If you’re looking for all the creature comforts in a summer rental house, then this high-style Victorian in Southampton might fill the bill.
Built in 1880 and recently renovated, this classic shingled home offers everything you need for a summer’s worth of porch sitting, outdoor dining, pool swimming and lawn lounging. Owned by a former quilt designer with a celebrity following (Demi Moore is a collector), the home has been featured in numerous design and home magazines such as Country Living, ELLE Décor and House Beautiful.
“Her designs are collected all over the world and you can see those touches in the house,” says Erin Boisson Aries, the Douglas Elliman listing agent for property. “What stands out for me is that it was renovated to really ensure a carefree but luxurious lifestyle. If feels like what one would want in a vacation home or how to spend their summer.”
Sited on a half acre mid-block on Post Crossing, the house is set back from the street by a generous front lawn and behind leafy mature trees, one of the features of this block between Main and Elm streets.
“This particular block is known for its 100-year-old trees and on this property you have apple, a mature Japanese maple and other maple trees, hydrangeas and rhododendrons,” Boisson Aries says, adding, “The gardens are exquisite and one of the most special aspects of the property.”
Available by the month or for the season, the six-bedroom home is set up for comfy entertaining with two wrap-around porches, two living rooms on the first floor, a large chef’s eat-in kitchen and access to a large covered dining area on the patio with additional seating.
The formal living room features a classic bay window that lets in ample light, a wood-burning fireplace and for those with musical inclinations, a Steinway grand piano. A wood-burning fireplace with an antique wooden mantle anchors the more casual family room, which can be closed off from the adjacent kitchen by reclaimed sliding barn doors. Through the home are wide-plank pine floors, some decorated with patterned rugs that reflect the owner’s interest in textile arts.
The kitchen has been completely renovated with double sinks and appliances (dishwasher and Sub-Zero refrigerators), an eight-burner Viking stove with a griddle for Sunday pancakes, ample counter space and a large island with a sink for food prep. All the cabinets are custom built; the counters are Calacatta marble, as is the mosaic floor with its fan pattern. The interior kitchen table seats eight, and French doors lead out to the porch and covered pillared dining area that seats up to 12 at the table. Two swinging seats provide additional seating and vantage points for admiring the flowering shrubs in the back yard.
The first level also includes two guest rooms, one with an ensuite bath and two full baths with common access. The finished basement level has double commercial-grade laundry appliances.
The remaining bedrooms are on the second floor: two guests rooms share a bathroom and a large kids’ room with three single beds has its own bathroom—all are decorated with furniture in keeping with the Victorian era and vintage-style textiles. The commanding feature of the second floor, though, is the oversized primary suite with two separate sitting areas, a wood-burning fireplace, bay window alcove overlooking the back yard and cathedral ceilings. The large primary bathroom features a spa shower with a rainfall showerhead, a large soaking tub and marble floors.
The backyard cottage with French doors offers entertaining space adjacent to the 20×40 heated pool, and can be used to accommodate overflow guests: it has a sleeping loft, full bathroom, kitchenette and a pool table.
“Southampton Village possesses a laid back yet stylish vibe, thanks to its plethora of retail offerings,” Boisson Aries said, noting the house is a stone’s throw away from shops and dining, and a half a mile from the train station (Montauk Branch). There’s water access nearby: Little Plains, Gin and Cryder beaches are all less than two miles away. Agawam Lake is just over a half mile away, and the farmer’s and artisan’s market at Agawam Park, at the top of the lake, is open every Sunday until Sept. 10 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Also near the lake, on 51 Pond Lane, is the Pyrrhus Concer Homestead, historic home of the prominent African American whaler, which received a village landmark designation in 2021 after a community grassroots effort to save the home from demolition. It is only the second property connected to African American history in Southampton to receive local landmark designation.
Rental rates for 55 Post Crossing are $40,000 for June, $75,000 for July, $85,000 for August. Longer stays are priced at $155,000 for July through Labor Day and $180,000 for the entire season. All the details can be seen here.
