East Hampton - With a few specific exceptions there has been a lull in what might be defined as "Modern" architectural construction in the East End since the late 1960s. That is about to change as noted Palm Springs architect Donald Wexler is combining forces with real estate developer Marnie McBryde to construct homes that he designed specifically as Hampton Moderns.

Architect Donald Wexler's landmark Dinah Shore House in Palm Springs, CA. (Courtesy Donald Wexler)

Wexler is one of the leaders and the last surviving member of the architectural school known as the Palm Springs Modern Movement in California. Anchored in the German Bauhaus movement and inspired by the stark beauty of the desert, a minimalist aesthetic evolved in this highly affluent California desert community that became known as Desert Modernism. Geometric angularity, an abundant use of glass, the combination of natural and man-made materials, very clean lines and a seamless incorporation of the indoor and outdoor spaces defines what came to be known as Dessert Modernism.

Commissioned by McBryde, Wexler, in collaboration with Form Architecture and Design of New York and o2 Architecture of Palm Springs, has taken the seminal principles of Dessert Modernism and adapted them into a design specific to the environment that is the East End to create the style of home that will be in the future defined as Hamptons Modern.

Of the many designs Wexler has created over his 55 years in the affluent dessert community, one of the most striking is the landmark Dinah Shore House and it very closely resembles his intention for Hamptons Modern. Although educated in the Modern movement that touched every aspect of design and lifestyle, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century, Wexler does not like the label, "Modern is a term that I think shouldn't even be used. As an architect you do the best you can based on the program, the site, the area, the climate, everything. To put a name on it like Modern or anything else, I don't subscribe to that. You just do the best you possibly can and you want it to be good." He further elaborated, "How do you work with your climate, how do you work with the environment, how do you solve a problem to really make it work? Those are the real issues."

Developer Marnie McBryde of Hamptons Modern, renowned architect Donald Wexler and Lance O'Donnell of o2 Architecture chatting with East End real estate brokers at an informal unveiling of the designs for the first Hamptons Modern in McBryde's East Hampton home. (Douglas Harrington)

Putting the esoteric classification debate aside, compared to the Hamptons shaker-shingle style that can trace it roots to the 19th century work of McKim, Mead and the infamous Sanford White that proliferates the East End, Wexler's vision for our purposes will be defined as Modern. That is not to say that attempts at modern or what can also be called contemporary architectural design have not been attempted in the past on the East End, but with some notable exceptions they seemed Modernism for the sake of Modernism, as opposed to Modernism specifically created for the distinct lifestyle and environment of the Hamptons.

As Lance O'Donnell of o2 Architecture noted, "Yes, you mean those homes where a builder hires some 'starkitects' and they built them and they have no relationship to one another or to the site."

That is far from McBryde's intention, who explained her vision of Hamptons Modern, "To rethink it the Californian Modern sensibility, there is a simplicity to the design of the house, the lines are very clean, it really brings the indoor and the outdoor living spaces together as much as possible. There is an easy living aspect about California design, it is not overly fancy and I think it reflects the new Hamptons lifestyle, particularly that of young professionals. I think people live the way they want to see themselves."

McBryde, who heavily researched her vision and talked with literally every East End real estate broker, believes people see themselves now in homes unlike the conspicuous consumption McMansions that were born out of the 1990s Dotcom stock bubble and the overnight excessive affluence it created. She explained, "People want a new house for the most part. A lot of people want Modern, but the current inventory of Modern or Contemporary homes in the Hamptons is only eight percent. Of that percentage very little of it is new and very little of it has the kind of sensibility I just described."

Although above the national average, McBryde is looking to build her homes within the modest price for the Hamptons in the range of $3 million to $3.5 million. In her opinion the era of the eight bedroom/eight bathroom house is over and considering the present economy one would be hard pressed to disagree.

That said, McBryde insists the issue is not so much about money but about design, "The people I want to build these homes for, and I want to build a lot of them, have a certain degree of sophistication with a design focus. If you are going to buy my Modern home you are doing it in part because you appreciate the design of it, the aesthetics of it, not because here is a house with a ton of rooms."

The harmonious incorporation of exterior and interior are essential elements of Wexler's Hamptons Modern design.

McBryde has trademarked the name Hamptons Modern and the Donald Wexler designs will be delivered through her company of the same name. The first design is a four bedroom, single floor creation that is simply stunning and incorporates all the elements that truly defines Californian or Dessert Modern in the best possible ways. The house at the same time includes design aspects that will let it slip effortlessly into the landscape that is distinctly East End with consideration to the surrounding environment, green energy efficiency and the understated elegance that, for the most part, is the hallmark of true Hamptons style.

The first Hamptons Modern home is scheduled for construction on Roberts Lane in East Hampton. When finished its impact may indeed set a standard for new home construction for generations to come and create a school of architectural design that perhaps will eventually be described as Hamptons Modernism in its own right.