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    Is This Wooded Enclave the Best-Kept Secret in the Hamptons?

    Tucked away from the opulent seafood towers at Le Bilboquet in Sag Harbor, The Surf Lodge’s famously raucous summer soirees in Montauk, and the designer boutiques in downtown East Hampton is a quiet, under-the-radar enclave in the Amagansett North area that is known to those in the know as Devon Colony. Among its laid-back charms are its tiny, no-frills downtown area and its 116-year-old yacht club, its swathes of preserved agricultural land, its authentic fish markets, and historic residences.

    Devon Colony, between East Hampton and Amagansett, was founded in 1908 by four wealthy businessmen from Cincinnati: William Cooper Procter (of Procter & Gamble), Richmond Levering (of Lever Brothers), Joseph Rawn, and William Rowe. The men first came across the area during a hunting trip—back then, hunting was common on the East End of Long Island—and they eventually acquired 1,000 acres in the Amagansett Highlands, where they built a cluster of homes they used as their summer residences. 

    The enclave was one of the first gated communities in the Hamptons, but because Procter & Gamble’s soap sales helped pay for the homes within Devon Colony, it initially garnered a contemptuous reputation among some of the more high-brow Hamptonites as “Soap Hill.” The foursome also founded the still-standing Devon Yacht Club, which includes a small private marina.

    Historic photos of the Procter and Levering homes during construction in 1909.

    Courtesy of the East Hampton Library, Long Island Collection

    Mickey, Marilyn, McCartney

    “Devon Colony is tucked between Napeague Bay and the Atlantic Ocean; it’s much less crowded than the lanes or dunes of Amagansett,” says Martha Gundersen, a listing agent with Douglas Elliman in the Hamptons. “What people love about it are big plots of land surrounded by the Peconic Land Trust, which is state-owned land. There are 500 acres of New York State land that will remain undeveloped that surround Cranberry Hole Road, which is where many of the homes are. Many successful people seeking an under-the-radar destination own here, including [Galaxy CEO] Michael Novogratz, businessman Mickey Drexler, and entrepreneur Fouad Chartouni, among others.”

    Those “others” include Paul McCartney, Alec Baldwin, Randy Lerner, and, on occasion, high-profile renters like Bill and Hillary Clinton; in the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller shacked up for a short time a charming cottage converted from a windmill. Still, despite its history of illustrious residents, Devon Colony has largely remained an unheralded hideaway, with neither a Chanel boutique nor a Sant Ambroeus cafe within miles. 

    More Elbow Room, More Privacy

    “For as long Devon Colony has existed, people have taken the environment into consideration,” Gunderson says. “People come out here to enjoy the bird life and slow-paced living. A certain caliber of people don’t just want a house, they want land, privacy, and to be a part of the community. You’ll see Paul McCartney on his boat driving past, you’ll see Randy Lerner downtown.”

    The completed Procter home, seen here in 1910.

    Courtesy of the East Hampton Library, Long Island Collection

    Gunderson goes on to say that once people get a feel for the landscape of the Hamptons and discover Devon Colony, it appeals because “there’s more elbow room and a more laid-back, less-crowded atmosphere,” she explains. Situated within the elevated Amagansett Highlands, Devon Colony has far-reaching views of Gardiners Bay, the ocean, and the surrounding land. Situated within thickets of forest, horse farms, and farmland, the lack of development is thanks to the large amount of preserved land. 

    Over the years, Devon Colony has also become known to design– and architecture-loving locals for its historic homes and picturesque gardens. Indeed, homes in Devon Colony are regularly included on the East Hampton House and Garden Tour that’s put on annually by the East Hampton Historical Society. 

    Yesterday’s Traditions, Today

    When the men from Cincinnati built their homes for their families, they crafted four grand stucco mansions and one shingle-style home, which were originally known as ‘the cottages.’ The families tapped Cincinnati-based architectural firm Tietig and Lee to create the Italianate villa-style homes with English-style perennial gardens. This stucco-over-concrete style was unusual for the Hamptons at the time. Not just that, but these homes rivaled the size of other famed mansions in Long Island’s blue-blooded Gold Coast, particularly those in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.

    All five of the original homes are still standing, though they’ve had extensive renovations and alterations. Many of the homes have remained in the same families since they were built. The Levering house was last sold in 2018 for $8.75 million to its current owner.

    The original Levering house has undergone several renovations and last sold to its current owner in 2018 for $8.75 million.

