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The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center’s 2019 House & Garden Tour on Friday, July 19, offers access to a handful of the greater Westhampton area’s most beautiful and charming homes and backyards.
Two such homes are right down the street from each other in the hamlet of Remsenburg, 96 and 124 South Country Road.
Originally built in 1877, and renovated and added onto in 2008, the traditional two-story home at 124 South Country Road is complemented by a garage/barn set between a basketball half-court and a large gunite pool. Also on the grounds is a tall decorative windmill.
Deirdre S. DeVita, a broker with Brown Harris Stevens who is representing the Remsenburg homes, said No. 124 is stately and gracious, but demure. “Certain homes have a feeling when you walk into them,” she said, and in this house it feels “like a lot of good living has gone on here.”
Tourgoers will see the six impeccably decorated bedrooms and five fireplaces throughout the house, as well as the many living spaces. While meals can be taken in the formal dining room with paneled walls and a built-in china cabinet, the kitchen area—served by a butler’s pantry—offers both counter seating and a dining table. Also in the kitchen, a sitting area with a couch and comfy chairs is next to a pizza oven.
The other side of the pizza oven is a full fireplace serving the sun room—another space to sit, talk and relax, of which this house has many.
The way the new parts of the home were integrated with the old was very graceful and well resolved, Ms. DeVita said.
The house at 96 South Country Road is the home of Mariette Himes Gomez, the renowned interior designer. It dates back to the 1790s and has been renovated as recently as 2001. There are additional buildings on the property that tourgoers will also get to see inside.
Two small guest cottages—dubbed “White Cottage” and “Pink Cottage” for their decorative themes inside—offer privacy for houseguests.
A small hut with flora taking over the exterior was formerly an ice house but today is a sauna. “It went from cold to hot,” Ms. DeVita said.
The main house, with fireplaces and wide-plank floors that hint at the age of the structure, is decorated with oil portraits, maps, drawings and other artwork. From the entry to the library with its sophisticated book collection, to the living room with vaulted ceilings, to the sunroom, there are many details to admire.
Ms. DeVita said tourgoers look forward to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center’s House & Garden Tour every year because they pass by many homes and wonder what’s inside the fence—and this is their chance to see for themselves.
Also featured on the self-guided tour are a modern home in Westhampton and a private garden. The full map will be available to registrants. Guests may begin their tour as early as 11 a.m., and the last entry is 3:30 p.m. Children, pets and cameras will not be admitted.
Tickets are $85 for the tour only or $135 for the tour plus lunch by chef Starr Boggs. Purchase at whbpac.org. For more information, call 631-288-2350, extension 117.
Staff Writer on Jul 8, 2019