FROM A SPIRAL STAIR WITH A COORDINATING GEORGIA O’KEEFFE SCULPTURE TO ROOMS FILLED WITH VIBRANT SKY BLUES, THIS BRIAN J. McCARTHY–DESIGNED HAMPTONS HOME IS FILLED WITH THE UNEXPECTED.
LIKE LUXURY, INFORMALITY IS RELATIVE. FOR THIS couple, who asked New York–based ED A-List designer Brian J. McCarthy to create a casual, beachy home for summer weekends in Southampton, New York, informality meant a grand East End–style shingled mansion loosened up with airy surfaces, sophisticated geometrics, and a sunny soupçon of color. “They wanted it to be fun,” says McCarthy, who collaborated with Randy M. Correll of Robert A.M. Stern Architects.
McCarthy knew well the couple’s tastes, as he has done two other homes for them: a vast, Art Deco–inflected apartment in a refined 1920s building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (which was featured in ELLE DECOR in December 2007), and the country home they escape to most spring and fall weekends, in Locust Valley on Long Island’s tony North Shore—the heart of Great Gatsby country—about an hour from Manhattan. “I knew they liked things to be strong and unfussy,” says McCarthy, who is known for his modern twists on traditional idioms and was a partner in the legendary firm of Parish-Hadley before going out on his own in 1992. “Working with them is always a spirited dialogue.”
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Elle Decor.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2019 edition of Elle Decor.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
COMPOUND INTEREST
For an exceptional family home on Long Island, designer Sandra Weingort thinks inside the box.
LOVE AT FIRST LIKE
A design-savvy couple finds their footing in a Hollywood hillside bungalow.
DOING LONG DISTANCE
With her clients on the opposite coast, designer Ashley Lavonne Walker steers a masterful renovation of a landmark house in Los Angeles.
THEY ASKED FOR DRAMA
Designer Sarah Dray oversees a sparkling transformation of a classic French city apartment.
The Story Continues
Armed with ambition and a strong point of view, Studio Dorion revisits a historic Brooklyn brownstone.
BREAKING THE FIFTH WALL
Designers are taking ceiling decor to new heights, with creative treatments that range from elevated to over-the-top.
EURO VISION
The head of one of the design industry's most prestigious brand portfolios makes a cozy nest in Milan.
GRAY ZONE
In a new exhibition at its TriBeCa showroom, Brooklyn's Egg Collective pays homage to a design icon.
CONSPIRING WITH NATURE
A retreat into gardening reminds one writer of her place in the world.
This Room Could Save the Planet
In a well-designed passive home, where elegance and insulation go hand in hand, anything is possible.