Frame House, a modernist glass residence in East Hampton

Frame House by Worrell Yeung, a Bayfront Glass Modernist, East Hampton

We added Frame House to our collection because it is arguably the most architecturally significant home on Gardiners Bay, and because the client's demand (a glass house with a steel frame) produced something that reads more like a Sol LeWitt sculpture than a Hamptons rental. Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung, co-founders of Worrell Yeung, organized the entire 6,400-square-foot structure around a 2x2x7 modular steel grid, drawing on precedents from Le Corbusier's Domino House and the Edith Farnsworth House. Architectural Record selected it as a Record House in September 2024. The bluff-edge site drops 30 feet to the sandy shoreline. A linear pool runs the full length of the bay-facing elevation. There are four bedrooms, five full bathrooms, a basement theater, a gym, and a pool house with its own bath.

The house is a study in one idea, executed without concession. The steel frame (11 feet wide by eight feet high per module on the lower level, a foot taller above) establishes the rhythm of every room, every threshold, every exterior surface. Cedar fills the street-facing panels. Glass fills the bay-facing ones. The sequence from compressed entry foyer to 36-foot double-height living space is the architectural argument brought to life.

Poured concrete floors run through the ground level. Solid surfacing in Cosentino and Fenix covers the kitchen and bathrooms. Cabinetry is dark gray-stained to match the aluminum frame. Clerestory windows above the kitchen diffuse daylight across the double-height living volume, and upstairs, a library nook sits on the landing before opening to the primary suite, which includes a large bathroom and walk-in closet. A small gym doubles as a guest room.

Outside, the pool stretches the full length of the bay-facing elevation, bordered by native grasses to hold the site's coastal character. A compact pool house, described by Worrell Yeung as "the frame that got away" (its proportions a deliberate echo of the main structure) sits at the pool's end with a full bathroom. The 24-kilowatt solar array sits on the roof, and sedum-planted trays manage rainwater runoff. There is an outdoor shower. There is EV charging for two cars.

Layout

This vacation home for rent in East Hampton, New York sleeps up to eight guests in four bedrooms across two levels, with the upper level organized around the primary suite. On the ground floor, two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms flank the main living volume. Each has direct outdoor access. The 36-foot living, dining, and kitchen space occupies the central double-height bay. A floating staircase leads to the landing library nook and then to the primary suite, which includes a bathroom and walk-in closet. A partial loft level holds the gym and guest room, open above the living area. The basement contains the home theater, mechanical room, and attached garage.

Beds

* Bedroom 1 — King, en suite, outdoor access, ground floor

* Bedroom 2 — King, en suite, outdoor access, ground floor

* Bedroom 3 — Primary suite, King, en suite, library nook, walk-in closet, upper level

* Bedroom 4 — Queen or twin, en suite

Experiences

The architecture firm Worrell Yeung is available to discuss the Frame House's design for guests with a professional or academic interest. The Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center in Springs, four miles away, opens its studio to visitors on a scheduled basis and is the most architecturally significant cultural site within easy reach of the house.

Good to know

Frame House is located in East Hampton's Northwest Woods neighborhood, a quiet bayfront stretch distinct from East Hampton village and its main commercial strip. A car is essential as East Hampton village is about five miles south, and Sag Harbor is roughly the same distance in the opposite direction.

Amenities & services

Linear pool (heated, gunite), pool house with full bathroom, outdoor seating, outdoor dining, barbecue area, walk-in closet, library nook, double-height living space, open-plan kitchen and dining, Cosentino solid surfacing, Fenix surfaces, Pittella hardware, Reynaers Aluminum glazing, Lutron controls and automatic shades, home theater, basement mechanical room, gym, 24-kilowatt solar array, sedum-planted roof trays, radiant heating, EV charging (two cars), laundry, WiFi, air conditioning, washer, study, exercise equipment, piano, Lucifer Lighting, WAC lighting, LF Illumination, outdoor shower, free parking

Around

East Hampton's Northwest Woods neighborhood sits apart from the village itself. It's quieter, less manicured, and with a different relationship to the water. The village, about five miles south, is where the galleries are: Guild Hall on Main Street has operated as East Hampton's civic art institution since 1931 and mounts serious contemporary programming alongside its theater season. LongHouse Reserve in Springs, a 16-acre garden and sculpture park founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, is 10 minutes north and brings the Hamptons' design culture into direct contact with land art. The Pollock-Krasner House in Springs keeps its studio open to visitors and makes the abstract expressionist moment in American art geographically specific. For dining, Nick & Toni's remains the institution, with two stars from Ruth Reichl in the New York Times, a GQ Golden Dish Award, and a wood-burning oven that has not changed since 1988. A car is required for all of this.