It can be hard to remember, sometimes, that the Hamptons, with its relentless traffic, over-the-top shopping, and competitive restaurant reservations, was once considered a refuge. The east end of Long Island was a place to rest and recharge, to bond with nature and to escape urban pressures—not create a whole set of new ones.
The garden of Anu Duggal in Water Mill hearkens back to that earlier era. It is a reminder that even in our 24-hourconnected world, serenity is still possible, and serendipity is powerful. Duggal, founding partner of the venture capital firm Female Founders Fund and host of The Two Percent podcast, had no intention of buying a property in the area. “I was never a Hamptons regular,” she says. Then, while scrolling through Zillow, she stumbled upon…