Southampton is known for its traditions like shingle-style houses and the annual ritual of the summer season, customs which designer Phillip Thomas’s clients were eager to uphold. Having spent many a summer in their beach house while raising their two sons, the husband and wife realized that the house could benefit from a makeover now that their children were grown. Although altering the home’s classic shingled exterior was out of the question, the entirety of the interior was entrusted to the owners’ longtime designer, who revamped it in accordance with its coastal setting. “It was important to my clients that the space embody the timeless feel of the Hamptons but also injected with youthful glamour,” Thomas recounts.
Given that the family primarily uses the house from April through September, tailoring it to that time of year was a priority for the homeowners, according to their designer. “They wanted the home to feel like summer the moment you walk through the door, and for them, summer is blue and white.” Beginning in the foyer and extending throughout the house, watery hues make their mark on millwork, walls, and upholstery. Floral and batik prints, which Thomas used liberally, heighten the interior’s summery feel. Also noteworthy is the presence of sun-kissed materials like rattan, wicker, and jute, whose warmth is intensified by the natural light that streams through generously sized windows and newly added French doors.
“It was important to my clients that the space embody the timeless feel of the Hamptons but also injected with youthful glamour,” says interior designer Phillip Thomas.
In the foyer, a ceiling fixture from Crate & Barrel hangs above a table from Global Views.
In the family room, the wallcovering and sofa fabric are from Thibaut. The sofa is custom by Phillip Thomas Inc.
Stools from Serena & Lily surround a custom table by Phillip Thomas Inc.
Layers of pattern create interest in a service area.
In the dining room, the wallcovering is by Christopher Farr Cloth, and the chairs are from Anthropologie.
A fabric from Kravet covers a custom sofa by Phillip Thomas Inc. in the living room. A Lee Jofa fabric covers armchairs from Anthropologie. The rug is from Stark, and the coffee table is from Serena & Lily.
Art is displayed salon style in the hallway.
In the primary bedroom, the desk and chair are from Serena & Lily.
A Phillip Jeffries wallcovering complements the custom bed by Phillip Thomas Inc.
A custom armchair by Phillip Thomas Inc. is covered in a fabric from John Rosselli & Associates. The Manuel Canovas curtains are from Cowtan & Tout.
In the primary sitting room, a sofa bed by Carlyle is covered in a fabric from Lee Jofa. The curtains are from Osborne & Little.
Careful to avoid cliche, the designer strove to combine classic coastal elements in refreshing ways, particularly in the family room, which is awash in blue-and-white pattern. “There’s a familiarity to the room, but that familiarity is pushed a little bit by the mixture of florals and geometrics and the scale of the prints,” he explains. Working with a limited palette of four distinct fabrics, Thomas anchored the room in a robust floral print used for walls, windows, and a twenty-foot-long sofa, whose extended size makes it a favorite gathering spot for the family. The other fabrics were cut up and pieced together in origami-like fashion, creating both borders for the sofa and shades and accent pillows comprised of interlocking patterned squares.
To better accommodate the family and their love of entertaining, Thomas repositioned rooms and enlarged them. A former guest suite and part of the garage is now a spacious kitchen whose practicality is enlivened by crisp blue and white finishes. A new butler’s pantry, outfitted with ample cabinetry to store tableware, serves as a staging area that leads to the dining room, whose watery-patterned walls, textured rug, and shell chandelier give a sophisticated impression of a beach, minus the nuisance of sand.
In addition to taking inspiration from the home’s locale, Thomas also drew from the close relationship he has with his clients. Having decorated two other houses for the family, one which included a much-loved pink bedroom, the designer and the wife decided to revisit the rosy hue for this home’s primary bedroom. Pink metallic grass-cloth wallpaper and blush carpet are an unexpected twist to the room’s otherwise blue-and-white palette. The powder room also deviates in color. Knowing the wife’s fascination with lady bugs, Thomas personalized the small space with a red and white lady-bug wallpaper enhanced by a red vanity and trim.
Now imbued with the essence of summer in the Hamptons, the house also feels in tune with a family whose needs and tastes are changing. “My clients are setting the groundwork for the next chapter in their lives,” says Thomas. “This home is a very personal story of who they are.”