It may sound like the perfect English get away, but we’re not off to England for Travel Tuesday, but Hamptons bound instead to see about an 1842 greek revival manor, named for its original owner, Judge Abraham Topping Rose.
Imagine the “talk” when resident and senior adviser to the Chairman of JP Morgan Chase bought the manor with Simon Critchell, the former head of Cartier, and planned to turn it into a luxury hotel circulated. Their interest, sparked by the fact that “the property was grandfathered for a spa, restaurant, and hotel, proposed exactly what the town wanted but came with a cast of government officials, preservationists and historicists who sprang out of the woodwork making life for architect Roger Ferris even more fun! By the time work finally started, Topping Rose House was on the verge of falling down from neglect and took a total of 8 years to bring to fruition as everyone had to have their say.
Topping Rose House, as its now known, filled a serious void in the hotel starved world of the Hamptons. This carefully restored tiny 22-room manor in Bridgehampton with it’s 19th century barn (now the event space) also boasts a new L-shaped complex that houses the spa, pool, and 15 “cottage” guest rooms.
Meet the woman who designed the rooms and public spaces, Alexandra Champalimaud, who interestingly enough started her the firm in Montreal.
Extensively renovated, the clean, contemporary style of the rooms in the original house is only the beginning.
Inside you’ll find a modern + contemporary + antique shake up, with the overall impression of soothing but the farthest thing from dull. Mixing edgy and modern came to define style at Topping Rose House.
Bedrooms in the main house reference its historic character but in contemporary ways, for instance the iron four-poster bed (above).
Main House rooms deftly allude to the home’s 1840s style in the historically inspired bedside tables, both designed by Champalimaud, but the period references are always counterbalanced by contemporary touches, such as the living room’s coffee table of white lacquer cubes.
Staying in the one of the seven rooms in the Main House is like weekending at the home of a gallerist, especially since Winston Wächter Fine Art curates a contemporary art collection of ever-changing paintings from local and international artists throughout the property.
The 75-seat restaurant is truly farm-to-table, featuring produce grown on the property’s one acre Topping Rose Farm and honoring the best ingredients from other local farmers and fishermen.
Then there are the handful of modern cottages which complement the original house’s style rather than match it. The horizontal slats that run from ground to roof are made of fiberglass-laced cement and colored/ baked to allude to weathered wood; they float off the glass walls and also act as a rain- and privacy-screen.
The cottage rooms are lot cooler and meant for really kicking back in the garden-like setting with their neutral color schemes, platform beds and live edge furniture.
We love the subtle juxtaposition of the window slats together with the offset stripes in the rug.
I mean … a soak right here might be the best part of our stay!
There’s little reason to leave the property with it’s fitness center, spa, a terrific 75-seat farm-to-table restaurant, a one-acre organic garden, and heated pool.
When you hanker to get out and about, there are numerous beaches, tennis courts, hiking/nature walks, art galleries and museums nearby. But for exploring a little further afield, borrow a bike or Lexus test vehicle to visit a local farm or vineyard.
While we imagine it’s already at capacity for the summer it looks like a fabulous place to hole up and enjoy spring, fall or winter too. Also worth noting it’s kid and dog friendly!
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