    Brown Harris Stevens

    At the heart of the community is the Devon Yacht Club, which has remained largely unchanged since its founding in 1908, and that’s just the way members like it. Situated along Gardiner’s Bay, the club has long been popular as a family-friendly club that hosts kids’ sailing and tennis lessons. It’s also one of the few private members’ clubs that still holds old-school traditions true; a dress code is enforced throughout, from the beach to the dining room and the tennis courts. “They still shoot off a cannon at sundown,” says Paul Brennan, a listing agent with Douglas Elliman, who lives and works in the area.

    Putting Down Roots

    At a time when the Hamptons real estate prices are skyrocketing—and bidding wars have reached an all-time high—agents are seeing increased interest from buyers seeking close proximity to their favorite Hamptons hotspots and the beach, yet with more land, lower taxes, and additional privacy. 

    Among the current offerings is a brand-new, $5 million modern farmhouse-style estate that sits on three quarters of an acre directly across from a 30-acre preserve and an eight-bedroom residence on two acres that’s just five minutes from the beach and priced at $11.7 million. And just south of Montauk Highway, another new build, a 12,400-square-foot spread that borders the golf course of South Fork Country Club and isn’t too far from the popular Amber Waves Farm, Market, and Cafe, is on the market for $14.75 million.

    A brand-new residence on Timber Trail is listed for $11.7 million.

    Liz Glasgow Studios/Douglas Elliman

    “The thing that attracts me the most—and I think the thing that attracts people like the Randy Lerners and Mickey Drexlers of the world, is that they can step onto the public bay beaches and swim, kayak, and paddleboard without anyone bothering them,” Gunderson says. “It offers clean air and a quiet life.” 

    A world apart in many ways, Devon Colony is also convenient to the farm stands in Amagansett, downtown East Hampton and popular hot spots like the Stephen Talkhouse music venue. For many modern buyers, the solitude of the forested land and the working farms might not appeal. But once you get accustomed to the open spaces and slower pace of living, it’s pretty hard to leave.  More

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    This $12.5 Million Arizona Mansion Is a Sports Lover’s Dream

    Located in the exclusive gated enclave DC Ranch/Silverleaf Development in Scottsdale, Arizona, this $12.5 million mansion—owned by former NHL player John Curry—takes the win for the most over-the-top amenities. The 12,000-square-foot home was built in 2020 and has a modern Mediterranean style. It’s situated on a half-acre with a total of eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms across three floors. 

    Designed as the ultimate family compound, this North Scottsdale abode is almost like a mini-resort. The main level features a large great room with double-height ceilings, a dining table, and a fireplace. It’s ideal for those with an impressive art collection thanks to the ample white wall space in nearly every room. Fronting the great room, there are telescoping glass walls that open directly onto the landscaped outdoor sanctuary—complete with a fireplace, dining area, kitchen, a large pool, spa, basketball hoop in the pool, grassy lawn, and sunset-facing views. Surrounding the pool, there are also two covered cabanas, should you need a respite from the omnipresent desert sunshine.

    A disappearing wall of glass unites the double-height great room with the exterior living and entertaining spaces.

    Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty

    The great room connects to the open-plan chef’s kitchen, which has a large center island and marble countertops and backsplashes. The extensive suite of designer appliances includes a built-in coffee maker, a pebble ice maker, two dishwashers, and a steam oven. Oenophiles will also appreciate the nearby bar area, which has a temperature-controlled wine room with wall shelving for showing off your most precious bottles.

    The main level also features a complete primary wing, with the primary bedroom, private office, sumptuous bathroom, and generous closet space. From this level, you can also reach the two attached guest casitas that were designed so that live-in nannies, staff, or out-of-town relatives can enjoy privacy while in town.

    Even the home’s laundry room takes it to another level. It doesn’t just house a washer and dryer; it also has a dedicated dog wash area, so pets can be pampered just as much as the home’s two-legged residents.

    There is a dedicated Peloton room with panoramic neighborhood and mountain views.

    Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty

    The upper level is devoted mostly to kids. There are three en suite bedrooms, a living room with doors that open to a terrace, a TV lounge, and a separate study area. There’s also a dedicated Peloton room with a Peloton bike and treadmill; it has lovely views over Scottsdale.

    The lower level, however, is for serious sports aficionados. There is a professionally designed 72-foot by 30-foot ice hockey rink that can also transform into a state-of-the-art workout room, theater, golf simulator, or sports court (like pickleball or basketball). The lower level also has a lounge area, a bar with interior windows overlooking the hockey rink, and a kid’s bunk room.

    The property is listed with Kathleen Benoit, Bee Francis, and Madelaine Elfgren of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty.

