In Amagansett, a 200-Year-Old Converted Barn Is Packed With Vintage Charm

Amagansett, on Long Island’s East End, is arguably the Hamptons hamlet that most captures the high-low essence of the area. There’s a tony village center with Paltrow-esque shops that hawk cashmere T-shirts, designer coffee, and artisanal cheeses, as well as the Stephen Talkhouse music venue, which hosts local bands as well as Coldplay and Mumford & Sons, but also very sweet old cottages and barns, some of which advertise pony rides on summer Saturdays.

In the 1940s and ’50s, Alfred Scheffer, the so-called “dean of East Hampton architects”, built a number of small, well-designed beach cottages nestled in the Amagansett dunes. This modestly proportioned Amagansett cottage, however, was formerly a barn on Main Street, behind what is now the Miss Amelia Cottage museum. It was moved to its present location near the ocean and converted to a residence by Scheffer in 1955.

Today the house features signature style both from its original agricultural roots — think wide plank floors and old hand-hewn beams — along with Scheffer’s trademarks, such as the massive fireplace made of old bricks. Offering rural charm along with sophisticated amenities, much like Amagansett itself, the 2,000-square-foot cottage, with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, is set on just over a quarter of an acre, and is available at just under $4 million via William R. Kuneth at Brown Harris Stevens.

Lovingly maintained and improved over time, the old barn offers a playful, split-level floor plan with an inviting double-height living room, a sweet country kitchen that contrasts modern appliances with vintage cabinets, and a dining room with French doors to the backyard. The main level also offers a wet bar in a vestibule between the living room and the primary suite. Two more bedrooms and a bath are tucked down on the lower level, while the top floor contains a lofted lounge along with another bedroom and bath.

The most is made of the beach escape’s outdoor space, which includes low-maintenance landscaping, a large patio with an outdoor dining area, and a swimming pool. A fire pit stands ready for roasting s’mores, while the hot tub is a lifesaver for a relaxing soak when the weather gets chilly. At the end of the block, a wooden duckwalk crosses over the dunes to the ocean, where beachgoers should keep an eye out for Sarah Jessica Parker and Andy Cohen, who both own property in the neighborhood.