What a year 2021 was in real estate. It was also a big year for Behind The Hedges magazine. We produced 11 magazines, including three standalone issues — our first ever. From celebrity interviews to news articles, landscaping to interior design, we covered it all. Check out 10 of our popular magazine articles from 2021 (in no particular order).
1) At Home in the Hamptons
During our summer magazines, we caught up with three celebrities with Hamptons homes. Joy Behar, the Emmy-winning television host, comedian and emerging playwright, talked about how she finds creative comfort and artful treasures out east. Jill Martin, the lifestyle guru, television star and QVC maven, showed us how she made her Southampton home work for her during the pandemic. Jill Rappaport, the award-winning animal advocate, television host and best-selling author, let readers in to see how she created a one-of-a-kind Western-inspired paradise.
2) Master Craftsman: Bruce Reither of Reither Woodworking
A self-taught woodworker, Bruce Reither of Reither Woodworking has become a go-to in the Hamptons for custom cabinetry. His journey was not an easy one though.
3) Closing Times: The Adam Miller Group Touts Half-Billion Worth of Real Estate in Contract
Adam Miller, who graced our cover in March, brought an elevated level of expertise to the Hamptons when he relocated here, while maintaining the laid back vibe that attracts people to the area. Since opening his own law firm in 2007, the Adam Miller Group has acted as counsel on more than $4.5 billion in real estate transactions on the East End.
4) Live Like A Queen (or King) on Quiogue’s Palatial Peninsula
SERHANT, the new firm established for Ryan Serhant, star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing New York, made its first foray into Hamptons real estate with a $16.5 million listing on the water in Quiogue.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the East End was flooded with people escaping the confines of New York City. Then they decided to stay and bought, bought, bought. What resulted was a lack of turn-key inventory, and now buyers are turning to what land is available to create their own haven out east.
6) A Grandfather’s Gift: A Dollhouse of Memories
Keith Green was busier than most during the COVID-19 pandemic. As one half of the Ciardullo Green team at Sotheby’s International Realty, he was kept occupied as people fled New York City for space and privacy on the East End. But Green was also busy building something very special: a dollhouse for his granddaughter. But, not just any dollhouse. You’ll see why.
7) Florida Real Estate Demand Continues to Climb
Snowbirds heading from the Hamptons to Florida this fall will not just be returning to hot weather — the housing market is sizzling in the Sunshine State. Brokers in the popular winter destinations of Palm Beach and Naples describe a frenzied real estate market with an influx of young families and year-round residents pushing up prices and driving down inventory.
8) No Hedging on Hedges in the Hamptons
While privacy privets are still in vogue here, hedges are being utilized in a myriad of versatile and interesting ways by landscape architect Michael Derrig, owner of Landscape Details, an East Hampton-based landscaping and design firm.
9) Design Duo Create Green Beach House in Westhampton
Josh and Jaclyn Manes have designed many homes — he is an architect and she an interior designer — but perhaps no project proved harder than their family home in Westhampton Beach. They worked together to replace a weathered beach home on an environmentally challenging site to birth a contemporary green home that appears to levitate over the wetland.
10) The Crossroads Between History & Luxury
Incredible, luxurious homes are rarely in short supply in the East End real estate market, especially for buyers of means, but we’re often left to sacrifice something. A storied dwelling steeped in history and a sense of place may lack the latest innovations and amenities, while a new build can be starved for personality and the sturdiness that comes with centuries-old wood floors, aged stone foundations and venerable exposed beams. But every now and then a listing emerges that has it all—history, beauty and a full range of modern accoutrements well-heeled Hamptonites require. Betsie Bremer and Benoit Piussan’s 19th century, Federal-style French farmhouse is one of these special homes.