    Click here for more photos of 18802 N. 97th Place.

    Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty More

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    A First Look at The Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences in The Bahamas

    You can now permanently live in one of the world’s most glamorous resort communities. 

    A quick jaunt from Miami, the famed Ocean Club, now a Four Seasons Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, has long been an escape for the world’s elite. The Ocean Club first opened in 1962 and, thanks to its wealthy and well-connected bon vivant businessman owner Huntington Hartford II, immediately became the ultimate Caribbean getaway for a glamorous assortment of international jet-setters and multi-millionaires, Hollywood A-listers, and European royalty. Slim Aarons was a regular; The Beatles recorded a video here; and Zsa Zsa Gabor was a frequent patron. In 2017, Four Seasons was brought in to brand and manage the property, as well as expand the resort’s offerings while honoring its venerable legacy.

    Floor-to-ceiling windows open to covered terraces.

    Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas

    “The Ocean Club has that beautiful, elegant, understated sense of tranquility that very few places get, especially in Nassau or Paradise Island,” says Reid Boren, managing partner at Two Roads Development, a partner on the project. “There’s a really loyal following for The Ocean Club, and families have been coming here for generations.” 

    The brand recently unveiled the soon-to-come Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas, in partnership with Two Roads Development and Access Real Estate to bring a new ownership opportunity to the Bahamas. Set to open in 2027, the 67 turnkey residences will sit in close proximity to the hotel and will be managed by Four Seasons. The residences, designed by SB Architects and Champalimaud Design, will contain between two and five bedrooms and span from a roomy 3,124 to a commodious 7,459 square feet. There will also be a select number of penthouses measuring almost 5,300 square feet, each with a private pool.

    Pricing ranges from $6.5 million to $23 million, and, when not in use, owners can opt to put their Bahamian getaways into a vacation rental pool. 

    “The residential aspect is an experience that regular guests of The Ocean Club want,” he says. “When you’re there, you have your own home and space with your family and friends, yet you can still feel like you’re at the resort.”

    A spacious ocean view terrace is the perfect spot for alfresco meals.

    Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas

    Each home will have a neutral color palette infused with warm, organic materials and will feature a sophisticated take on classic, relaxed Bahamian style, with subtle hints of pink blush in the stonework, stately columns, and deep terraces. There will be seamless access to the outdoors from nearly every room.

    The residences are split between four low-rise structures with beachfront villas along the first levels of each building. At the center of the residential complex is an expansive resident-only pool area and pool deck with a private clubhouse and private cabanas. There’s also direct beach access. 

    The residences will be separate from the resort and have a dedicated team exclusively to service the residents. There will also be a bevy of exclusive amenities in addition to the pool, including an owners’ library, a wine cellar and rum room, a co-working space, a children’s playroom, a media room, indoor and outdoor spa treatment rooms, a fitness center, a beachfront restaurant and bar, and private dining rooms.

    The many amenities include a resident-only library.

    Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas

    Should you want to visit the resort, residents have access to the legendary Ocean Club’s five-star amenities. In addition to three swimming pools and Versailles-inspired gardens that showcase a 12th-century Augustinian cloister, there’s the restaurant Dune, helmed by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, six Har-Tru tennis courts, and eight Balinese-style spa villas. The resort also offers daily yoga and Pilates, as well as a shuttle service to an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf-designed championship golf course.

    The Ocean Club isn’t your typical Four Seasons Resort; it’s infused with period details, European-style gardens, and glamorous grounds. There’s a 12th-century Augustinian cloister and impeccable gardens modeled after Versailles. It’s also set along a five-mile stretch of pristine, white-sand beach.

    Click here for more photos of The Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas.

    Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas More

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    A High Desert Compound Near Joshua Tree Offers Relaxation, Recreation, and Rental Revenue

    An artfully updated four-bedroom ranch house, plus a couple of guest casitas, arresting views of the Sawtooth Mountain Range from the infinity-edge pool, and a party barn inspired by a cult-favorite bar in Hollywood, not to mention the potential to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual rental revenue, are just a few of the appealing features of the Know Where Ranch that sprawls over 2.5 acres in the historic High Desert community of Pioneertown, California. The compound, newly on the market at a sliver under $1.4 million, is listed with Shaun Alan-Lee of Carolwood Estates and Keith Markovitz and Clayton Baldwin at Compass.

