A watermelon sky and crystalline sea set the scene for The Atlantic Club’s Meet the Builder event in Long Branch, NJ. Hosted at Avenue and just a short distance away from the site of the Jersey Shore’s grandest oceanfront residential community, the event provided the consummate sneak peek of what future residents at The Atlantic Club can look forward to in their new, resort-like home.
The Atlantic Club, scheduled to open its doors to homeowners in 2026, is setting the new standard of design along the Shore, elevating the aesthetic of what has been and introducing the artistry of what is to come. While guests mingled, dined, and learned more about the offerings and amenities at The Atlantic Club, developer Roy Stillman was gracious enough to sit for a Q&A session with VUE so that attendees could hear more about his passion and the vision behind this rare oceanfront gem.
Centered around wellness, entertaining, and fostering a lifestyle that feels like an endless vacation, The Atlantic Club provides residents with everything they could ever want or need–all within walking distance of their own sumptuous homes. With over 75,000 square-feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, The Club offers sophisticated gathering spaces and private event rooms, and greets homeowners and their guests with a jaw-dropping entrance. The gallery style lobby, curated by famed Manhattan gallerist Cristina Grajales, is a “great, great source of pleasure and pride for myself and the design team,” Stillman shared.
“The inspiration for the lobby was the flagship of the Chanel store in Paris, which is a design from a different era where almost all surfaces are decorated,” Stillman continued. As the “leading voice” of the project, The Atlantic Club’s lobby was intently designed with painstaking effort and attention to detail. Stillman explained many of the unique design facets of the lobby, such as employing incredibly talented glass and textile artists, including Christope Côme, who designed Chanel stores throughout the world. With the assistance of Cristina Grajales, the design team worked on multiple versions of renderings “until about the 15th version that we said, ‘I think we’ve got what we really set out to do,’” Roy recalled of the arduous process.
Beyond the elegant and art-filled double-height lobby, The Atlantic Club’s exterior will be awash in white, an intentional decision on Roy Stillman’s behalf. “I wanted the exterior of the building to have an optimism, a youthfulness about it. That’s why it’s gleaming white,” he explained. “It’s proud but not boastful, and it will always be a beacon and known from far and wide.” Indeed, the stunning white exterior hearkens back to a time of seaside refinement, a bright and airy, effortless elegance. In addition to the clean exterior, the windows will be a seafoam green, inspired by a few of Stillman’s favorite architectural structures in Manhattan, and also “because we wanted it to be not like it was plopped in from outer space, but it was organically born here.”
Here, of course, references the four-acre plot of oceanfront property in Long Branch The Atlantic Club will inhabit, with stretches of velvety sand and miles of undulating sea at homeowner’s fingertips–and toes. With such awe-inspiring environs, it was vitally important to Roy Stillman and his partners, Steve Silverman and Leon Silvera, that the ocean remain the focal point for residents. The geometry was “inspired by some of the great hotels in Florida, particularly The Fontainebleu,” providing 128 of the 132 homes with ocean views and “out of the four that don’t, they have easy access to it.”
The 132 condominiums range from one-to-five bedrooms, including two penthouses. With a focus on indoor-outdoor living, floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide permanent ocean views, and ease of access to private balconies and terraces. The kitchens will be outfitted with imported porcelain countertops, custom cabinetry, and state-of-the-art appliance suites. Whether cooking a five-course meal or preparing a light breakfast, homeowners will appreciate the quality and artistry imbued into their home kitchens. An allegiance to form and function carries over from the kitchens to the bathrooms at The Atlantic Club. Imported porcelain tiles will line the walls and showers, and custom vanities complete the clean aesthetic found in every condominium.
Outside the doors of their own peaceful abode, residents will be able to enjoy what Stillman described as “a country club for your home.” With the ultimate amenity freely available to the oceanfront community, Stillman and his team “wanted to design in a way that wasn’t competing, but attempting to complement that.” A driving concept of The Atlantic Club is for it to be “an oasis, a refuge” for residents; the available amenities are meant to provide ways for homeowners to unwind, relax, and find opportunities to rest and recharge to the sound of nearby crashing waves. In Roy’s vision, “it’s a place when you get home, your pulse goes down because that’s part of the emotional experience of what is a home. And the amenities are designed that way.”
Accordingly, amenities include a fitness center, cycling studio, and yoga studio that “has a Zen character to it.” With such intentional design being at the forefront of this project, Stillman explained that “the colors we use, the absence of crowding, are all designed and intended to give peace and comfort to your lives.” This peace and comfort transcends out on to the pool and entertainment decks, where homeowners can enjoy private serene moments or bubbly cocktail hours. For those seeking entertainment, The Club offers VR rooms, game rooms, a sport simulator room (work on your swing for spring!), a children’s play room, a pet spa with a grooming station, and a cozy cinema. As Roy put it, “the amenities are part of the culture here[…]It’s something that’s not available elsewhere; it’s unique, it’s a thing unto itself.”
With so much to offer its residents right on site, the developers have “very consciously designed zero commercial space in The Atlantic Club. There are no restaurants and there are no clubs–and the amenities are for the residents,” Roy explained during the Q&A. The Atlantic Club, once completed, will be advantageously situated along the shore of Long Branch, with incredible shopping and dining opportunities in nearby Pier Village. With this access to nearby commerce–and easy access to NYC–prioritizing the feeling of refuge for homeowners became a top priority.
What the developers have set out to do–from amenities to location to design–is no small feat. The passion in Roy’s voice was evident as he boldly stated, “every other building that’s going to be conceived from this moment on will have to deal with The Atlantic Club. They’re going to have to say, ‘how can we go to this standard?’”
The new standard set by The Atlantic Club, one filled with artistry and intention, is emblematic of the Jersey Shore’s longevity–and opportunities for new growth. “It’s the Shore’s turn,” Stillman said. “The Shore is now decoupled from New York; it’s not in comparison to New York. It’s its own thing.” As our nation’s first developed coastline, the Jersey Shore “deserves all of the greatness that it’s got, and it deserves the greatness that’s coming.” Stillman and his team have recognized the yet untapped potential of the area, and have taken it upon themselves to “change the standard of construction for the Shore,” an honor they do not take lightly.
From stunning sunrises and sunsets to incredible amenities and luxe living spaces, The Atlantic Club is poised to offer a discerning buyer the home of their dreams. Roy reflected on the motivation behind this luxury residential development along the Jersey Shore. “The message is completely clear. The message is uniform and simple. What can we do to set new standards, to deliver joy to people, that when they walk into their home, they take a deep breath and say, ‘I’m a very fortunate person, this is where I live.’ And that is why we’re doing this work.”
For more information on joining the endless vacation, visit www.theatlantic-club.com.