Listing of the Day
Location: Southampton, New York Price: $5.95 million
A little house was perched on the highest point above Shinnecock Bay. It had the best view of any home in the area, but its vibe was more “Staten Island suburb” than “Southampton beach house.”
But that didn’t discourage owners Bryan Eure and Bill White from buying the property in 2015. Mr. Eure, who works for London-based insurance brokerage Willis Global and has made a hobby of renovating fixer-uppers, saw the home’s potential.
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Mr. White, who is chairman and CEO of Constellations Group, agreed. And sure enough, one year later, the old house has been transformed into a stunning, shingled cottage used as a summer getaway.
Just how bad was the original? Mr. Eure laughs and rattles off some of the charmingly outdated design details: Pickled cabinetry. Wicker furniture. Balloon curtains. No air conditioning. Sewing room. Only one bathroom. Liner pool. And stucco—lots and lots of stucco.
The couple decided a gut renovation was needed. They stripped the house down to its bones and rebuilt it as a traditional New England beach cottage, but with an open-air, modern sensibility. They blew open all the walls and added windows to the back of the house, so the ocean is visible from every room. Upstairs, they reconfigured the floor plan to give each bedroom its own bathroom.
Downstairs, they finished the basement, transforming it into an entertainment level that opens onto the backyard and pool area. Said Mr. Eure, “We like to say that the garden level does double duty as a pool house—it’s got its own shaded patio, its own wet bar,” in addition to the guest bedroom and bath.
Just beyond the pool, a stairway leads down a 70-foot bluff to the beach below.
The Stats
The 3,600-square-foot house has four bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one partial bath, including the refurbished guest suite in the basement.
Design Pedigree
For the renovation, the couple commissioned Bill Suk of Suk Design Group. At the helm of the interior design was Mr. Eure, who isn’t exactly a novice; he had previously designed a Manhattan townhouse and is now working on a loft.
Amenities
The home’s special features include a media room, a saline swimming pool with an eight-person hot tub, two wet bars and a fire pit. It’s also a smart home, so everything from the central air conditioning to the sound system can be controlled via iPhone.
Talking Point
Mr. White and Mr. Eure’s 2011 wedding was featured in the New York Times, not only for its star-studded guest list, but for its political impact. The couple wed shortly after the Marriage Equality Act legalized same-sex marriage in New York State, and the celebration was aimed to draw attention to the cause. Their wedding took place at the now-shuttered Four Seasons restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, with Aretha Franklin moonlighting as the wedding singer.
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Individually, the men are active on a host of other humanitarian and environmental issues. Mr. White, who formerly served as president of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, helps military soldiers, veterans and their families through the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Intrepid Relief Fund, as well as the Fisher House Foundation. Mr. Eure was on the board of the Friends of the High Line park in Manhattan and spent years as a trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Neighborhood Notes
Mr. Eure calls Atterbury Estates the “hidden secret of the Hamptons.” Located about 10 minutes from the Village of Southampton and less than two hours from New York City, the enclave can be reached without getting snarled in East Hampton traffic. The home sits on the highest point of the bay, “so it’s almost like you have the whole view to yourself,” said Mr. Eure—not bad for a little cottage surrounded by mega-mansions.
Agent: Tim Davis, Corcoran Group
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