A Cubist-inspired abstraction by Rodney Graham, mounted on a travertine fireplace surround, presides over the living room of a beach house architect Steven Harris and designer Lucien Rees Roberts conceived for a family in Bridgehampton, New York. A David Weeks Studio sconce hovers next to the customized Francesco Binfaré sofa for Edra. The cocktail table is by Liljencrantz, and the bespoke Moroccan rug was made by Doris Leslie Blau.
Photo: Eric PetschekSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Brooklyn painter Carrie Moyer, whose expressive canvases pay homage to artists like Helen Frankenthaler, created the colorful abstraction in the children’s sitting area. “It has a playfulness that works so well in the space,” says Rees Roberts. Moyer, who shows with DC Moore Gallery, also made this evocative artwork, La Signora (2020).
Photo: Courtesy of Carrie Moyer and DC Moore Gallery, New YorkSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Strongly influenced by the work of Alexander Calder, late French artist Philippe Hiquily produced Surrealist-inspired sculptures out of iron, steel, and brass. “All of his pieces are really incredible,” says Rees Roberts, who placed one of his compositions in the stair hall.
Photo: Courtesy of Opera GallerySteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Next to the knife-edged swimming pool built by J. Tortorella, Harris created an entertaining pavilion whose roof doubles as a distinctive water feature. He also designed the curving concrete bench with cushions by Rees Roberts, who furnished the rest of the space with travertine tables and vintage armchairs. David Kelly, a partner at Rees Roberts + Partners, oversaw the landscaping, which becomes wilder in the areas near the dunes.
Photo: Eric PetschekSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
In the primary bedroom, an Alexandre Logé light fixture is a sculptural presence above the custom-made cast-concrete bed with a headboard upholstered in a Lauren Hwang New York fabric, integrated nightstands topped by Peter Lane ceramic lamps, and a cabinet with a retractable TV at the foot. A Volker Hüller painting hangs next to a lounge chair covered in a Holly Hunt suede, and the rug is by Beauvais Carpets.
Photo: Eric PetschekSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
One of Volker Hüller’s signature fragmented compositions, which mix figuration and abstraction, hangs in the primary bedroom. “It’s powerful and centers the room,” says Rees Roberts. The German artist’s Face ’n’ Vase (2015) similarly engages the senses.
Photo: Courtesy of the artist and Van Doren WaxterSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
“The idea is when you come into the courtyard, you see beyond the house,” explains Harris, who installed a runnel of water to establish a visual link to the rear of the residence. “Your eye goes through the entrance hall, past the curved wooden volume, and to the shape of the flying swimming pool.”
Photo: Eric PetschekSteven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts Conceive a Modernist Masterpiece in the Hamptons
To grace the exterior of a Hamptons home, Steven Harris and Lucien Rees Roberts tapped Rhode Island artist Mig Perkins, who specializes in site-specific commissions, to conceive a cast-concrete mural. “There’s a dialectic in the house between the orthogonal and lyrical,” explains Harris, who worked with late art adviser Jennifer Weissbach throughout the project. “The idea was to combine those two pieces here.”
Photo: Eric Petschek1 / 10