RAY OF LIGHT: INSPIRED DESIGN IN THE HAMPTONS
Traditional Home’s Latest Designer Showhouse Shines in Nature-Inspired Hues
“Clear as gin” was how poet John N. Morris referred to the Hamptons’ well-known natural light. This light has drawn numerous artists — Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock among them — to the sandy shores lining the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island. The 2016 Hampton Designer Showhouse is affirmation that the Hamptons’ light continues to inspire.
As with any design project in the Hamptons, the effect of the natural light must be taken into consideration.
Set in the hushed woods outside historic Sag Harbor, the 10,200-square-foot home comprises eight bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms, in addition to a pool, wine cellar, home gym, and tennis courts. But what makes this house stand out is the artistry that the designers brought to each room. And while the rooms, from the great room to the dining room to the master suite, are the product of unique visions, they all have in common the same source of inspiration: that famous natural light.
Natural Neutrals
The great room of Traditional Home’s Hampton Designer Showhouse is bathed in light. Sun enters through the linen draperies and spills across the soft, neutral hues of the room. Kate Singer, the designer responsible for the room, was inspired by the light tones reminiscent of the sea, the sky, and in the nearby sand. These tones are showcased in her decision to use two paints offered by Pratt & Lambert, Osprey 26–29 and Swiss Coffee 33–5.
“In the Hamptons,” Singer said, “I am always inspired by the awesome beauty that exists in nature. I like to connect the inside of a home to the natural organic beauty and colors that exist outside.”
“I like to connect the inside of a home to the natural organic beauty and colors that exist outside.”
The mural above the fireplace best exemplifies that connection between the worlds on both sides of the glass patio doors. Hand-painted by de Gournay, the British wallpaper company, this mural features a floral pattern in the same hues of white and blue found in a cloud-speckled sky. The whites and blues can also be found in the natural linen upholstery on the furniture.
Singer began her design process by standing in the unfurnished room — “a clean palette,” as she described it — and focusing on the light. The rest, she said, was based entirely on feel.
“I envisioned how the room would be used and enjoyed,” Singer explained, “then I developed a furniture layout, color palette, and mood or ambience of the space based on my intuition and style.”
Dining in Paradise
Gideon Mendelson’s dining room for the Hampton Designer Showhouse begins with architecture and ends with color. According to Mendelson, show homes offer a unique motivation for designers. Without a client whose proclivities can be relied upon for clarification, it’s totally up to the designer to create and then execute a dream. For this project, Mendelson centered his vision around his modern take on a traditional lattice room.
“The lattice was the starting point,” he said. “The furniture plan and palette came next. Furniture, textiles, and accessories completed the story.”
But while traditional lattice rooms are apt to be controlled by whites, Mendelson utilized the colors of nature to give depth and class to his dining room. Here, the lattice pattern stands out in the woven backing of the dining room chairs, as well as in the wallpaper and the textiles used for the table runner. The palette for all of these elements is a variation on earthy neutrals to mimic the color of the woodlands outside the windows. Mendelson then contributed various hues of green, in the Larsen fabric for the drapery, in the art deco wall art, and in the Paradise Green 16–14 paint by Pratt & Lambert, to complete the feeling of an outdoor picnic inside the show home.
Mendelson said, “We found a complementary Pratt & Lambert color for the over-door at the entry of our space. It’s a fun surprise that gives the room a pop.”
“Natural and incandescent lighting and other materials in a room all change how a color is perceived, and these things are always changing.”
As with any design project in the Hamptons, the effect of the natural light must be considered. “Picking the perfect color can sometimes be tricky,” Mendelson said. “So many things have an impact on how color looks in a space. Natural and incandescent lighting and other materials in a room all change how a color is perceived, and these things are always changing.”
A Suite of Colors
What stands out in the master suite of the Hampton Designer Showhouse is the color. The blue violet room design along with Pratt & Lambert’s Violet Echo 28–28 on the ceiling mimics the colors of the ocean, making the bed appear as though it is drifting in a serene waterscape. But according to Austin Handler of Mabley Handler Interior Design, the choice of Violet Echo 28–28 was actually the last step of the design process. “We picked a blue and gray agate-patterned fabric to use behind the bed, and then we picked a coordinating grass cloth wallpaper to wrap around the remaining walls,” he explained. “And then, when we saw the full palette of colors, tones and textures, we picked a beautiful purple-blue Pratt & Lambert paint for the ceiling to complete our design.”
“If we pick a paint color first, we may love that color but then find it hard to find the perfect fabric in the perfect shade to go along with it.”
This artistic effort is borne of a need to be efficient, and because the selection of fabrics can often be more limiting than the endless number of paint options, it makes perfect sense to start with fabric, furniture, and the draperies.
“If we pick a paint color first, we may love that color but then find it hard to find the perfect fabric in the perfect shade to go along with it,” Handler said. “Whereas if we pick the fabrics first, we can always find the best paint color to complement the fabrics.”
The selection of the fabrics for the Hampton Designer Showhouse master suite was a highly creative one. Thanks to the vision of Mabley Handler, you don’t even need to leave your bed to experience all the elements — the sky, the ocean, and, of course, the light — that make the Hamptons so unique.
Sitting in Summer
Kyle Roberts had a single focus when designing the master suite sitting room for the Hampton Designer Showhouse. As he put it, “I wanted it to be memorable without being obnoxious.”
Roberts’ color selection of Pratt & Lambert’s Summer Petal 15–7 certainly makes the room memorable, and the results are anything but obnoxious. When the sun pours in through the French double doors, the walls are awash in brightness. The room oozes happiness and warmth, a pair of feelings that describe life in the Hamptons.
Roberts began his design process by gathering the ingredients: the table and chairs, the wall sconces, and the credenza. He then searched for the most interesting color he could use with those elements. Summer Petal 15–7 was the perfect choice. The bright yellow dapples the accessories with sunshine, even when the real sun isn’t evident outside.
Together, the two rooms of the master suite beautifully combine the two elements that make the Hamptons so special: the ocean and the sun.
The use of Summer Petal 15–7 also creates a memorable contrast with the cool colors used by Mabley Handler in the adjacent master suite. “I wanted the warm color to complement it,” Roberts said, “without looking too similar.”
Together, the two rooms of the master suite beautifully combine the two elements that make the Hamptons so special: the ocean and the sun.
