Betty Wasserman Builds Her Dream House - 27 East

Residence

Residence / 2189999

Betty Wasserman Builds Her Dream House

Number of images 8 Photos
The dramatic twin staircases as seen by night. ERIC STRIFFLER

The dramatic twin staircases as seen by night. ERIC STRIFFLER

A section of glass flooring brings light to the lower level. ERIC STRIFFLER

A section of glass flooring brings light to the lower level. ERIC STRIFFLER

Alison Berger Glassworks pendant lights float above the kitchen island.  ERIC STRIFFLER

Alison Berger Glassworks pendant lights float above the kitchen island. ERIC STRIFFLER

Betty Wasserman's chotchkes on display. ERIC STRIFFLER

Betty Wasserman's chotchkes on display. ERIC STRIFFLER

Designer Betty Wasserman and daughter Milly. STEVEN STOLMAN

Designer Betty Wasserman and daughter Milly. STEVEN STOLMAN

The front elevation is an exercise in symmetry and restraint.  ERIC STRIFFLER

The front elevation is an exercise in symmetry and restraint. ERIC STRIFFLER

The fully equipped hair and nail salon.  ERIC STRIFFLER

The fully equipped hair and nail salon. ERIC STRIFFLER

The heated loggia echos the interiors.  ERIC STRIFFLER

The heated loggia echos the interiors. ERIC STRIFFLER

Autor

House Proud

  • Publication: Residence
  • Published on: Aug 21, 2023
  • Columnist: Steven Stolman

For Betty Wasserman, her proudest professional accomplishment is the highly personal Southampton getaway that she built for herself, her daughter Milly and their two poodles. But this onetime fine art consultant and dealer turned accomplished interior designer is no stranger to doing things on her own.

A single mom (“by choice,” she states clearly) who began her career at Bain & Company in Boston, Wasserman’s trajectory has been blessed by her finely tuned ability to set goals and achieve them solo. “At Bain, you learn how to figure out a business from the ground up,” she said. And that’s exactly how she approached the clean-lined modern farmhouse that is programmed to suit her needs to a T.

So much of the house is based on her own unique experiences. “I have always lived in lofts in the city,” Wasserman explained. “I still do, in Chelsea, so the floating fireplace wall is a nod to that.” It divides the living area from the dining area and kitchen and is artfully clad in soothing Pelle Grigio marble. A pair of staircases dominates the space, with one hovering above a dramatic glass floor that reveals a small glimpse of the house’s lower level. Both sets of stairs lead to respective guest rooms with en suite baths. Her gallerist past is expressed in the décor. There’s nary any color, just soft grays and whites with the subtlest touches of blue here and there. An installation of delicate white and gold porcelain flowers seems to flutter above the sofa. “I was working with my own budget, not my clients’. So there’s a lot of high-low,” she said.

The large open kitchen is a perfect illustration of that strategy. While all cabinet fronts are custom made, the innards are all from IKEA. There was no scrimping though when it came to the Sub-Zero fridge. “It cost as much as my first car!” Wasserman laughed. The same can be said about the Alison Berger Glassworks pendants that descend over the island from the soaring ceiling. They provide a decided sense of luxe. Off to one side of the kitchen is an intensely efficient small room that doubles as a pantry and home office, complete with refrigerated drawers for backup beverages and dedicated spaces for every imaginable serving piece, along with a cleverly outfitted work station that includes a concealed printer. The other side is Wasserman’s retreat: a Venetian plastered primary bedroom with a long banquette over more purposely outfitted cabinetry. “For all my shoes!” she explained.

Her bath is equally personal, with a completely open shower and tub at one end. The whole floor is heated and subtly sloped toward a lateral drain. “Once any of my clients see it, they all want a bath like this for themselves!” she said. A cozy study and powder room occupies the opposite corner of the house and can function as an additional bedroom.

The same kind of purposeful thought is evident throughout the lower level. “All my ‘tchotchkes’ are in one place,” Wasserman said, pointing to an orderly set of shelves set into a marble-clad continuation of the floating fireplace wall above. The big surprise comes next: a fully outfitted hair and nail salon. “It’s our favorite place to be. We’ll have Friday girl’s night,” Wasserman said. Equally purposeful is the ballet studio, as Milly is a longtime competitive figure skater. Now at NYU, she is a member of the university’s team that is currently in third place nationally.

The house’s exterior space follows is in sync with the interiors, with a large covered loggia for lounging and dining facing a perfectly centered pool and guest house. Every element, from the predipped cedar shingles — “They’ll outlive all of us,” Wasserman said — to the maintenance-free stand-seamed metal roof to the single line of pristine white hydrangea trees are examples of the kind of meticulous, solution-based thinking that define designers like Betty Wasserman. What is intuitive to her escapes most ordinary folks. Her triumphant house is a prime example of that talent.

AutorMore Posts from Steven Stolman

Joey Wölffer and Max Rohn’s Eclectic North Haven Home

Look up the words “multitasker” and “risktaker” in any dictionary and you’re bound to find ... 3 Sep 2023 by Steven Stolman

Peter Hallock and Craig Mowry's Otherworldly Cedar Crest Cottage

There are some houses that defy description, so unique and chock full of visual treats ... 28 Aug 2023 by Steven Stolman

Artist-in-Residence: Larry Boschetto and Steven Kinder’s Water Mill Estate

Retired ad exec Larry Boschetto, whose CV includes CEO/COO of one of the world’s largest ... 14 Aug 2023 by Steven Stolman

Picture Perfect: Randi and Bob Tabor's East Hampton Home Perfectly Showcases a Photographer's Vision

When advertising industry legend Bob Tabor was ready to say goodbye to Madison Avenue for ... 7 Aug 2023 by Steven Stolman

Lydia and Rudy Touzet’s Southampton Village Charmer

When Lydia and Rudy Touzet purchased their Southampton Village house in 2019, they were already ... 31 Jul 2023 by Steven Stolman

2023 Hampton Designer Showhouse Mirrors Today’s Tastes

In the world of high style interior design, the longstanding platform of the designer showhouse ... 26 Jul 2023 by Steven Stolman

Legendary Grey Gardens Reborn Once More, by Fashion Star Liz Lange

For fashion designer and entrepreneur Liz Lange, who single-handedly revolutionized women’s maternity wear before moving ... 17 Jul 2023 by Steven Stolman

2023 Holiday House Hamptons Makes the Case for Modern in Both Architecture and Art

In 2008, designer and breast cancer survivor Iris Dankner came up with a novel concept: ... 10 Jul 2023 by Steven Stolman

For Jeff and Mala Sander, a Modest Bay Point Cottage Is 'Heaven'

With so many aspects of “the old Hamptons” disappearing at a dizzying pace, associate real ... 5 Jul 2023 by Steven Stolman

Kristen Farrell, Designer and Developer

Kristen Farrell’s imprint on the Hamptons cannot be ignored. For 18 years, while serving as ... 26 Jun 2023 by Steven Stolman