The Hamptons is a rite of passage for many a Manhattanite, and at the end of this month, I’ll be joining the flocks of hopefuls swapping humid shoebox apartments and honking taxis for a more civilized coastal scene: hydrangeas, neatly clipped hedges, salty ocean air, and, with any luck, not being swindled into a $150 beach club chicken tender tower.
Out East, everyone’s either living – or aspiring to – a Nancy Meyers summer, perhaps best embodied by Diane Keaton’s French-doored beach house in Something’s Gotta Give (2003), where laid-back luxury takes the form of slipcovered sofas, jute rugs, crisp white upholstery, and an easy palette of blue, sand, and white.
The beds are dressed in monogrammed Matouk sheets. The flowers are white, arranged in wicker or chrome (crystal would be too cliché). Speaking of, niche luxury hand soap only, swapping overly saturated sandalwoods for fresh heirloom tomato. The side tables are sculptural – a necessary dose of surrealism when the owner is almost certainly an editor, an artist, or at least the parent of one. Faded pinstripes are pretty much a prerequisite. And the oversized armchairs? They swivel. Because this is a summer house, after all, and we’re having a little fun.
Think about it: it’s a town filled with New Yorkers who spend the rest of the year setting the tone, finally letting their guard down for a season. Euro summer this, Euro summer that, but if you ask me, year after year this is the decorating style to watch. Ahead, every detail I’ve spotted in, and hope to take back to, one of the most stylish corners of the world this time of year.
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