Blue Dream is a house in the Hamptons. Nestled among the sand dunes behind Two Mile Hollow Beach in East Hampton, this project is the culmination of a very long design and construction process. This new study, written by architecture critic Paul Goldberger, tells the story of the Blue Dream, placing it within the current tradition of pioneering design and innovation in the region.
The house was commissioned from Diller Scofidio + Renfro by real estate broker and collector Robert S. Taubman and his late wife, Julie Reyes Taubman, a photographer and writer who was also one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit.
The Blue Dream and the Legacy of Modernism in the Hamptons
(Image credit: Ewan Baan, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfrew)
The story of the blue dream
Built by respected local contractor Ed Bulgin, with landscape design by Michael Boucher, Blue Dream is Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s first private residential project, a smooth mixture of liquid concrete, fiberglass and strips of glass overlooking the beach.
The Tubman family acquired the site in 2005, deciding from the outset that this would be a bold departure from tradition, as well as a suitable backdrop for a stunning collection of 20th century art and design. Inside and out, Blue Dream deviates radically from the vernacular of the region.
Blue Dream House, Diller Scofidio + Renfro
(Image credit: Ewan Baan, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfrew)
Goldberger digs deep into the architectural heritage of both clients, who both came from the rich world of American philanthropy and patronage and had a strong affinity for the avant-garde. It also charts the role of the Hamptons as a crucible of twentieth-century architectural innovation—something closely linked to the world of finance and privilege.
The Taubman family searched extensively for an architect, considering Shigeru Ban, Todd Williams, and Billy Tsien among others, and eventually held a modest competition that resulted in a number of design ideas prepared by Thomas Pfeiffer. At the eleventh hour, they moved further, commissioning Peter L. Gluck to work on another, ultimately fruitless, design.
Blue Dream House, Diller Scofidio + Renfro
(Image credit: Ewan Baan, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfrew)
This long process eventually settled into the DS+R studio; Nearly six years after the clients acquired the site, the design process had to start all over again. As with almost all cutting-edge architectural work, the process and execution are at least as impressive as the final product. The Blue Dream project is no different, as major changes – such as the switch from poured concrete to fiberglass for the inverted roof structure – further impact the construction programme.
Shaping the interiors proved equally daunting. Working with designer Michael Lewis, the interior design process revolved around curating and accommodating Julie Taubman’s extensive and ever-growing collection of art and furnishings. Tubman’s final illness clouded the final stages of the project’s completion, but the book depicts the relentless eye for every detail she brought to the project, right below the brass front door, hand-engraved with a giant copy of her thumbprint.
Blue Dream House, Diller Scofidio + Renfro
(Image credit: Ewan Baan, courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfrew)
The story of the Blue Dream House certainly perpetuates the idea that the avant-garde must be born of a heroic struggle, a struggle between client and architect, between fate and fortune. The stunning end result was captured by Iwan Baan, who uses his experienced photographic eye to highlight the house’s relationship with its surroundings as well as its completely unique programme.
The Blue Dream and the Legacy of Modernism in the Hamptons, Paul Goldberger, Delmonico Books, $85, DelMonicobooks.comAvailable via ArtBooks.com