A Striking Landscape in Sagaponack Challenges the Conventional Hamptons Escape
On Long Island’s East End, LaGuardia Design Group masterfully blends color, texture, and scale to transform a sprawling estate
Many head “out east” to see and be seen, but Marc Leder wanted to transform his sprawling, 3.287-acre lot in the Hamptons’ lauded Sagaponack enclave into a “comfortable” and “elevated” escape he and his family would never have to leave.
“The idea was to create the feeling of a resort at home, with different experiences woven throughout the property,” says Leder, co-CEO of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. “Wherever you wander, there is another place to discover, connect, escape, or simply enjoy.”
To do so, he enlisted Kara Council of Council Creative, who designed Leder’s Boca Raton home and understood the family’s style on a cellular level. “His home in Boca Raton mirrors a blue suit he always wears,” she shares. “For this house, I kept coming back to [evoking the feeling of] a cashmere sweater: I walked around with a Loro Piano swatch in my pocket and wanted to have that rich feeling of the Hamptons in the winter, not the summer.”
The home does have year-round appeal—and is used in the off-season—but let’s be honest: Summer is when the Hamptons really shine, so there was a special emphasis on the yard. Enter LaGuardia Design Group, a New York-based landscape architecture firm that has performed a multi-year redesign of the lush surroundings.
Much like the home’s all-season, all-encompassing spirit, the grounds are antithetical to Hamptons stereotype. “We had the opportunity to morph the landscape from the very traditional, picture-book Hamptons landscape to something more whimsical, more special, and quite iconic,” says Sama Azadi, the firm’s senior associate who worked on the space.
With the help of landscape contractor Summerhill Landscapes, LaGuardia Design Group employed soft pink and purple florals—including Pica Bella coneflowers, various types of Agastaches, plus other perennial favorites such as Salvia, Allium, Aster, and Nepeta—and lots of texture to evoke New Zealand’s ethereal lupine fields. “The planting just made it so romantic and it’s always going to make me feel like I’m in a movie,” she says. The perennial meadows, which were selected with help from horticulturist Patrick Cullina, usher in a whimsical ease.
“There are so many elements in that traditional Hamptons landscape that are heavily maintained and require so much attention,” Azadi says of the meadows. “Our clients really trusted us to test out our vision and have a beautiful landscape that just works better.”
Council agrees, adding “moments of discovery” perpetuate the site’s practical-yet-romantic appeal. “We wanted it to feel like you’re truly transported into a different space,” she says.
Natchez Crape Myrtles hang over a long table, custom-designed by Council Creative, to form an intimate oasis for an al fresco dinner party. Meanwhile, an assortment of fountain grass and boxwoods softened the modern pool house and outdoor kitchen, courtesy of GRADE, the project’s architect, in collaboration with the construction team of Jay Bialsky. A tennis court, putting green, sauna, and cold plunge are also peppered throughout the grounds, offering a new amenity with every turn.
Perhaps the premises’ pièce de résistance is the outdoor sculpture garden, an extension of Leder’s “substantial” art collection. Though fine art advisor Lisa Austin curated a selection of oversized works that command attention, Leder wanted to be able to experience these pieces in more intimate ways.
“We expanded on that sense of curiosity within the sculpture garden,” he adds. “A labyrinth of pathways that invites you to wander, encounter art, and experience the property from different perspectives.”
Azadi adds that thoughtful landscaping allows the art to become one with nature. “We curated the space around it, but the goal was never for the [pieces] to be obvious or in-your-face,” she explains. “The goal was to let [the land] guide you and create a moment for the sculpture you happen upon.”
Many works are hiding in plain sight: An allée of Honey Locust trees cleverly conceals the BAM (For Michael) by Sanford Biggers, while Jaume Plensa’s Self Portrait with Fruits looks at home next to Salvia Caradonna, Daisy Mae Aster, and Jeana Garden Phlox.
But others, like Vox Pop Doris by Sarah Lucas, were designed to stand out. Not only were the supersized shoes strategically positioned so they could be viewed from the living room, but Azadi says the nearby foliage was selected to match the sculpture’s “impressive scale.” Among her favorites are the boxwood shrubs, which were individually planted and later shaped to evoke a cloud-like foundation.
“There was a really intentional thought behind every planting,” Council says. “The goal was for people to be so immersed by beauty and art in a very comfortable way.”
It’s those small details, Council says, that makes the grounds feel like a “warm hug.” “We wanted it to be magical,” she shares. “When guests come for the weekend, everything from landscaping to the perfect bedding creates a beautiful, unforgettable experience.”