When designer Allison Babcock’s clients purchased their Southampton beach retreat a few years ago, they acquired a home that was nearly perfect for them. Built in the early 2000s, the Fleetwood & McMullan-designed house had great bones, a classic shingle-style exterior, and ample room to accommodate the new homeowners’ grown children and guests. The only thing that did not entirely suit them was the home’s traditional interiors, which conflicted with the couple’s pared-down aesthetic. With the approaching summer season a mere six months away, a time-consuming interior renovation was out of the question. Instead, the new owners engaged Babcock to cosmetically update the interiors to make the house their own. Fifth and Dune Partners, a contracting and construction firm, was also part of the collaborative team.
To establish the clean look that the couple envisioned, Babcock first lightened the entirety of the home’s interior using whitewashed floors and Benjamin Moore’s “Swiss Coffee” paint, which she specified for every wall and trim. “Everything is fairly neutral so that you’re not shocked when you move from room to room. It flows really nicely,” Babcock explains. Color was introduced judiciously to avoid disturbing the tranquil environment. Fabrics and accessories in soft shades of blue and green, which echo the exterior landscape, accent the home’s more casual spaces like the sunroom. Elsewhere in the house, the couple’s art collection, which includes pieces by East End artists, provides refreshing splashes of color.
A classic Hamptons shingle façade adorns the exterior.
Candlesticks are from Maison Gerard, while the goat hair rug is by Beauvais Carpets.
The center coffee table is from Withers Studio; the sofa to its left is by Dmitriy & Co. Artwork by Paul Kramer.
The sunroom features a sofa by Bunny Williams Home and an ottoman upholstered in a fabric by Radish Moon Textiles. The roman shades are from Hartmann & Forbes.
A mirror from Arteriors hangs in the powder room against an embroidered grasscloth from Crezana.
In the family room and kitchen, an ottoman from Blend Interiors pairs perfectly with a sectional from Jenni Kayne. The island is custom by Fifth and Dune, and the backsplash is a Calacatta Gold marble slab from ABC Stone.
In the primary bedroom, an armchair from Baker is covered in a Kravet textile, and the drapery fabric is from Pierre Frey.
Because the house was to be furnished from scratch, Babcock employed one of her favorite design techniques to prevent the interiors from seeming too newly assembled. “I love mixing the modern with antiques and artwork. It makes the room more interesting and collected-looking,” she says. The entry hall, for example, is simply appoint with a richly patinaed antique bench that the designer partnered with a sleek metal table. A similar mix of styles appears in the living room, where streamlined white upholstery and elegant Art Deco-style armchairs mingle with nature-inspired pieces, like stone and wood tables and even a brass floor lamp shaped like a cluster of flowers. “The organic touches bring down the room’s formality and speak to where we are,” remarks Babcock.
Traditional beach house furnishings, such as rattan furniture, linen fabrics, and lightweight woven rugs, are sprinkled throughout the home, further establishing a sense of place. Other coastal classics, however, have been reimagined. Grasscloth wallcovering, which envelops the small but dramatic powder room, is embellished with geometric-patterned embroidery, an unexpected twist on a perennial favorite. Babcock took similar liberties with the obligatory shell accents, which she used sparingly. In the primary bedroom, a plaster limpet chandelier and a mirror surrounded by coral-like branches reference the nearby water, doing so in a high-style way.
When indoors, the couple and their children spend most of their time in the comfortable kitchen-family room, a bright, open space that segues nicely to the outdoors, where the family can also often be found during their summer visits. Lured there by a pool, tennis court, and a covered patio that is used for outdoor lounging and dining, the owners are particularly drawn to the home’s gardens, which had been another major selling point of the house. Designed twenty years ago by Hollander Design Landscape Architects, the inviting landscape required little updating other than the addition of a vegetable and herb garden. By seamlessly blending the old with the new, Babcock and her clients enhanced what was already a beautiful house. Now light, airy, and filled with sophisticated furnishings, the home feels refreshingly timeless, thereby ensuring its lasting appeal.