The northwest corner of East Hampton is a quiet antidote to the summertime frenetic feel of the more southerly parts of the town. At night, by the water, the sparkling lights of Shelter Island, Barcelona Neck, and Sag Harbor can be seen. Real estate dollars go further and the reward is an area that feels a world away — which is why celebrities such as Donna Karan, Diddy, Hugh Jackman and Chris Cuomo choose to dwell here.
Speaking of Karan, high-end art world couple Marlene and Paul Herring originally purchased a house in the Northwest’s prestigious Bulls Path from her daughter Gabby, who’s best known for her Tutto il Giorno restaurants. They sold that place in September for $2.7 million, and have just upgraded to a significantly larger house, still in the Northwest but closer to the beach. The off-market sale closed for $5.65 million, with the Atlantic Team at Douglas Elliman representing both the buyer and seller.
Set on 3.87 acres, the property is located in a waterfront community with private access to Northwest Harbor. Built in 2008, the Mediterranean-style stucco residence offers 9,000 square feet of accommodation. The classically styled house, with 5 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, boasts a two-story foyer with staircase, a grand dining room, formal living room and a spacious kitchen. Leading from the kitchen is a large porch from which to enjoy the views of the surrounding gardens. The house also includes a sitting room, a library/media room, a morning room, a mud room, six fireplaces, and an elevator. The lower level features a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, gym, and a steam sauna.
Outside, there are two garages that house three cars, which includes a studio/workshop with bathroom. There is a gunite pool and spa, a pool house, wisteria covered arbors, and a fountain with a columned pavilion overlooking a croquet lawn. Specimen trees include beech, London plane and cherry trees, along with an allee of hornbeams.
Paul Herring and his identical twin brother John run a very high-end, exclusive art dealership based on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The New York Times wrote about the pair, “Aside from a handful of art-world insiders, few people know who the Herring brothers are. Quietly, they have shaped some of the finest private art collections in this country. The two are matchmakers of a sort, discreetly pairing buyers and sellers of art. They have no public gallery or street-level shop. Instead, they work out of an Upper East Side townhouse.”
The Herrings deal in works by artists such as Tiepolo, David, and Bonvin, and their clients include Ronald and Leonard Lauder. They have also sold paintings for the Louvre, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and to the British Museum. Clearly the brothers’ tastes run to classical and high-end artworks; Paul’s latest purchase, this house, should be a fitting showcase for them.