There is a special kind of homeowner who prefers restrictions on what can or can’t be done to an existing house. For such buyers, the less that is allowed, the more room there is for creativity.
When interior designer Anthony Squatrito and his partner, Paul Horn, came upon a lovely, but weathered, 1790 house in Water Mill, they were taken not only with the historic nature of it, but also by the fact that its identity in town fell under the aegis of the Peconic Land Trust. The nonprofit Trust, established in 1983, continues to protect and conserve some 14,000 acres of land on the East End, notably working farms and existing houses on such properties. While Squatrito and Horn were allowed to do whatever they wished inside the four-bedroom house, they were not allowed to alter much of anything on the exterior.
“We thought this was a good thing for us,” says Squatrito, who runs his namesake design firm from New York and the Hamptons. “The house was in rough condition when we bought it and it was a very appealing prospect for us to fully restore it.” Horn, meanwhile, is more than a banker by trade—he is, as Squatrito calls his partner, “a builder by passion.”
“When I say that Paul did all the restorations himself—changing windows, replacing flooring, opening up the ceiling in the kitchen—I mean Paul really did do all that by himself.”
A wall covering by Morris & Co. complements a custom console from Demiurge New York in the mudroom.
In the living room, vintage armchairs are covered in a Morris & Co. fabric.
An antique painting from Granary Gallery is displayed above the fireplace in the living room, and the vintage bench is from Wyeth NYC.
In the dining room, antique sconces are from Ida’s Eye, and the custom rug is from Crosby Street Studios. The tablecloth covering the vintage table is from Loaves & Fishes.
In the den, an antique dresser is paired with a custom rug from Crosby Street Studios.
A wall covering by Morris & Co. envelops a hallway.
A window fabric from Chelsea Textiles complements a bed covering from Hive Collective in the primary bedroom.
In the primary bath, the vanity and mirror are from RH, and the roman shade fabric is from Claremont. The sconces are from Visual Comfort.
Chairs from Thayers Outdoor Living surround a teak trestle table in the outdoor dining area.
In taking on the project to restore the house and bring its interiors into the present day, the couple remained cognizant of the original 18th-century builder, Timothy Halsey, a ye-olde ancestor of the region whose name figures today into streets, businesses, and other entities in the town and beyond (the Trust was established by a Halsey). The couple was also proud to learn that the most recent owners of the house had been another gay couple who had lived there in the 1960s. Squatrito and Horn purchased the house from the estate of those late owners, and the executors of the estate, upon seeing the work that Squatrito and Horn had done, said, “The previous owners would be so happy and proud to see how you have restored their former house.”
Squatrito recounts, “We like being a part of the long legacy of this house and property.”
Among the most dramatic interior changes occurred in the kitchen. As in all the rooms, the original ceiling beams were encased in the plastered ceilings. Squatrito and Horn lowered the ceilings just enough to expose the dark beams. The couple retained most of the pumpkin-pine floors, with their 16-inch planks now agleam. By exposing the full ceiling pitch in the kitchen, the room, among the largest in the residence, is ablaze with natural light and warmth.
Squatrito admits to a penchant for William Morris fabrics, notably those depicting scrolling flowers and vines amid citrusy fruits. He reupholstered a pair of armchairs in the living room with a green and yellow pattern, while papering the upstairs hallway in an especially bountiful and cheerful Morris pattern. “When we bought the house, it was so much darker than it is now,” he says, “and by using that paper upstairs, it serves as a strong way to hold together the very center of the house. The pattern grounds the whole house.” The walls of a mudroom area are also filled with William Morris vines that appear to grow from floor to ceiling.
Other strong Squatrito design moments are found in the artworks that hang throughout—mostly portraits of anonymous men. A depiction of a contemplative World War I sailor hangs above the kitchen fireplace, one of five working units in the house. Other new and vintage figures appear on mantles and sideboards. In keeping with the house’s East End locale, additional rooms, such as the den, which is defined by a vibrant geometrically patterned rug, are adorned with moody seascapes.
After working for years on the staff of other firms, Squatrito has established his own thriving design business. “When you’re on your own, and especially when you’re designing your own home, it’s very, very satisfying,” he says. “It’s not so hard to make the rooms of a house beautiful. What’s more difficult is to create a home that feels peaceful, memorable, calming. Our house is all that.”