Lawyers disagree, argue, reach a settlement, and then both parties are happy. Such was the case with this East Hampton home owned by two prominent and opinionated husband–wife lawyers. As Antonino Buzzetta, the interior designer for the project, recalls when recounting the many shopping expeditions that the three of them embarked on together, “I kept telling them they should have their own reality TV show, in that both are very funny and sometimes had one-hundred-percent conflicts about certain furnishings. But ultimately, a lot of fun and cute and friendly bantering went on between them.”
While Buzzetta says that both husband and wife are particular about their likes, the designer suggests that “He likes perfection a little bit more than she. In some places, such as the media room, which had been a formal dining room, I was able to ‘push’ her a little further with some elements.”
Buzzetta knows this five-bedroom house well—not only from having designed the interiors for this couple, but also because he’d worked on the house before. Prior to this couple purchasing the residence, Buzzetta had wholly transformed it for earlier clients. Back then, he describes the house as having been “a super-traditional modern house” that he had gutted and updated. When those former clients sold the house to this couple, the new owners were so impressed with the finishes that Buzzetta had created that they hired him for what they wanted their home to be. “Essentially, I was redoing my own work,” says Buzzetta.
The living room features a Vladimir Kagan lounge chair and ottoman, as well as a sofa from Anees Furniture & Design, which is covered in a fabric from Métaphores.
In the primary bedroom, the bed is by Dennis Miller, and the wall covering is by Phillip Jeffries.
In a powder room, the wall covering is by Maison Margiela. The faucet is from Dornbracht, and the stone is Kenya Black Marble from ABC Stone.
In the media room, a ceiling fixture from Arteriors hangs above a coffee table by Lorin Marsh, and the rug is by Edward Fields Carpet Makers.
In the junior primary bedroom, the rug is custom by Edward Fields Carpet Makers, and the wall covering is by Maya Romanoff.
In the living room, custom travertine side tables complement the bar cabinet by Bruno Moinard Éditions. The rug is custom by Tai Ping, and the coffee table is by Lorin Marsh.
The fireplace features a natural quartzite marble slab surround from ABC Stone.
A rug by Edward Fields Carpet Makers anchors the foyer. The table is by Holly Hunt.
In the breakfast area, the banquette and dining table are by Christophe Delcourt.
Setting itself apart from many Hamptons homes which can, sometimes, be rather monochromatic and understated in effect, some of this residence’s rooms are infused with subtle beautiful blues, as well as furnishings throughout that present themselves as both sculptural elements and as wholly usable, practical items appropriate for a beachy locale. In the open-plan living room, for instance, Buzzetta ensured that every kind of furniture be used. An all-silk Tai Ping carpet began as the room’s first element, noted for the way its blue hue transitions in an eerie ombre effect, with its coloration shifting from bold to a paler, powdery color at its center.
“The moment you walk into the house, first thing you see is the blue pool, and, so, here was a way to better balance what you see outside with what you see inside,” Buzzetta says of the rug’s effect. A pair of fantastically chic blue swivel chairs announce themselves, too, right away in the room, while an elegantly arcing daybed runs the width of the fireplace. What is now a true tête-à-tête began its life as a full sofa that Buzzetta had cleverly lopped out in the middle, that gap now centering on his minimalist fireplace.
While the pool may be the main site outdoors, a Brutalist-style walnut bar cabinet is a focal point of the room even though it is set to the side. The limited-edition piece (one of five), from Bruno Moinard, opens into a kind of jewel box, with mirrored and lined interiors, an effect so dazzling that the homeowners often keep its doors open for sheer awe effect.
Within the kitchen space, Buzzetta placed an eating table edged by a curved and inviting banquette. “As for the freestanding banquette, Buzzetta confesses, “I love a banquette, and in a kitchen, everyone always gravitates to one. Everyone fights for those seats.”
Buzzetta leaves no space unaffected and unaffecting. A powder room, which incorporates a striped, black marble sink and backsplash, a wallpaper asparkle with a mica glint, and opposing mirrors make for a special effect. “I love moody dark powder rooms. People are afraid of dark colors but in a powder room you can use them. In a small space, dark hues work their magic.”
Surfaces matter to Buzzetta, and so he enveloped the primary suite in a series of visual and textural hues, notably using a rug composed of multiple, varying ridges that feels especially good in bare feet. In a spacious first-floor guest bedroom, a striated Maya Romanoff wallcovering fosters a vigorous textured effect.
As for the house, the lawyering couple consider it a closed case. “They were very involved with the process from the start, and they appreciate what I’ve done for them,” says Buzzetta. “Every time I walk in, I see that they’ve left the rooms exactly as I had created them. Very few clients do that.”
