Few designers are willing to admit that they like things they may not like. “If something is new to me and I don’t like it at first, I’m suddenly more interested in it,” says interior designer Michelle Gerson. As a former fashion designer, and now highly prolific interior designer, Gerson is used to encountering and, then, embracing unfamiliar shapes and textures. She remains open to ideas—a dynamic that, perhaps, is the key definition of a true designer.
For instance, the homeowner-wife of this nine-bedroom spec-built house in Sagaponack, wanted lots of furniture everywhere, since she entertains often and wants her husband and four children to have many gathering options inside and outside the home. “I don’t usually put so much furniture in a room, especially the living room” says Gerson, “but the homeowner who is so smart, has such great taste and a great eye, taught me something—that you can have a lot of seating areas in a room and have it work perfectly. My favorite kind of client is one like this—who sometimes gets you out of your comfort zone and has you look at something, or consider an idea, that may not at first seem right.”
In responding to the client’s directive for a living room with lots of seating, Gerson fashioned a novel two-sided, tufted sofa that elegantly wraps in on itself, with sitters able to look out into the expansive room or focus on a stylish bar area. Gerson explains that the house’s original plan featured a fireplace where there is now the bar. She reconfigured the room to create a bar defined by a recessed arched marble wall, ribbed-glass cabinets, and fluted lacquer cabinetry. “When you walk into the house, the first element you see is this bar, and it screams that this is a home for entertaining people and welcoming them,” says Gerson.
A mirror from Bert Furnari hangs above a bench from Jeff Lincoln in the entry.
A custom sofa, ottoman, and armchair from NY Custom Furnishings are covered in a Holly Hunt fabric in the family room.
A chandelier from The Future Perfect hangs above a table from Fair in the kitchen dining area.
In the kitchen, Richmond bar stools from 1stDibs are covered in a fabric from Innovations.
In the dining room, the wallcovering is hand painted from Aqualille. Chairs from Artistic Frame surround a custom table by Aronson Woodworks.
In the great room, a Calacatta slab from Opustone covers the walls of the bar. The sofa is custom from Todd Merrill.
A mirror by Dartom Construction LLC hangs above a vanity from Artistic Tile in a powder room. The wallcovering is from MJ Atelier and the pendants are from Hollis + Morris.
A chandelier from Suite NY hangs above a bed covered in a fabric from Lagoon Linens in the primary bedroom. A custom sofa from NY Custom Furnishings is covered in a fabric from Opuzen, and the wall covering is from Phillip Jeffries.
In a bedroom, a bed covering from Lagoon Linens complements a custom wallcovering from Moth Paper.
Around the pool area, the sofa, coffee tables, and single chaise lounges are from Gandiablasco. Umbrellas from Dedon and Tuuci complement a dining table and chairs rom Kettal.
So, too, did Gerson make a strong first-impression at the foyer. There, she positioned a boldly articulated ceramic bench by River Baladez beneath an amorphously shaped mirror by Bert Furnari that is encased by a mauve frame. “I love creating ‘a little moment’ when you walk into the front door of a home,” Gerson emphasizes. “The foyer is the first thing you see and it should be something that’s a feast for the eyes. The same goes for a powder room. Both spaces should have a ‘Wow’ factor.”
The home is filled with such “Wow” factors, accomplished, in part, by Gerson’s penchant for organic, amorphous forms. A wall of the husband’s office/den features three sculptural mirrors by Tomas Graeff that assume the presence of artworks, while also serving to visually animate the room. A John Procario molded-wood lighting source appears to swoosh, ribbon-like, over the dining table, while many of the custom-designed furnishings embody curvaceous, rounded forms. In the family room, a sinuous Bieke Casteleyn table, its surface a troweled concrete, works its way through the space, the whole of which is emboldened by an Alex Katz portrait. “We like for rooms of a house to have a conversation among themselves, where they can all speak together in the same language,” says Gerson.
Gerson has a unique take, too, on the primary suite. With a husband and a wife, there is often the issue of how feminine or masculine to make the room. Gerson skewed feminine, with her use of pale greens, lavenders, and other “dusty” colors. “I think a primary bedroom should be feminine. Real men don’t feel uncomfortable with feminine energy present,” Gerson says with both humor and conviction. “Women, for the most part, give up so much to make their family’s home a livable place. At the end of the day, she should be able to lay down in a place that feels meant for her.”
But Gerson is an expert, too at exercising restraint. She knows when to push a theme and when to limit it. “The client understood the importance of having special pieces throughout, but she also knew that to have too many can make a room like a showroom. She was comfortable with our mixing high and low. We made a little magic together.