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 a picture of Joey Wölffer.

Best known as the co-owner and chief brand officer of Wölffer Estate, the 175-acre Sagaponack winery, both Wölffer the wines and Wölffer the woman are synonymous with the best of the Hamptons aesthetic. The now iconic rosé “Summer in a Bottle” cannot be ignored, as it appears pretty much on every restaurant menu on the East End, is a staple at private parties galore and is front and center at local liquor stores. With a production of nearly 100,000 cases annually, the wine has become a significant contributor to the American rosé tsunami, with the distinction of being the No. 1 fastest growing rosé in New York City.

Born and raised in Manhattan and a graduate of Vanderbilt University, winemaking was the furthest thing from Wölffer’s mind in terms of a career. Always a fashionista, in addition to being a champion equestrian, she found early success as a jewelry designer in London before returning to New York to take positions first as a designer at footwear staple Nine West that led to serving as trend director for the entire Jones Apparel Group, allowing her to travel the world in search of inspiration. But the 2008 loss of her father, Christian, founder of the Wölffer Estate, to a swimming accident in Brazil, reset her focus. She envisioned a business that could satisfy her entrepreneurial instincts along with her insatiable wanderlust. Too, she felt compelled to further the Wölffer legacy with something of her own. So she exited the corporate fashion world and founded the Styleliner, a 27-foot former potato chip truck, reimagined into a highly curated fashion and accessories boutique on wheels. Admittedly inspired by the burgeoning food truck phenomenon, she crisscrossed the country — from the Hamptons to D.C. to Palm Beach to Los Angeles — selling vintage finds along with her own creations. It was a hit from the get-go.

But the reality of becoming a co-owner with half-brother Marc of the vineyard, tasting room, wine stand and stables, along with meeting and marrying her husband, Max Rohn (a former IT exec, and since 2013, CEO of Wölffer Estate) gave cause to yet another change in course. The couple returned to the Hamptons full-time, both of them assuming active roles at Wölffer Estate while Wölffer morphed the Styleliner into an eponymous brand with a brick-and-mortar shop in Sag Harbor. Exhausted yet? Add two young daughters along with a pair of rescue dogs. Clearly the time had come for a proper house.

The Wölffer-Rohn home is an unpretentious, family-friendly house bordering a nature preserve in North Haven, with a fascinating past. It began its life as a small turn-of-the-century house on land that was once a dairy farm, as evidenced by a nearby cow barn. Its previous owner was John Avedon, son of the legendary fashion photographer Richard Avedon, and author of the definitive authorized biography of the Dalai Lama. Avedon expanded the house, both out and up, in a gentle post-modern farmhouse style. Fortunately, he kept many of the original elements intact, such as rough-sawn beams and some window placements. Wölffer and Rohn bought it from Avedon in 2017 and enlisted designer Alden Fenwick, who also created the interiors at the winery, to help make the house their own. More furnished than decorated, it is a living showcase of the couple’s tastes and passions — global travel, a mix of various cultures, and many examples of Rohn’s artful photography. A light-filled gallery extends beyond the entrance, ending at a family dining area that opens onto a relaxed shaded deck and pool beyond. Off the gallery is a cozy library that illustrates the connection to the original structure, what with its low ceiling and time-worn beams. A chic tiger velvet sofa adds a touch of drama, made less dressy by a pair of chairs draped in sheepskin throws.

“When you stand in here,” Wölffer said, “you feel a totally different energy.”

Beyond the dining alcove is the surprise of a spacious great room featuring a large open kitchen and lots of comfy seating, including a beloved pair of suzani upholstered chairs that Wölffer bought when she was 24. Another dining arrangement again points to her bohemian sensibilities and talent for combining disparate elements, constantly evolving with pieces from travel along with new art finds. A turned-leg farmhouse table is paired with a set of midcentury modern-style woven cane-back chairs. A stark slate gray accent wall is hung with a pair of hand-painted chinoiserie wallpaper panels. It’s all a stylish mix.

Pointing to the house’s equally eclectic layout, Rohn explained, “There are two separate basements and four sets of stairs that go up to four completely disconnected bedrooms.” One in particular guested the Dalai Lama himself during the Avedon years. But what many young families might find daunting, the Wölffer-Rohn family embraces. “We wanted a house that would be a character in our kids’ lives,” Rohn continued. “It’s disjointed, but it all works together.”

For this multifaceted, lively Hamptons family, truer words have never been spoken.