In a monochromatic world, where white boxes are the default for bland estate settings, a summer home painted to match Hollywood plywood might feel stale.
Perhaps that’s why black and charcoal gray facades and accents are so prevalent in the East End.
“We changed the trim on our shingle cottage from a Martha Stewart-inspired teal-blue to black,” says Arlene Reckson, a broker with Hamptonite and Corcoran, “and we changed the roof to black. Now, if you’re re-shingling or renovating a modern home, black is the preferred color.”
The black steel structure clad in black-stained shingles at 27 Meadowlark Lane in Sag Harbor is an example of a trend currently on the market.
Built in 2020 by Garnet DePasquale Projects, the four-bedroom, six-bathroom home received an Archi Award from the Long Island chapter of the American Institute of Architects for its “quiet presence.”
The property, with its 3,852 square feet, wood-burning fireplace and saltwater pool, was relisted in March by official Frederick Warrenmeyer for $7.49 million.
At 139 Seascape Lane in Sagaponack, three two-story black beam and glass buildings are clad in Alaskan cedar plank exteriors.
The bold five-bedroom, eight-bathroom, 5,650-square-foot home, designed by Bates Masi + Architects, is listed for sale by Serhant’s Sean Egan for $15.5 million.
Still, Reckson says the traditional white summer home shouldn’t be simply dismissed as bland. “At the Dakota, John and Yoko painted everything white,” she says of Lennon and Ono’s famous New York home. “Painting white on white was revolutionary in the late 1960s, when our parents’ house was painted blue and green.”
She has one such novelty whites-only property listed at 12 Glen Oak Court in Wainscott.
Funky, flowing, curvaceous and gleaming, the 13,800-square-foot stucco home with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms is as much a sculpture as it is a home.
It features 28-foot ceilings, a Gunn-Light heated pool and a unique 64-square-foot stainless steel hot tub, and is listed for $9.4 million.
The four-bedroom, five-bathroom, 5,500-square-foot home at 64 W. End Ave. in East Hampton also has a striking all-white design. It sits on a peninsula jutting out into Georgica Pond.
The roof is also white like rice.
Though the swan can be seen from space, it would cost $38 million to move in (and the home currently has no occupancy permit). The property is listed by Paul Brennan of Douglas Elliman. “Architecture is like fashion; it goes in and out of style,” Reckson says. “But on the beach, a white house surrounded by blue skies and sand always looks fresh and inviting.”
