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The Hampton Designer Showhouse has found a place to transform into a dream house this year.
Located at 233 Old Sag Harbor Road in Bridgehampton, the new modern barn by Christopher Tufo Design and Build sits on a 3.4-acre property. At 6,500 square feet, the speculative two-story home has 7 bedrooms, including a master with a balcony, 8.5 baths, a great room, formal dining room and 5 fireplaces. Once the home is completed, the finished basement will add more square footage and serve as additional space for designers. There’s also a pool, pool house and tennis court. It is on the market for $5.795 million.
“We kept looking for a house, and finally, we had an outreach from a builder. His wife [Hedy Tufo] works at Sothebys International Realty and they said, ‘We have a property that might work,’” recalled Tony Manning, president of the Hampton Designer Showhouse Foundation. “We’re excited about it, because it’s a modern barn style as opposed to a shingle style.” The traditional shingle is a building style that has become more common in new construction on the East End, and, as a result, a more commonly used style of home for past showhouses.
“I think it has a different look. It’s a very bright house, and it has nice features,” said showhouse manager Mary Lynch, who especially liked the new home’s kitchen for its expansive sliding glass doors. “I like the feel of the wall that opens up to the back terrace,” she said.
As with any hunting for a good house, the undertaking was not without its moments of stress. “We always know we’ll find one, but it’s a little nerve-wracking,” said a now relieved Mr. Manning.
Entering its 15th year, the Hampton Designer Showhouse will feature 25 interior designers and decorative artists, although participants are still being selected. The multi-day event raises thousands of dollars for Southampton Hospital and attracts between 7,000 and 8,000 people each year.
Designers will soon be invited to explore the barn and property and make a bid for the spaces they’d like to work with. These makeshift laboratories ultimately reflect the designers’ creative expressions and responses to a space. The home’s location, its lighting, and its views also contribute to the final product. Installation takes roughly five to six weeks.
Once the house is ready for the public, visitors have a few rooms of their own for which they tend to make a beeline. “In any showhouse, if they only have two minutes to run in and out, they all make a point to see the kitchen” and its appliances, said Ms. Lynch. Bathrooms are another popular stop, as guests seek out inspiration for tile design.
For Ms. Lynch, it’s the fabrics that are particularly enticing—”Fabrics, oh my gosh, I love them. I think fabrics are my favorite.”
Presented by Traditional Home magazine, the showhouse will open with a gala preview cocktail party on July 25 and run until September 7. Admission is $35; gala tickets are $225 each.
on May 8, 2015