We are looking back at the year in real estate, including Behind The Hedges Powered by the Long Island Press. Throughout the 12 editions this year, we featured top real estate agents, and gorgeous houses in both Suffolk and Nassau Counties.
Once the magazine gets in our readers’ hands, it’s had to gauge their favorite, but thanks to feedback and readership online, we do have some idea. Here are some of our most popular magazine articles from 2023 (in no particular order). Also, be sure to check out our top magazine articles from Behind The Hedges in Dan’s Papers too.
Be sure to let us know what you like seeing best in the magazines as we plan our issues for 2024!
The Agency Ramps Up Its Presence on Long Island
The Agency, a boutique real estate firm with a powerhouse brand identity and a uniquely collaborative business culture, more than doubled its retail footprint on Long Island in 2023. After an extremely successful launch into the North Shore market in the fourth quarter of 2021, The Agency, under managing partner Don Mastroianni, opened a new Bay Shore office, which will complement its existing location in Huntington. Read the full digital edition of our March issue online.
A Gilded Age Mansion That Could Never Be Replicated
Also in March, we featured a Gold Coast mansion that truly stands apart. The Kings Park compound measures eight acres and holds a main residence that offers a whopping 60,000 square feet of living space. Built before current zoning rules applied, there are actually three homes on the property, all just steps from the water’s edge. “It is extremely rare to have properties of this size and acreage in this location,” said Ryan Serhant, the founder of the eponymous brokerage, which had the listing at the time. Grandfathered features include a waterfront pool, dock and tennis court, and inside holds such amenities as a two-story playroom, a malachite therapy room, Turkish and Swedish spas, an indoor pool and an indoor sports court. Even though its off the market now, it’s worth taking a peak inside.
Important Lawrence Estate Comes to Market
A historic estate on the water in Nassau County’s Lawrence, very much tied to its village history, hit the market late last year for $15 million and graced our cover of the January issue of Behind The Hedges Powered by the Long Island Press. Made up of three contiguous properties, the 6.8 acres overlooking Crooked Creek in the estate area of what is known as Back Lawrence were being offered together at the time. They included a 2.6-acre property with the main home at 295 Breezy Way, an adjacent 1.15-acre parcel with another, smaller home at 285 Breezy Way and a vacant 3 acres at 293 Breezy Way. Read the full digital issue here.
Serena & Lily Finds Second Long Island Design Home
Serena & Lily brought its polished coastal aesthetic to Nassau County, opening a new showroom in Roslyn in late March. The Roslyn Design Shop, near the center of town at 1489 Old Northern Boulevard, offers Serena & Lily’s signature “relaxed yet refined approach” to furniture, bedding, home accessories and interior design. Readers loved learning this news in our April edition.
Tracey Murray Kupferberg Knows New Construction
Tracey Murray Kupferberg of Douglas Elliman knows Long Island. The North Shore native not only lives here with her husband, but she raised her two children out here (along with two mini dachshunds), and she has spent her entire real estate career working across this beautiful island. Kupferberg’s resume is nothing if not polished — we’re talking about being a former member of the exclusive sales team for the $400 million luxury condo development at the Ritz-Carlton Residences in North Hills, and founding TMK Paralegal Services, LLC where she worked with real estate attorneys representing buyers, sellers, major lending institutions and title companies.
Compass Commercial Team in the Hamptons Has Plenty to Offer
On the heels of a record-breaking year in commercial real estate in the Hamptons, the preeminent team when it comes to East End investment properties was optimistic heading into 2023. Hal Zwick and Jeff Sztorc, the commercial real estate duo at Compass Commercial, showed off a number of prime properties available, including a $25 million property on the waterfront in Sag Harbor, asking $25 million, which was featured on the cover of our February issue. Read the full edition here.
Zachary Nguyen’s Koi Create Peaceful Backyard Ponds
As part of our Master Craftsman column, Hedges featured Zachary Nguyen of Torii Koi and Pond, who creates an oasis with koi ponds, in our July issue. Based in Dix Hills, he travels to Japan to select koi that he imports for his koi pond designs that he also builds. While fish are not traditional pets, there is something about koi that seems to create a passionate following and Nguyen’s business, building and servicing koi ponds and selecting koi, has been going strong. Be sure to check out his work (and the fish).
Cliff & Cove House: Challenging Design, Tasteful Renovation
How do you add a modern look and contemporary conventions to a circa 1875 home perched on a steep cliff while keeping essential elements of its historic beauty? That’s the challenge that The Up Studio took on when redesigning a historic 3,600-square-foot Second Empire Victorian home in Sea Cliff. Check out the masterful use of space in the November issue.
Real Estate Roundtable: Horse Sense
of Compass for $6.995 million, even the stables have old-world charm.Brix Media
Long Island may be a coastal community where surfing, fishing and beach days reign, but islanders also love their horses. Summer under saddle on the East End culminates with the esteemed Hampton Classic Horse Show before many are off to Wellington, Florida, the winter equestrian capital of the world. Western Suffolk County and Nassau County is home to thriving equestrian communities, as well. We asked some of the top agents, some equestrians in their own right, where are some of the best areas to not only live but to ride and what makes these communities stand out.
‘Bearing’ His Soul Through Chainsaw Carving
Also featured in our Master Craftsman was Gregg Klewicki, also known as Gregg the Woodcarver, whose bear carvings are his signature, particularly benches flanked by two brown bears holding up the seat with their paws. Made with locally harvested lumber, he creates sculptures, such as lighthouses and birds, ranging from about small enough to fit in your hand to 18 feet tall, and hand-carved signs. He also can make chainsaw woodcarvings from an existing tree on a property. Klewicki, who lives in East Meadow, has made all sorts of woodwork on his own and by request carvings, from peacocks to aliens, across Long Island.
Crystal Photiou of CP Interiors: Elevating Clients’ Style
Whether in the Hamptons or on the Gold Coast, or all points in between, CP Interiors elevates its clients’ style preferences to provide them with a beautiful space that truly reflects who they are. Crystal Photiou, the founder, says her firm is not trend-driven, but rather offers timeless designs, while also being polished, yet not stuffy, and, perhaps most importantly, livable. Unlike many interior designers, she is not known for a certain look and doesn’t even like to tell people what her aesthetic is. “I’m not a one-trick pony,” she says.
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