There are properties you list, and then there are properties you fall in love with.
149 Accabonac Road is the latter.
We sold this 1930s cottage to its current owners, and over the past months, we've had the privilege of watching them transform it into something truly special. Not a teardown-and-rebuild. Not a gut job that erases everything that made it charming in the first place. A restoration—thoughtful, intentional, and deeply respectful of what this home has always been.
The Bones Were Always There
When you drive down Accabonac Road, you know you're in a different part of East Hampton. The street is tree-lined and quiet, the kind of road where properties are tucked behind hedges and long driveways, where homes are valued between $5 million and $10 million, and where the pace just feels slower.
This cottage sits right in the heart of it—moments from East Hampton Village, but far enough removed that it feels like its own world.
The bones were always good. The 1930s architecture had that unmistakable Hamptons character: exposed wooden beams, intimate proportions, a connection to the land that newer builds often try (and fail) to replicate. The challenge wasn't whether to preserve it. It was how to honor what was already there while making it livable for the way people actually want to use a home today.
The owners got it right.
A Renovation That Respects the Past
This isn't a house that shouts. It's a house that invites you in and then quietly impresses you with how well everything works.
The kitchen is bright and modern, but it doesn't feel out of place. It flows directly into the backyard, where an outdoor bar seats four, an al fresco dining deck stretches out under the trees, and a summer kitchen makes entertaining feel effortless. There's an outdoor shower, because of course there is—this is a beach house, after all.
Inside, the design prioritizes light and flow. A diagonal staircase connects the kitchen and dining areas, keeping the spaces open and dynamic without sacrificing the intimacy that makes a cottage feel like a cottage. Expansive glass doors blur the line between inside and out, so you're always aware of the landscape, always connected to the rhythm of the seasons.
The first floor still has those original exposed beams, the ones that remind you this house has a history, that it's been here long enough to mean something.
Upstairs: A Retreat Within a Retreat
The primary bedroom is where the renovation really shines. Cathedral ceilings, natural light pouring in from multiple angles, cross-breezes that make air conditioning feel optional. There's a sitting area for reading, generous closet space (a rarity in older homes), and a serene ensuite bath that feels like a spa without trying too hard.
My favorite detail? The cozy desk nook that overlooks the trees. It's the kind of spot where you could sit with coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the evening, watching the light change, letting the day unfold at its own pace.
It's a small thing, but it's the kind of small thing that makes a house feel like it was designed for actual living, not just for photos.
The Landscape: Quietly Wild, Perfectly Tailored
One of the smartest decisions the owners made was to let the landscape lead.
The property sits within an open meadow, surrounded by native trees and tall sea grasses that frame the garden without overpowering it. The new gunite pool—gorgeous, by the way—sits right in the middle of it all, but it doesn't dominate. It feels like it belongs there, like it's always been part of the scene.
The intervention is minimal. The beauty is in what they didn't do as much as what they did. They didn't over-landscape. They didn't impose a vision that fought with the natural character of the land. They just let it be what it wanted to be, and the result is something that feels both wild and intentional at the same time.
What This House Is Really About
At its core, 149 Accabonac is about connection. Connection to the past, to the landscape, to the way a Hamptons weekend is supposed to feel when you strip away all the noise.
It's about leisurely mornings that stretch into afternoon. Meals shared with friends around a table that spills out onto the deck. The kind of indoor-outdoor living that isn't just a design buzzword, but an actual way of being in a space.
It's a house that understands simplicity doesn't mean boring. It means knowing what matters and building around that.
Coming Soon
We'll be offering previews starting late February, and I have a feeling this one is going to move quickly. Not because it's flashy or oversized or trying to be something it's not. But because it's exactly what people are looking for when they say they want a Hamptons retreat: a place that feels like home, that respects its history, that makes you want to stay longer than you planned.
If you're interested in seeing it, reach out. I'd love to show you what these owners have created.
In the meantime, I'll keep watching it come together. Some projects you just can't help but root for.