Inside Truman Capote's Sagaponack beach house, as his belongings go to auction

Truman Capote called Sagaponack "Kansas with a sea breeze", and in 1962 he had a plain, flat-roofed wooden house built there to his own directions by a local carpenter. He likened it to a raincoat, because the studs and bracing sit exposed while the outer skin shelters the rooms inside. His aim was what he called "run-down comfort", a deliberately unfinished look hidden behind scrub pine, privet and hydrangeas.

Architectural Digest has dug out its 1976 visit, and the details are a delight. There's a two-storey living room with a marine-blue floor painted with boat-deck paint, a spiral steel staircase up to a study lined with red sofas, and a Tiffany lamp beside a worn yellow velvet chair. There's also what he called a witchcraft altar on a set of steps, a spartan bedroom with detective magazines by the bed, and clusters of glittering paperweights everywhere. He did his own decorating, finding designers a bore.

The reason for the revival is a sale. His friend and biographer Gerald Clarke is downsizing, and an auction house in Bellport is offering nearly 400 lots on 21 November, with an online preview from 26 October. Paperweights Capote made himself are among them, as are his house keys. The house stays private, but this is a lovely read for anyone curious about how writers live.

Our summary of a story from Architectural Digest, published 23 October 2026. Read the original