Haute Spot

Jack Lenor Larsen is one of the fortunate few who lives in a place so surrounded by beauty that it’s hard to imagine—even for those who are among the wealthiest and most acquisitive of East End collectors.

Not only does the 89-year-old textile designer, author and founder of LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton live in an extraordinarily unique home—a reimagined 17th-century Shinto shrine designed by Charles Forberg and inspired by Japan’s Grand Shrine of Ise—he possesses an impressive personal collection of art, textiles and storied collectibles. And, he’s also the steward of 16 acres of extraordinary gardens and dozens of large-scale sculptural works by artists of the caliber of Buckminster Fuller, Yoko Ono, Willem de Kooning, and many more.

Everywhere one looks, there is something of significance—from many of Larsen’s own prized textiles to the famed 1939 World’s Fair Table by Wharton Esherick, Pierre Paulin’s iconic “Ribbon Chair,” and countless examples of centuries-old pottery. There are pieces from Larsen’s friends, who happen to be counted among the most successful artists and artisans in the world; precious historical artifacts; rare objet de art; and items that have simply struck his fancy. And though he admires and appreciates all of it, Mr. Larsen does not hold tightly to his possessions.

“I built this place to share. That was the plan from the beginning,” he says as he looks out the second floor window of his home, nestled in the Northwest Woods, smiling as he watches a colorful blue jay alight on a branch. “It’s a beautiful place to be, and it will be a museum when I leave.”

If pressed to name a favorite piece of art at LongHouse, Larsen’s answer could change from day to day, but on this particular early spring morning in 2017 the list topper is “Cobalt Spears” by Dale Chihuly. The circa-2000 blown glass works—17 of them if he remembers correctly, says the iconic designer and creator of “the Larsen look”—are especially precious as they are a gift from the artist. The bright blue vertical glass tubes also represent a 50-plus-year friendship between the two creatives, which began in the mid-1960s when Larsen suggested that his then-mentee focus his efforts on glass blowing. The rest is art history.

“Cobalt Spears” is one of many of Chihuly’s special pieces to live at LongHouse. Most recent others include “Blue and Purple Boat,” “White Belugas” and “Neodymium Reeds,” which were all installed for LongHouse’s 20th anniversary celebration, “White, Hot and Blue,” in 2011, honoring the world’s most famous glass blower. These particular works, however, are a permanent part of the collection. Dimensions of the flexible individual spears vary from 50- to 96 inches in height, according to Mr. Larsen, and they have been made by “repeatedly dipping in clear glass and cobalt to create an intense color that will never fade.”

The spears have been moved around the grounds of LongHouse several times since they were first presented. This year, when the not-for-profit reserve and sculptural garden reopens with its annual Rites of Spring celebration on April 29, they will have been moved from the sandy dunes near the front entrance to their newest home in the Dry River leading to Peter’s Pond.

“They have often been reflected in the pond, but now they will be nearby on dry land,” says Mr. Larsen. “We just moved them yesterday and I can’t wait for everyone to come and see them and everything else that we have in store for them this year.”