At Home with Marc Murphy

Most people would call a backyard gathering of dozens of friends a party. Marc Murphy would call it just an ordinary summer day. The Chopped judge and his wife, Pam, and kids Campbell, 13, and Callen, 9, moved into their 7,000-square-foot house in Bridgehampton, N.Y., two years ago — and their friends descended soon after. "There are people literally always here," Pam says, gesturing to the 10-plus friends hanging out at the kitchen island. This is the way the Murphys like it: Hosting big groups was the main reason they built the seven-bedroom home, along with the swimming pool and bocce court. The couple first moved to this street in 2009 and built a different house that had almost no outdoor space at all. So when this piece of property came up for sale, they jumped at the chance for a do-over — with a new design that would include lots of deck space. Construction took more than a year, but they ended up with their dream house: "I remember asking Pam, 'What would you do differently?'" Marc says. "And neither of us could think of anything."