Designing clothing for men and women is not unlike interior design, at least for decorator Jessica Gersten, who started out working for such fashion potentates as Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, and Kenneth Cole before she decided to segue into home decor. Each discipline, she argues, is about shape and form. “I love the way garments drape on a body and the way furnishings can define a space,” says the Manhattan-based designer. “And my passion outside of fashion has always been interiors.”
Shape, it turns out, plays a primary role in virtually every corner of the new seven-bedroom house in Sag Harbor featured here. “I appreciate the sinuous lines and sensuality that come with sculptural forms,” says Gersten, “and in this home, I pushed boundaries wherever I could. I wanted to create rooms that would make a person stop and look twice, to see the artisanship behind the object.”
It helped that her clients, attorneys Farin and Moe Fodeman, were up for some boundary-pushing. Gersten had already decorated their Upper East Side apartment, which they share with their three children, but they desired a strict departure for their weekend getaway. “Unlike the apartment, which I have to admit is cluttered,” Farin says, “we wanted a very clean, beachy vibe for the house, the first we’ve ever bought. We wanted to experience a sense of calm the moment we walked through the front door, a sort of ‘Zen’ feel.”
Gersten has a penchant for natural, organic forms and hues, so the collaboration was a good fit from the start. “I’m not convinced the right words exist to describe my aesthetic and how I used it here,” she reflects, “but ‘modern eclectic’ is as close as I can get.” Given virtual carte blanche by the Fodemans, she settled on a neutral palette of taupes, blacks, creams, and caramels (“The colors of nature,” she says), although the rooms are anything but laid-back in terms of drama.
Living room furnishings include a pair of Lawson Fenning armchairs, a vintage brown leather de Sede “Non Stop” sofa, and travertine nesting cocktail tables from Property.
Armadillo Metalworks made the living room’s whimsical iron swing chair, a custom design by Jessica Gersten, who also designed the area rug.
Pendants from Stahl and Band dangle next to an Urban Outfitters mirror in the powder room.
Pendants by Matthew Fairbank hang above a Caesarstone island in the kitchen. The barstools are from Matter.
In the dining room, Lawson Fenning chairs covered in Nobilis fabrics surround an oak table designed by Jessica Gersten and 212 Renovations Group.
An RH sofa and Craft Associates armchairs flank an Objects & Ideas cocktail table from 1stdibs in the family room. Soleil New York fabricated the plaster ceiling fixture, a custom design by Jessica Gersten.
The tester bed and nightstands in the primary bedroom are from Motxa Furniture. The throw is from Homelosophy.
Outdoor furnishings from RH and umbrellas from Walters line the backyard pool area.
McDonough & Conroy Architects designed the home, which was constructed by Hamptons Building Corporation.
Take the living room’s sinuous cognac-hued de Sede leather sectional sofa, which unfurls across the large space with a fashion runway–like panache, while at the opposite end, an iron swing seat hangs from the ceiling on a giant chain-link mount. “Jessica told us that she wanted to make a big statement in that corner,” Farin recounts, “and it’s definitely a focal point. My kids love to sit in it and read.”
Fashion-forward gestures appear throughout the house, from organically shaped mirrors in the foyer and powder room to a sculptural teakwood chair in the family room and a passel of lighting fixtures that double as practical objets d’art. Gersten’s own Uman ceiling pendant, comprising circular plaster rings secured with leather straps, hovers over the family room, while her custom-designed rope light dangles above the main staircase. The latter’s orbs are affixed to strands of macramé-like rope, an effect Gersten describes as “my way of playing with the flow of a garment as a household object. And the rope is visually interesting both inside the home and outside, since it’s visible through the double-height windows.”
Gersten also made her mark in the kitchen, where she used white Caesarstone for the island and countertops, rather than a veined marble that would typically be her stone of choice. “The Caesarstone is more user-friendly, kid-friendly, and homey,” she emphasizes. Subtle sophistication comes by way of shimmery white ceramic tiles on the backsplash and a textural plaster range hood.
A home, just like a well-made dress, has “to have a real soul,” Gersten says, “and being an interior designer means you can help change a family’s way of living simply by creating a new environment for them. What you design affects how they feel, and I wanted to make this family feel happy.”
