paint makes the house brighter and more family friendly," he adds. "This is first and foremost a beach house and a family home."

Outside, the owners softened the edgy architecture with an excess of plantings. The front of the nearly two-acre property was cleared to make way for three large berms layered with a combination of mature trees, wispy grasses and Russian sage. "Everything is positioned to soften the house and make the approach more welcoming," explains the proud owner. "Now you can no longer see the house unless you're inside the property."

The residents further de-industrialized the overall look by replacing the austere concrete walkways with textured black Mexican pebbles set in dark concrete. Tropical grasses and stands of bamboo were added to play off the Asian theme established by the low Cambodian-style roof that hangs over the window wall and a bridge that spans the pool.

After a quick debate, the couple decided to keep the bridge, which "went nowhere and really had no reason to be," says the husband. The decision to add a fire pit where the kids could roast marshmallows and adults could gather in the evening to sip wine changed all that. "In architecture, the approach is important but so is the termination. The fire pit not only justifies the bridge, it draws you through the house," he adds. "It combines the indoor/outdoor nature of the house that now flows like an open tent."