Actor Robert Downey Jr. is the proud owner of a unique property in the Hamptons. The gifted performer purchased the shingle-style with a difference for an undisclosed sum, but the property had been listed prior to the sale for about $11 million.
Known as the Edward DeRose Windmill Cottage, the original house dates to the late 18th century; DeRose purchased it in the late 19th century and added the windmill as a historical flourish, representing the original East Hampton windmill. The completed structure, as it currently stands, dates to 1885. Before purchase by Downey, it had been on and off the market for about three years.
Like any period shingle-style worth its salt, it’s a sprawler, with seven bedrooms and eleven baths amid about 8,500 square feet of total living space, including the small guest house on the estate. Interiors are open, relaxed, and optimistic; the plentiful windows of the style admit a great deal of natural light, and generally whitewashed interiors reflect and lend a dream-like atmosphere. Dark hardwood floors, brick, and occasional open-beam ceilings ground the interiors. In the kitchen, a dramatically coffered ceiling brings formality to the design; the style’s balance of formal and relaxed has been nicely retained despite renovations.
The property extends to about four acres, and includes patios, meandering, romantic gardens, a tennis court, and a 50-foot pool.
Downey’s next film appearance will be a reprise of his role as Tony Stark in ‘Spider Man: Homecoming’; the film is due in theaters this July.
