An airy beach house in the Hamptons with refined interiors by Steven Gambrel
Perched on an East Hampton lane only a few paces from the beach, this 18th-century colonial house is a testament to the power of decorative reinvention. Steven Gambrel, the New York-based designer known for refined interiors that reflect a deep understanding of both design and history, had been here before. For the previous English owners, who wanted the house to feel like a Cotswold cottage, Steven had even salvaged an Anglo-inspired wood-panelled room from a crumbling Gilded Age mansion in Detroit. Velvet and dark wood prevailed. ‘It had an English gentlemen’s club feel,’ recalls the designer.
Enter an American-Canadian couple with two young children, who are based in London and whose Nicola Harding-designed house was featured in the June 2019 issue of House & Garden. The couple, who had first met Steven socially in Mustique, fell in love with the historic ethos of the old farmhouse. They called on the designer to revisit the project with a new directive, namely to reflect its proximity to the beach and to summon a more youthful spirit for the house. They wanted a place of summer respite in which they could entertain their family and friends. ‘When we walked in, we were struck by its historical features and quality of finishings,’ says the owner. ‘But some rooms felt more like an Ivy League library, with dark woods and heavy furnishings – we wanted to bring the light in.’
To achieve this, Steven employed a bevy of specialist crafts-people. The wide-plank oak floors were sanded to achieve a paler hue. The heavy panelling was sanded and limewashed. ‘We bleached it down to a driftwood finish, which was more appealing in terms of bringing the light in,’ explains Steven. ‘A lot of the materials in the house were lightened. We also took out many of the windows on the ground floor and replaced them with doors.’ The addition of a new plaster ceiling in the sitting room also lends the room a luminous appeal.
In addition to lightening up wood and opening up windows, Steven took his cue from the colour palette the new owners brought with them from London. ‘I’d seen their life and their house there,’ says the designer, who explains that this gave him an understanding of their sense of tone. Dirty pinks were a recurrent hue in London so, for the main bedroom, Steven chose the unusual pairing of dirty pink with caramel, which he describes as ‘like a luggage-leather colour’.
Different shades of pink – which do not for a moment read as saccharine – recur throughout the house, and even surface in the owners’ art collection. ‘Art is very meaningful to us,’ says the husband. The series of graphic pink paintings above and around the sitting-room chimneypiece is by Rana Begum, a British Bangladeshi artist, whose work is influenced by Anni Albers.
‘They were supposed to be hung in a particular order, but Steven took a bit of liberty in how they were installed,’ explains the owner. The artwork throughout, chosen for its personal appeal, also has the happy coincidence of living beautifully among the furniture and upholstery selected by Steven. ‘I didn’t have anything to do with the art, but the palette certainly crossed over from their collection to the interiors,’ he says.
In the dining room, where an oversized Jean Royère chandelier has resulted in a dramatic play on scale, Steven retained the previous owners’ vitrine cabinets with an installation of old hotel silverware. It is like stumbling across a pirate’s treasure chest, but the real intent was again to bring light into the space, especially after dark, when the glint of candlelight bounces off the silver and back into the room. ‘We use the silver on the table – it is both beautiful and functional,’ says the owner.
In the house’s previous iteration, what is now the main bedroom was divided to form two bedrooms joined by a bathroom. Steven reconfigured the layout to create one bedroom, which has a large wardrobe and an elegant en-suite bathroom. A striéed lilac silk from Phillip Jeffries covers the bedroom walls, while the marble chimneypiece was another salvaged find. ‘It came from an office building in Piccadilly, which was about to be torn down,’ says the owner. ‘The interiors tell a wonderful story. Steven doesn’t just choose beautiful things: he knows the history, so there is a narrative to the house, which I love.’
Elsewhere on the property, a wisteria- and rose-covered guest cottage from the late 19th century has a versatile sitting room downstairs and a bedroom upstairs. Tucked under the rafters is an additional room that has been used as a writer’s garret during the pandemic. ‘It is a wonderful hideaway,’ says the owner.
The property, which had been intended as a summer holiday house and as a way to bring the children closer to their American roots, became a wonderful refuge for the owners’ friends and family during lockdown. Steven finished the project the year before Covid-19 struck, and various friends and relations ended up staying in the house for several months in 2020. ‘Everyone loved being here in the off season and seeing the different foliage and flowers from month to month,’ observes the owner. ‘This is very much a family house. Steven has the uncanny ability to reinterpret a house with history into a home for how we live now.’
This, undoubtedly, was Steven’s goal. ‘It was great working on a house second time around. You get to think of it in an entirely different way – two clients, two distinct visions,’ reflects Steven. ‘You’re not competing with yourself. And I didn’t take away anything that I’ll miss’.
SR Gambrel: srgambrel.com
Ngoc Minh Ngo1/8Built in the 18th century, the handsome East Hampton house is just a few steps away from the beach. The new owners were keen for the interiors to make the most of the amazing light and to have a more youthful spirit.
Ngoc Minh Ngo2/8Steven’s Labradoodle, Sailor, sits on a vintage Oushak rug from Eliko Rugs. The atmospheric ‘Winter Sky’ wallpaper is from Gracie. Italian blown-glass pendants with brass detailing hang from the ceiling and the striking vintage quartz table lamp is a Fifties design by Carole Stupell.
Ngoc Minh Ngo3/8In the sitting room, Steven installed the vintage Tudor-style panelling for the previous owners; it has now been stripped and stained in a driftwood finish by a local artisan, Peter Reyer. A series of graphic paintings by Rana Begum surrounds the limestone chimneypiece from Irreplaceable Artifacts. The sofa, ottoman and club chairs were made bespoke by Dune, while the Fifties leather-topped Tommi Parzinger card table and surrounding Thirties Italian chairs were sourced by Steven.
Ngoc Minh Ngo4/8An oversized Forties French vitrine is filled with a collection of antique hotel silverware. Groundworks made the raw oak table. The Hans J Wegner ‘Wishbone Chairs’ are from Design Within Reach. The Seventies ‘Onos 55’ brass pendant was designed by Florian Schulz and purchased via Incollect.
Ngoc Minh Ngo5/8The previous owners’ brass lantern-style pendants, seen here, have since been replaced with custom-made lights from Jamb. The ‘Tractor’ stools are by BassamFellows from Design Within Reach.
Ngoc Minh Ngo6/8The walls are painted in ‘Cool Lava’ and the woodwork in ‘Ashley Gray’, both from Benjamin Moore. The blind in Galbraith & Paul’s ‘Bellflower’ in terra cotta is trimmed with Pierre Frey’s ‘Norma Soie Sauvage’ in océan. A bespoke piece by Dune, the chair is upholstered in Mark Alexander’s ‘Patina’ in burnt orange.
Ngoc Minh Ngo7/8Curtains in ‘Clouds’ by Sahco frame the view in this bedroom. The artwork is by Idris Khan.
Ngoc Minh Ngo8/8The walls and vanity are painted in Benjamin Moore’s ‘Wickham Gray’ and ‘White Wisp’. The ‘Morris’ ceiling light is by Suzanne Kasler and the ‘Berling’ sconces by Ralph Lauren are from Circa Lighting.
