On Long Island’s south shore, about halfway between Manhattan and Montauk, the village of Bellport has long flown mostly under the radar.
Sure, people like Isabella Rossellini have owned homes there for decades, and even Vogue honcho Anna Wintour rented there before buying a big spread in a neighboring town. As WWD put it a decade ago, “Rossellini herself was turned on to the area more than two decades ago by photographer Bruce Weber. Many credit Weber, who bought a house in Brookhaven in the Seventies, with making the town fashionable among the style set.” Still, the artsy and affluent community has never really made its mark on the wider stage.
However, properties like this stunning retreat for an art collecting couple from the city may start changing a few minds. Featured on the September, 2020, cover of House Beautiful magazine, the colorfully appointed home is filled with witty art, handsome finishes, and exquisite attention to detail. Asking $3.7 million, the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom house, about 4,000 square feet and set on one acre, is represented by Loretta Drew at Old Purchase Properties.
One potential drawback with the property is that it’s located on the main drag. However, this particular stretch of the road is quiet, plus the driveway is 165 feet long!
The entry hall is quite lovely, with a modern cantilevered staircase by Italian staircase maker Marrietti, and flows into the living room, with its high ceilings, fireplace and arched windows that fill it with natural light. Off the living room, via a wall of French doors, is perhaps the best part of the property, the back yard. There’s a deck with outdoor seating, a fire pit, a 48-foot saltwater pool and a hot tub. An additional deck off the kitchen offers plenty of seating for entertaining.
Back inside, the formal dining room includes barn doors and a mural by London-born artist Shantell Martin, and next to that is a charming kitchen with high-end appliances, soapstone countertops, a breakfast area with a wet bar/coffee station. Adjacent to the kitchen is a cozy den/media room. A laundry room and powder room complete the downstairs.
Upstairs is a lofted seating area that overlooks the living room as well as the master suite, which opens to a balcony with sweeping golf course views. The suite also features two walk-in closets, vaulted ceilings, a bath with large shower, and custom cabinetry throughout. An en-suite guest bedroom completes this wing, while a separate staircase leads to two more en-suite guest bedrooms.
There is a full basement, an attached two car garage and a one-bed/one-bath guest cottage with kitchen and living area.
As for the location, living in Bellport Village includes some privileges outsiders may not know about. In summer, residents and their guests can ride a ferry to a residents-only ocean beach on Fire Island called Ho-Hum. They can also get subsidized membership at the Bellport Country Club, with a golf course and five tennis courts. The village also owns a freshwater pond called Peat Hole that is approached by a path through the woods and used by ice skaters in the winter.
With all the sleepy, fashionable village has to offer, it seems only a matter of time before Bellport becomes a bit better-known among those looking for a seaside getaway without all the notorious traffic hassles and hullabaloo of the Hamptons.
