This home on Water Mill’s coveted Dune Road offers a new owner a modernist home with a classic view. Built in 1982, this 2,500-square-foot abode was designed to maximize the water views throughout the house. Corcoran listing agent Susan Breitenbach calls it an “upside down house”—not because it’s a mess (au contraire!)—but because the common living areas are on the top floor for taking in sunsets over Mecox Bay on one side and expansive views over the Atlantic on the other. The three bedrooms are on second floor.
Breitenbach said the cedar-clad home is a “pristine property” having had only one owner and also for its relative isolation, protected by tall sea grasses and other natural beach vegetation that give the impression of solitude.
“We don’t really have places with dramatic views like this on the market,” she says. “This is nice because you’re close to town—not in the boondocks, but when you’re there, you feel like you’re a million miles from everywhere.”
Sited on 1.7 acres with a long deck stretching to the bay, the three-story cube-shaped house boasts multiple exterior decks on two levels for outdoor leisure or simply gazing out over the water. Architectural plans have been drawn to activate the rooftop with additional features—a built-in bar and entertainment space with a fireplace, a structural canopy and adjacent rock and sculpture garden (inquire with listing agent about status of plans).
A tone of airiness is set through the ground-floor entry with floor-to-ceiling windows and open staircases leading to the upper floor. Adjacent to the entry is a kitchenette and bathroom that serve the 750-square-foot deck area that leads to the 550-square-foot pool. Numerous storage spaces on this level can accommodate recreational equipment, making up for the lack of a garage. Throughout the house, stone and oak floors provide design continuity.
The second floor includes the master bedroom and a blue-glass tiled bathroom with its own 55-square-foot deck, and two bedrooms that share a bathroom. The larger of the two bedrooms includes a 190-square-foot southeast-facing deck. All the bedrooms offer water views.
But it is the top floor that steals the show, with nearly 360-degree views of either the bay or the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows. The staircase opens to a 665-square-foot open living and dining room plan that leads into the kitchen, so no walls obstruct the view from side to side of the house. Indeed, the only interior walls on this floor are those separating the bathroom and a 175-square-foot study/media room from the main attraction.
The minimalist kitchen features sleek custom cabinetry and integrated appliances —even then, the cooktop blends in so the counter lines are uninterrupted. A 120-square-foot deck off the kitchen offers outdoor dining.
The grounds around the house have been planted with flora and fauna that are natural to the beach environment. Low, colorful beach shrubs hug the Belgian block-lined walkway and the wooden dock leading to the bay before giving way to tall sea grass. The crushed-stone driveway is thickly lined with dense trees and tall shrubs offering privacy from the road and neighbors.
Indeed, privacy is what this dune enclave is all about, says Breitenbach. “You have some pretty high-profile people who could live anywhere but who live here.”
The house is situated between the Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club and the Water Mill Beach Club, with numerous beaches in between. The hamlet of Water Mill is four and half miles away via Mecox Road and is home to the Parrish Art Museum, the Clay Art Guild and the historic Water Mill Community Center, which hosts pickelball, tennis, baseball and soccer games, an annual family picnic and rocket launch for kids, and offers modestly priced memberships.
The home lists for $17,250,000 and can be seen here.
