A Designer’s Montauk Home With 180-Degree Views of Block Island Sound

Designer Esha Soni, whose sculptural purses and accessories are sold at stores like New York’s Bergdorf Goodman, bought and renovated this four-bedroom, four-bathroom house in Montauk, New York, 10 years ago.

The hilltop home enjoys “breathtaking views and spectacular sunsets,” according to Zachary Tunick of Douglas Elliman, one of the listing agents.

Its location overlooking Block Island Sound “also means you get 180-degree views,” he said. “And you hardly need air conditioning because the ocean breezes are so spectacular.”

The home’s location “on a quiet cul-de-sac ensures there is absolutely no road noise or drive-by traffic,” Tunick said. “But there are trendy restaurants and terrific seasonal shops within walking distance.”

With a designer’s touch from Soni, the home is “beautifully renovated,” Tunick said. “It can be taken to the next level, but it’s already very livable.”

Open-plan living, dining and kitchen spaces anchor the home’s main level, with water views from walls of windows. There is a wood-burning brick fireplace in the living room.

The kitchen, with a granite-topped island at its center, features Wolf appliances. The primary suite includes two closets, a foyer, a large bathroom and walkouts to the home’s broad wooden terrace. The main floor includes a second bedroom, office, pantry and mudroom.

The lower level—“which is not subterranean, because of the topography,” Tunick said—includes two more bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and storage space.

“I love my house because the view of the water and the sunset, the wide-open space, and the lush, old trees create a deep sense of calm,” Soni told Mansion Global in an e-mail. “In the evenings, the white walls and floors reflect the colors of the sunset in a simple, beautiful way.”

Before launching her eponymous handbag line in 2022, Mumbai-born Soni designed accessories for labels including Ghurka, Michael Kors Collection, Ralph Lauren and Proenza Schouler. “

The bags feel like they could easily double as home decor,” enthused fashion blog WhoWhatWear in August.

Furniture is available by separate negotiation.

Stats

With four bedrooms and four bathrooms, this 3,400-square-foot house occupies a 0.88-acre lot.

Amenities

The large wooden deck, about 15 feet deep by 80 feet wide, features a mechanical canopy.

Talking Points

The 3,400-square-foot house “could easily get expanded to 6,000 square feet,” Tunick said. While there is no pool, the property is permitted for one; because of the home’s large legal setback, a new owner could also add a garage, Tunick said.

Neighborhood Notes

Montauk is on the eastern tip of Long Island’s South Shore, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Block Island Sound.

While Montauk has a reputation for nightlife—the village is home to more than 50 bars—“there is a community within the community of very successful, sophisticated parents with kids in the incredible schools here,” Tunick said. “These are people at the top of their fields, but down-to-earth. Montauk is about a laid-back lifestyle.”

Celebrity residents have included Julianne Moore, Robert De Niro and Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke. A-listers like Taylor Swift and Leonardo DiCaprio have also reportedly hung out at local hotspots like The Surf Lodge.

Private airports nearby include East Hampton Airport, about 20 miles west, and Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, about 40 miles west. Midtown Manhattan is about 117 miles west.

Agents: Zachary Tunick, Nicole Tunick, Douglas Elliman

Greenwich, Connecticut, is in New England (just barely), but that doesn’t mean it’s a quaint, sleepy small town with covered bridges and white churches on the green.

It’s leafy, certainly, but it’s also a luxury-minded power centre close to New York City, with many celebrity residents (director Ron Howard, singer Diana Ross, actor Meryl Streep and, at one time, Australia’s own Mel Gibson).

The main shopping street, Greenwich Avenue, is home to brand stores such as Hermès, Kate Spade, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany & Co.

And Greenwich, particularly in the “back country” north of the Merritt Parkway, is host to some of the most exclusive real estate in the world.

The average price for a single-family home in the second quarter of 2025 was USD $3.25 million (AUD $4.9 million). But that’s merely an entry point, buying a smaller home in one of the town’s less desirable neighbourhoods.

What does USD $43 million (AUD $66 million) buy in Greenwich?

Last autumn’s most expensive listing offered a 1,068-square-metre waterfront home with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, plus “Gatsby-like lawns”, a gym, games room, party room, wine cellar, fruit orchard, pool and spa. The front and side porches have heated floors.

Prefer something more traditional and secluded? For USD $33 million (AUD $50 million), buyers could close on an 11,760-square-metre Georgian manor on 3.2 hectares, featuring eight fireplaces, an elevator, and a dumbwaiter.

