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WHEN PHOTOGRAPHERS WOLFGANG AND ANTONIA LUDES RENOVATED THEIR EAST HAMPTON HOME, EVERY SQUARE INCH EMERGED READY FOR ITS CLOSE-UP

Wolfgang Ludes and his wife Antonia weren't seriously shopping for a vacation retreat when their broker called them about an East Hampton property. While its location sounded promising—ideally situated between the beach and the village—the barn-like structure failed to make much of an impression on the creative couple: He is a highly acclaimed fashion photographer and designer; she is a photographer who also freelances as a creative director for such magazines as Nest. Previously, they were both busy with Madison, a magazine they started.

"Everything was wrong," says Wolfgang, mincing no words about the house and the property. Not only was there no driveway or landscaping, he recalls, but it was simply not the style of house the Ludes family was seeking. Self-proclaimed minimalists, with a lively three-year-old daughter in tow, they had their hearts set on modern. But something about the 2,500-square-foot East Hampton house and its two-and-a-half acre lot compelled them to reconsider. "We loved the atmosphere—the house was in perfect harmony with the area and the environment," Antonia says.

With an eye to creating outdoor spaces, the couple's initial remodeling efforts focused on the landscaping. Opting to "clean rather than clear," they eliminated all dead tree branches and fallen debris to allow the shades of natural greenery to show through. They added a new wooden deck that wraps around the house and incorporates some of the trees, some of which shoot through the wood, as a design element. "We wanted to work with the property, not destroy it," says Wolfgang, who this month is opening a show of his photography at the new Kezler Gallery in Southampton.