Building a home from the ground up for her family was something that Deborra-lee Furness describes as “my lifelong dream.” “It’s kind of like crossing things off a bucket list. I’ve done it, and I had a great time doing it.”

Although it took a total of six years to complete, the East Hampton project was something that had been in the works for the better part of a lifetime. “I had this inspiration book,” recalls Furness. “I was flipping through the pages.”

“I was always putting things in there, and everyone was always giving me ϲrap because of it. Then, after I had finally finished the house, all of my girlfriends from Australia returned, and they said, “Oh my God, the book has come to life.”

Furness’s book had evolved into more than just a haphazard collection of resources and rip sheets; it had become a storehouse for evocative design and art moments, namely those that had left her with a profound impression of a powerful mood or feeling.

“I took influences from Japan, from Morocco, and from all of my travels over the years,” adds Furness, who is herself an artist and designer and who works in the film industry. “I took influences from Japan, from Morocco, and from all of my travels.”

“I absolutely adore staying at Aman hotels. Zen is so wonderful to me. I adore how straightforward and contemporary minimalism is.

However, in order for her and her rockstar husband Hugh Jackman to even begin the process of drafting designs, they first needed to locate the ideal location.

“I spent years looking for a space, but then a girlfriend told me about this property,” recalls Furness. “Since then, I’ve been looking here every day.” “We were familiar with the neighborhood because we had rented a house just down the street.” And it has a stunning view of the bay. I enjoyed how silent the water was, and the sensation it gave me.

“My children were telling me, ‘Mom, you need to make a decision already.’” She remembers that they went to go see it, and after we left, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’” They were successful in acquiring two adjacent parcels of land that looked out over a huge cliff.

Even while Furness was convinced that carry out something wholly original, they were nevertheless forced to work inside the confines of an already established framework. “We now call it the Black Shack,” adds Furness.

“Black” “It was this tiny cabin that belonged to an artist. It was in decent shape, although it was built in the 1970s and it was covered with stone tiles everywhere. When I first saw it, my first thought was, “Oh my God, how am I going to change this without tearing it down?”.