The moment Arianna De Gasperis stepped into the Amagansett cottage she knew what had to be done. Feeling the sea breeze washing over, she immediately envisioned a Dutch door at the entrance. And as her eyes scaled the loft-like dwelling, with its steeply pitched roof, she decided that the walls and ceilings needed to be clad in shiplap—those seamlessly grooved, moisture-resistant boards that have been used for generations on boats and beach houses.
“It’s a really tall space, and when my clients brought me inside just after they had bought it, it all felt very plain and, well, kind of sad,” says De Gasperis, who heads her firm, And Studio. “I knew right away that I could transform the rooms with shiplap boards—used vertically in most places and horizontally at the chair-rail level. The material adds layers and dimensions to an otherwise simple space.”
De Gasperis had recently completed a lengthy and involved design of the rooms in the client’s spacious Brooklyn townhouse when she was commissioned by the couple to transform this diminutive cottage. They had purchased the dwelling as a place for guests, situated a short drive from their far bigger house near Amagansett’s town center. Here, visitors and overflow family members could enjoy privacy, with a short walk to the beach.
While a gutting wasn’t required, De Gasperis did refashion the layout to include a second bedroom and full bath, something she created by “borrowing” some closet space and reducing the scale of the other bedroom. The original bathroom was metaphorically sent out to sea and replaced with bright tiling, a checkerboard tiled floor, and a window in the shower. Determined to make the house beachy, and as she says, “seasidey” in feel without it becoming a decorative cliché, De Gasparis used a favorite color throughout most of the rooms—Farrow & Ball’s Pointing, a creamy white noted for its luminescence when stuck by natural light or lamplight.
The cottage was designed to be one with nature.
An antique table from 1stDibs resides next to a chair by Casa Gusto, which is covered in a fabric by Le Manach.
The site’s flora grows tall and is visible through many windows.
The living room sofa from Brooke & Lou is covered in a fabric from Romo. The rug is from Ernesta.
In the kitchen, the cabinetry is custom by Pazera Cabinetry. The sconces are from Felix Lighting.
Chairs from Casa Gusto and custom built-in seating by Pazera Cabinetry surround the dining table. The bench is covered in a fabric from Rose Cumming, and the ceiling fixture is an Art Deco Italian design from Chairish.
In the primary bath, the shower tiles are from Country Floors, and the fixtures are from Waterworks.
In the primary bedroom, the antique mirror and nightstand are from Chairish, and the headboard is covered in a fabric from Howe at 36 Bourne Street.
“I knew the color would make the house feel more cottagey, and it would allow for whatever patterns were introduced to stand out,” she says, acknowledging, in particular, two living room wicker armchairs that wear a handsome bold stripe from Le Manach. The headboard in the larger bedroom is upholstered with a tighter striped pattern from 36 Bourne Street. And even the wheat-hued woven seagrass Roman shades from Hartmann & Forbes reveal broad stripes when illuminated by sunlight.
For the cushions of a kitchen banquette that she designed, De Gasperis chose Roses Cumming’s handsome Wyeth stripe, which she used, too, on opposing chairs. The kitchen eating area, bright by day with a skylight cut into the pitched roof, has the feel of a sailing ship, given the pairs of storage drawers beneath the fixed and sturdy banquette. The antique table, the only item the homeowners brought to the residence, doubles as a writing surface with two drawers.
Throughout, De Gasperis was careful to exercise restraint, choosing a minimum of items, but every one of which has an effect. A ginger jar vase stands out on an antique English mahogany nightstand, kitchen windows are left free of shades or drapes to allow the surrounding flora to fill the panes, and decorative wooden framed mirrors in a bedroom further extend interior views.
Given the prior experience De Gasperis had with the clients and their willingness to let her “just go for it” design-wise, she chose virtually every item in the home. For artworks, she sourced vintage boat prints, scientific drawings of seashells, painted beachscapes, and even a set of painted plates depicting scenes from Moby Dick.
“This was a fun project because it was a short project. The clients closed on the property in late winter and wanted it all done by July 4,” De Gasperis emphasizes. “There wasn’t time for, or a desire to make a million choices about fabrics and furnishings. The whole process felt as if I were doing my home, since I got to make so many decisions on my own, even down to hanging a tassel on the doorknob of a bedroom.”