    About 125 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, a 45-minute drive from Palm Springs, and a short hop to Joshua Tree, Pioneertown was established in the 1940s as an 1880s-themed town for use as a set for Western films and TV shows. It remains a working set. Gene Autry filmed his weekly show in Pioneertown in the 1950s, and in 2016, Cyndi Lauper shot her western-themed music video for Funnel of Love at the Pappy & Harriet’s, Pioneertown’s legendary roadhouse, barbeque restaurant, and music venue that has played host to a laundry list of performers, including Lucinda Williams, Paul McCartney, Lizzo, Neko Case, and Rufus Wainwright. 

    The 2,800-square-foot home features custom murals and artwork throughout.

    Will Edwards

    Record producer and DJ Aric Christopher acquired the property almost four years ago and has since transformed what was a perfectly ordinary four-bedroom ranch-style home and several unassuming outbuildings into an eclectic retreat for relaxation and recreation, a fashionably funky fusion of artistic élan, western allure, Hollywood glamour, and modern, low-key luxury.

    Beyond the cherry-red front door, animal skulls, cowboy hats, and reclaimed wood framing around the windows add rustic pizazz, while bespoke accents such as the dreamcatcher-like light fixture over the massive kitchen island, as well as custom murals and artworks by artists Penelope Misa and Ron The Killer, inject the house with a playful, one-of-a-kind High Desert bohemian vibe.

    The kitchen is configured around a huge island that will seat a dozen people.

    Will Edwards

    Other highlights include the kitchen, with its massive island that seats a dozen people on an array of vintage bar stools. Several more can gather around the built-in dining banquette in the adjoining breakfast nook. The spacious primary bedroom, dubbed The Roy Rogers Suite and clad in reclaimed wooden planks, includes a morning/evening bar, a claw-foot soaking tub that’s open to the bedroom, and a separate, marble-floored bathroom.

    Covered patios along the back of the house include one equipped with a large wall-mounted TV. Cool off in the infinity-edge pool, meditate or practice yoga on one of the poolside terraces, and watch the sunset while swaying gently in the hammocks hung around a gas fire pit. Elsewhere are a cowboy tub, a flat, raked area for bocce ball and cornhole, and a detached pool bath and outdoor shower. Considering the climate and location, the property includes a 4,500-gallon water storage tank and solar-powered exterior lighting.

    The party barn bar was inspired by the low-key Know Nothing Bar in Hollywood.

    Will Edwards

    In-the-know Angelenos may have already guessed that The Know Where Ranch takes its name from, and the bar inside the party barn takes its design cues from, The Know Where Bar, a beloved, under-the-radar but now shuttered Hollywood boîte that was long on laid-back charm and short on attitude, with sophisticated cocktails and yummy snacks. 

    And finally, the most enticing part of The Know Where Ranch, which has a dedicated Instagram with nearly 15,000 followers, just may be the potential to haul in hundreds of thousands of dollars in rental income. According to marketing materials, between private rental events and vacation rental income, The Know Where Ranch raked in more than $430,000 in total revenue in 2022, with a net income of almost $275,000.

    Click here for more photos of The Know Where Ranch.

    Will Edwards More

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    Second Home are bringing a giant yellow dome to east London

    Second Home will install a blow-up dome in east London this autumn to host creative workshops and yoga sessions for a day.
    The creative incubator and event group’s pneumatic PVC structure – designed by Spanish practice Dosis – rises over eight-metres-high, and can be reconfigured from a single bubble into several rooms using a system of membranes and zippers.
    Dubbed Second Dome, the inflatable installation features a transparent canopy, spotted floor and bright yellow walls that are designed to add a ‘sense of cosiness and warmth’.

    ‘Even though we are diminishing the limits of contact, between nature and inside the structure, the artificial and the natural, we also had the intention of having a very artificial environment that is somehow quite alien,’ says Dosis co-founder Ignacio Peydro. ‘It’s not a space that you can find everywhere.’
    Second Home originally commissioned the dome for business and technology event Founders Forum 2016, but plans to reinflate it in London Fields on 1 October. A day-long programme of community events, including film screenings, animation and design workshops and a wellness programme will be open to local children and families.
    Adds Second Home co-founder Sam Aldenton: ‘There’s an ephemerality that comes with something inflatable, in the sense that what goes up must come down. Architecture has the opportunity to be experimental, and when you’re not working with a fixed building you can push the boundaries that little bit further.’

    After its stint in London Fields, Second Home plans to tour the structure around various locations in London.
    It’s not the only architectural pop-up the company owns. Second Home previously bought the brightly coloured 2015 Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Selgascano, which it plans to turn into a community art space in LA.
    Read next: Selgascano designs the ‘no-phone’ Libreria bookstore in London for Second Home More