THE MINGLERS

HAMPTONS PROPERTY OWNERS ARE THINKING ABOUT THE HOME AND GARDEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY—THEY START BY TAKING OUT THE “AND.” OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS BLENDS THE TRENDS. MODERATED BY MICHAEL BRAVERMAN

Hamptons property owners are thinking about the home and garden in a different way—they start by taking out the “and.” Our panel of experts blends the trends.

Outdoor rooms and transitional spaces are integrating the onceseparate realms of home and garden like never before. Giving us their thoughts this week are architects West Chin and Blaze Makoid, brokers Sarah Minardi and Carol Nobbs, environmental and landscaping experts Frank Dalene and Stephen Dellapolla, wealth manager Andy Stern, and entrepreneur Dennis Finnerty.

How are you seeing people combine indoors and out? Dennis Finnerty: I’m seeing flat roofs, in the wake of new FEMA regulations. One [owner] in Water Mill wanted a tennis court. There was no way to get the clearing for it adjacent to the wetlands. Lo and behold, it ended up on the roof. Blaze Makoid: Roof decks don’t end up getting used very often. Sarah Minardi: They’re great for resale. Great for photos. BM: It’s hard to connect activities vertically. Stephen Dellapolla: People are flipping the house so the bedrooms are downstairs, the kitchen upstairs, so it’s closer to the roof garden. SM: Anybody looking to buy out here wants to walk in the door and see outside. They want to see the lawn and the pool. They don’t want a wall blocking it. Frank Dalene: Your indoor space is becoming your outdoor space. Even traditional window

manufacturers are doing huge window-wall systems. Carol Nobbs: Now the hottest is this fire pit which everyone sits around. Andy Stern: We designed a little kitchen garden right next to our outdoor kitchen and pizza oven. You can go right from the tomato plant to the pizza. DF: What about materials? When I started out here in the ’80s, it was all wood. Now it’s stone, a lot of steel, and metal. Sometimes they carry the stone from the inside to the outside. SD: A lot of that is low maintenance, right? People don’t want painting in their life. What are the best investments in garden design? BM: Low maintenance. SD: You have to go to that because of the deer problem. FD: Today we’re using less pesticides and becoming more sustainable. The newest thing I’ve seen is shallow drainage fields that allow plants to put roots down and get nitrates out of the effluent. CN: Our customer base has a different mind-set from what we used to get. We’re all finally environmentally aware. It’s been a long, slow process. FD: We’re getting there. We haven’t arrived. My goal is to be fossil-fuel independent. SD: So much of it is about the Internet and seeing what the rest of the world is doing, knowing we don’t live in an isolated community that’s not affected by pollution. AS: Advanced designs require more up-front spending; fortunately, the clientele out here is willing to undertake that. BM: Jurisdictions are making that happen. Energy codes have gotten exponentially tougher. What about in your brokerage and

design work? SM: The clientele is more educated about what’s available. They start their search online. Pictures get them in there. And clearing is a big issue. Nobody can just clear acres because they want lawn. BM: Lots of our projects are site-sensitive. SD: It’s going to get worse. There’s not a lot of vacant property. AS: People pay premium even though the house will be torn down. How are people spending their money? AS: People want to generate more value with what they have, rather than trading up or down. They’re renovating. People have to have an emotional connection to what they’re investing in for it to have a really strong result. FD: If somebody’s not doing solar panels, they’re not financially responsible. There’s the payback period of six years for a lifespan on panels between 30 and 40 years. You have 24 years of free electricity. SD: Value is all about happiness. Some people’s is based on making an extra $500,000. Other people’s is based on every day you go out, the kids run outside, and it’s a safe zone. What interesting homes and gardens have you seen lately? West Chin: One is Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan; the other is one of those nine-year leases down at Lazy Point. I fish there. The wild grasses, the sand—it’s almost the most amazing backyard possible. The property is so small, you can’t do anything. All you have is what God gave you.

“PEOPLE WANT TO WALK IN THE DOOR AND SEE OUTSIDE. THEY DON’T WANT A WALL BLOCKING IT.” — sarah minardi

MEET THE PANELISTS (above, from left) Carol Nobbs, licensed associate real estate broker, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, 2488 Main St., Bridgehampton, 631-204-2714; elliman.com Stephen Dellapolla, president, Dellapolla Landscaping & Masonry,...

Designed by Bates Masi + Architects and built by Frank Dalene’s Telemark, this Amagansett beach retreat uses quirky geometry to maximize views of the landscape.

Blaze Makoid, Andrew Stern, Frank Dalene, and Carol Nobbs.

Inside, the walls of glass surrounding the kitchen and dining area offer sweeping views and provide the sensation of living outdoors.

An arbor covered with mature wisteria provides ample shade for lounging by the pool at 50 Osborne Lane in East Hampton, listed by Sarah Minardi. LEFT: Blaze Makoid, Dennis Finnerty, and Sarah Minardi.

A cozy hammock beneath the celestial window of the great room is the perfect spot for a relaxing afternoon at 48 Sherrill Road in East Hampton, a Sarah Minardi listing. LEFT: Frank Dalene and Carol Nobbs at Wölffer Estate.

For this home in North Haven, Blaze Makoid Architecture created an entryway below a second-floor bedroom to an open-air courtyard, mingling indoor and outdoor spaces. above: West Chin.