The first floor features a three-storey cascading chandelier. For bibliophiles, there’s a two-storey mahogany library. If bocce is more your pace, a similar USD $25 million compound on 7.5 hectares, built for a liquor magnate in 2009, may appeal. Fourteen bathrooms should suffice.

The Greenwich market is strong, but not without challenges.

“The big problem is that there’s no inventory,” said Evangela Brock, an agent with Douglas Elliman. “It’s extremely low at all price points.”

In November, just 15 properties under USD $1 million (AUD $1.52 million) were listed without contracts, compared with 23 above USD $10 million (AUD $15.2 million). Of those, six had contracts pending. Greenwich has more than 17,000 single-family homes.

Kanebridge Quarterly toured two mid-priced houses in Greenwich. “You don’t lose money in Greenwich real estate,” said Beth MacGillivray, a realtor with the Higgins Group. “This is the hot spot.”

MacGillivray opened the door to a 733.9-square-metre Georgian colonial in the Sherwood Farms Association development her family built in 2005. The house was expected to sell for about USD $5 million (AUD $7,743,535).

The six-bedroom, four-level house is move-in ready, with staged furniture showing its potential and many of the amenities that buyers in this range expect.

Visitors enter through a two-storey foyer with a marble floor. A circular staircase leads to an airy living room with double-height ceilings.

There’s a main bedroom with his-and-hers bathrooms, a cherry-panelled library with cigar-smoke venting, five fireplaces, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with a breakfast nook by Greenwich-based designer Christopher Peacock.

Most rooms have huge walk-in wardrobes. Even the laundry room has granite countertops. Custom millwork, cabinetry and fixtures are evident throughout.

The drawbacks? A smaller yard and no pool. Still, refugees from the city would marvel at the abundant interior space.

Not far away, an entirely different house was on the market for USD $2.66 million.

The imposing 696.7-square-metre, nine-bedroom, seven-bath Georgian/Federal home on Shady Lane in the Glenville neighbourhood was built in 1900. Its good bones and inherent grandeur were apparent, as was a clear need for updating.

“It’s a good project for someone,” said realtor Kaori Higgins. “It needs the right buyer, someone who is looking to return it to its stately original condition.”

Given the hot market, some buyers may be tempted to tear it down and build anew.

But the house is filled with charming period details, including hand-built stone fireplaces, reading nooks, pocket doors, leaded windows and beautiful original millwork.

The second floor offers a vast veranda with views of Long Island Sound and a built-in swimming pool.

The drawbacks? Bathrooms that were awkwardly redesigned in the 1970s, unsightly flooring on the upper levels, and crumbling exterior elements.

Higgins noted that a nearby sister property, fully renovated, sold for USD $11 million (AUD $17 million). Any buyer of Shady Lane’s faded elegance would need both imagination and deep pockets.

For contrast, Kanebridge Quarterly left Greenwich for nearby Fairfield’s upscale Greenfield Hill neighbourhood to visit Lion’s Gate, a 595 square metre Tudor Revival home built as a modest dwelling in the 1920s but extensively expanded and remodelled in 2000.

With three acres of land, a guest cottage, an artist’s studio and a pool house, the asking price is USD $3.3 million (AUD $5 million). Like the Sherwood home, Lion’s Gate is flawlessly move-in ready, with designer touches throughout.

The entire second floor was added during the renovation and features parquet flooring, a massive main suite, arched doorways and 2.74-metre ceilings.

Many rooms include walk-in wardrobes, extensive carved millwork and built-ins. The wood-panelled library (on the site of the former stable) is warm and inviting.

The expansive kitchen includes a window seat with a hand-painted ceiling, a wine cooler and a butler’s pantry.

Realtor Lorelei Atwood said Fairfield faces the same inventory shortage as Greenwich.

“Demand is growing as more New York-based executives are being told they have to report to the office,” she said. “Fairfield has always been a commuter town.”

Why is this home USD $3.3 million (AUD $5 million), and the Sherwood property around USD $5 million (AUD $7,743,535)?

Location. Greenfield Hill is lovely, but Greenwich real estate occupies a rarefied class of its own.

Note: Thanks to realtor Sherri Steeneck for chaperoning.

This story appeared in the Autumn issue of Kanebridge Quarterly, which you can buy here.

A Designer’s Montauk Home With 180-Degree Views of Block Island Sound

Esha Soni, who designs luxury handbags and jewelry, bought and renovated the four-bedroom hilltop house a decade ago.

A haven for hedge-fund titans and Hollywood grandees, Greenwich is one of the world’s most expensive residential enclaves, where eye-watering prices meet unapologetic grandeur.