The term “East Hampton home” calls to mind an ostentatiously large house marked by beachy, New England-style decor—probably entirely clad in wood shingles. When we pull up to Lori Hirshleifer and David Sills’ home, we discover the complete opposite.
“We’re kind of modernists, as you can see,” Hirshleifer says, walking us through the two-story, four-bedroom home. The exterior is charcoal, the tiled floors are intended to look like cement, and the art collection could hold its own at MoMA—a Basquiat here, a Murakami there, a Damien Hirst there, there, and there. Lori and David’s son, Rob, has worked closely with his father to find, and in some cases commission, many of the works.
“When we bought it, it looked like a traditional East Hampton farmhouse,” Hirshleifer says. She and Sills, who own and operate Hirshleifers department store—founded by Lori’s great-grandfather in 1910—worked with architecture firms Stelle Lomont Rouhani and Adam Jordan to transform the space. Both the master bedroom and the pool were additions to the original property, along with a roof deck and a sauna. Throughout the afternoon, we ask about the family’s artwork, the significance of a bright blue wall at the end of the pool, and a neon sign they have in the driveway. The only question we have left is “When can we move in?”
