‘Queer Eye’ OG Thom Filicia Treats Himself to a House in the Hamptons

It’s good to be Thom Filicia! The Queer Eye alum and much-published interior designer makes his primary home in Manhattan’s trendy Chelsea neighborhood. A Syracuse native, he’s also long owned property in the upstate community of Skaneateles. Last year, the design and lifestyle maven sold a lakefront property for $4.6 million, almost five times the $985,000 he paid in 2008, but he still owns another property that he’s converting into apartments.

After he sold up in Skaneateles, Filicia set his real estate sights on the Hamptons, where last fall he plunked down $4 million for a home in the North Haven area of Sag Harbor. Home to Jimmy Buffett, Julie Andrews, and formerly Matt Lauer and Richard Gere, North Haven is situated on a peninsula, and given that there are no commercial properties, it is a quiet oasis just a stone’s throw from the hustle-bustle of Sag Harbor and East Hampton.

The gated property includes a generous 1.8 acres of land. It’s not on the water, but there’s a very attractive water view as well as access to a private beach and community tennis courts. The house consists of three old shingled barns knocked together; in total, there are five bedrooms and four bathrooms in 2,840 square feet. Extensive pergolas and decking expand the living space further, and there’s a gunite swimming pool and spa.

Listed with Compass agents Cindy Scholz and Chelsea Baetz, marketing material suggested, “There is the possibility to expand” and included renderings to show how “a buyer can update the current house.” It’s not known what plans Filicia has for the place, though one hopes he will maintain the charm of the old barns and, even more importantly, not turn it into a cookie-cutter version of some of the other new builds in the area. Judging by Filicia’s tasteful interior design work, however, that’s unlikely to happen.

Indeed, designers often let their imagination have free rein with their own homes, not to mention have them published in shelter magazines where readers can glean the best tip and tricks. And with plenty of privacy and room for family and friends, Filicia has made a very smart buy, a canvas ready for his handiwork. It will be exciting to see what the place is like once he’s put his stamp on it.