July 15-31, 2008

FEATURES

(Page 2 of 3)

"Friends invited us out for the weekend and when I saw this place I fell in love with everything—the air, the ocean and the atmosphere," says Stephan. His wife, a real estate agent, totally concurs, adding "the beaches and the incredible light" to the list of attractions. A week later they purchased their first house and began an evolving relationship with the beach community that included summer commutes from Germany and culminated with settling full-time in Southampton in 2005.

Michaela discovered the residence that would ultimately become their permanent family home. "I always jogged past this place with a high picket fence with overgrown roses and tried to peek in but couldn't see anything," she says. When the couple heard the property might be coming on the market, they didn't hesitate. "We fell in love with it and bought it," says Stephan.

On approach, a pair of venerable maple trees defines the entry, and inside imported wood windows and doors, and distinctive hardware appealed to the couple's European sensibilities. "The original owners brought back things like wood from an old London tobacco store and wide plank floors from South America," says Michaela, noting they are only the second owners. "The basic house was beautiful and when the windows are open you can hear the ocean—another great plus."

But, not surprisingly, the century-old residence lacked the proper flow for a 21st-century family, most noticeably in the kitchen where they opted to turn a warren of five small spaces into one inviting gathering place. "We entertain all the time," says Michaela who replaced the dated cabinets and appliances with a sleek ultra modern custom German design. "Two of our children go to boarding school and when they come home for a weekend they bring lots of friends. I can get a call on Thursday night that I need to cook schnitzel for fifteen."

Elsewhere in the house a trio of sitting rooms was opened up to create a larger area with views to the profusion of established rhododendrons in the garden. The new master suite features a private terrace and outsized windows that frame vistas of the grounds.