East Hampton home blurs boundaries between indoor, outdoor space
This East Hampton home, listed for $2.85 million, was designed by its owner. Credit: Town and Country Real Estate / Tony Calarco
Every detail of this East Hampton home listed for $2.85 million — from its subtle repeating design elements, to its simple palette of materials, lighting, artwork and furnishings — was carefully chosen and designed by homeowner and architect Reid Balthaser.
With an exterior made of cedar and stucco and an interior of matching materials and colors, Balthaser’s 3,330-square-foot home aims to achieve a sense of openness and transparency between the inside and outside. “There’s a very fluid connection between interior and exterior,” Balthaser says. “Sometimes when you’re inside the house, the boundaries are blurred.”
This modern home on about a half-acre is actually two structures positioned at slight angles to each other and linked by a glass-enclosed breezeway. One structure, which Balthaser calls the “living bar,” includes a living room, large, open eat-in-kitchen and TV lounge. The second, two-story structure — the “sleeping bar” — is made up of four en-suite bedrooms.
“It’s a very simple breakdown between public and private space that’s linked with an open glass connection.” Within this connection is a large dining area that opens to a courtyard, heated in-ground pool and dining pavilion at the backside of the house.
“It’s a very self-contained house,” says Balthaser, noting that the pool, outside dining area and grill are close to the home. “It feels like once you get to the house, you really don’t have to go anywhere.”
Though Balthaser designed the house in the modern style, he says it is also a warm home. “The interior is clean and restrained, but I did also want there to be warmth and a sense of enclosure and privacy,” he says. He notes that using cedar — though not in the traditional shingle style — is in keeping with material you see in the area. And the long walkway that runs from the parking area in front of the house through to the pool in the back of the house, is a welcoming element.
The property is lised with William Stoecker of Town & Country Real Estate.
