Even though they hold high-powered jobs in the digital world, Ned Erasmus and Sarah Rich (not their real names) lead a decidedly low-tech life at their Hamptons getaway, an oasis nestled in the woods that’s always ready to welcome family and guests with jigsaw puzzles and books and meals cooked with produce from their vegetable garden. Fast-tracked by the pandemic, their search for an East End home was driven in part by Erasmus’s fond memories of the region. “My grandparents have a house in Amagansett,” he says, “and when Sarah and I were dating we spent a lot of time here and even got engaged in Napeague, so the area means a lot to us.” Now the parents of a teenage daughter and an 11-year-old son, they especially felt the urge to start making memories of their own. “Sarah really wanted a country house, and I really wanted a beach house,” Erasmus continues, “but what we both loved about this home is that it’s isolated and private. When we want to go out, we can engage with everything the area has to offer, but we can also be separated from it.”
House-hunting during the pandemic, as many people discovered, required infinite patience and a dedicated Realtor, if not a hazmat suit. Rich recounts “not being allowed inside prospective houses and peeking through a lot of windows. We spent a lot of time at this location in the garden, and that’s ultimately why we bought the house.” Indeed, the lush grounds boast waterfalls, a pool, and a folly-like pool house in addition to an abundance of roses, hydrangeas, azaleas, foxgloves, and lupines. “There’s always something in bloom,” Rich enthuses.
In the foyer, a canvas by Mark Schiff hangs above a credenza from Crump & Kwash.
The sofa in the library is from Cassina and the fireplace surround is from Old World StoneWorks.
In the powder room, a CB2 Infinity mirror hangs above a custom Viola Calacatta marble and walnut vanity.
Furnishings in the living room include a Franco Albini no. PS16 rocking chaise, a cocktail table from MSJ Furniture Studio, and an O. Henry House sofa covered in a fabric from Osborne & Little.
In the dining room, a wall covering from Andrew Martin makes a vibrant backdrop for a table and chairs from Please Wait to be Seated.
Furnishings in the verdant backyard and pool area include chaise longues from Brown Jordan.
Furnishings in the verdant backyard and pool area include chaise longues from Brown Jordan.
A wall covering from Sanderson amplifies the hallway leading to the primary bedroom.
The primary bath features a Victoria + Albert tub and zellige wall tiles from Clé.
Mirrors from Pottery Barn and sconces from Ralph Lauren Home hang above a custom Calacatta marble vanity from ABC Stone.
In a guest room, a Hunt Slonem coverlet complements walls covered in Cole & Son’s Hummingbird.
The house dates from the 1980s but was in good condition, with amply sized rooms and 21 doors on the first floor offering front-row views of the garden. But the couple wanted to reconfigure the roofline, expand the guest suite, and transform the attic into a light-filled gym. During an online search, they came across architect and designer Alexandra Barker of the Brooklyn-based firm BAAO and were drawn to her “use of modern color,” Rich recounts. Although Barker is more accustomed to urban spaces, she admired the home and was up for the challenge. “Some of the ’80s-era details were out of favor, like the chunky stair rail,” Barker comments, “but others were back in style, such as the archways.” Barker promptly reconfigured the roofline and also created a bridge to the new floor-to-ceiling windowed gym. During her daily workout, Rich says, “Looking at nature is a lot nicer than looking at movies on a screen.”
Decorating the rooms offered Barker “a fun opportunity to put a different spin on the Hamptons, working in some color and not just settling on bland neutral palettes,” says the designer, who relied on the house’s natural light to dictate furnishing choices from the cozy den and dining room to the brighter living room and primary bedroom. In the dining room, a stunning mural nods to the natural landscape outdoors, and the primary bedroom features a teal Hunt Slonem coverlet on an Industry West cane-framed bed and a vividly patterned area rug. The latter mix plays well with the adjacent primary bathroom, which Barker transformed from “institutional” into a vibrant jewel featuring opalescent Moroccan zellige tiles from Clé on the walls, a shimmery backdrop for a Victoria + Albert tub and a sumptuously veined Calacatta marble sink. “The tiles provide texture and shine while also looking handmade and organic,” Barker says. And a powder room is triumph of pattern and color, balancing a neo-retro wallpaper against slashes of maroon both in the paint color on the wall and in the veining on the marble sink.
The now familiar pandemic-inspired patience became a virtue for Erasmus and Rich, as the right pieces came together slowly during the past three years. “We lived with a couch and mattresses for a long time,” Rich says with a smile. But now the couple can look outside all their windows, rather than just simply peek in.
