The village of…
Sagaponack in the town of South Hampton is one of the most exclusive zip codes in the US. Once a historic fishing village, it is now home to sprawling estates and converted farmhouses with sweeping ocean views. The author, actor and screenwriter Truman Capote, lived in a saltbox home here for the last 23 years of his life and famously described the location as “Kansas with a sea breeze”. This metaphor still rings true in an area that has retained the charm of its rural character thanks to its bucolic landscape – a mixture of wild fields, working farms, lush vineyards and pristine sandy beaches.
This project…
required the complete gutting and refurbishment of an existing building to make room for extra bedrooms and a spacious floor plan suited to a family of five, eager to use the residence as a summer hideaway. Leading the project was Tamara Magel, an award-winning interior designer who is personally and professionally connected to the natural beauty of this timeless location, having previously built her own dream home in East Hampton from the ground up.
Her vision is evocative and impactful: she and her team have conceived a modern rustic home that elicits the calming effects of nature using subdued hues and natural materials. The starting point was to create a well-appointed backdrop using white oak for custom cabinets and millwork paired with bespoke black steel panels for doors and windows.
A large…
living room with a wooden beamed ceiling conjures up a tranquil atmosphere, thanks to a lush creamy one-color palette. Here, different textures such as boucle wool, smooth stone, white ceramic, and flecked linen add a sensory and tactile quality to the space that feels rich and engaging. Artisanal pieces such as a pair of fluted sconces by Apparatus Studio and an unglazed Ceramicah Terra Lamp, usher in a sense of nostalgia that recalls a time when decorative objects were customarily handmade.
A custom…
A custom kitchen equipped with a hand-built Italian cooker by Ilve features a statement marble hewn from Calacatta Vagli Rosato, a luxurious stone quarried in the Apuan Alps of Tuscany, renowned for its dramatic pattern of pinkish swirls. Magel has emphasized the painterly quality of this stonework with bold fixtures and accessories including a pair of ‘Eole’ flower-shaped plaster ceiling lamps by Pierre Augustin Rose and a collection of wooden seats upholstered with tufted cream wool, fondly compared to giant toadstools. Indeed, these unique pendant lamps and stools are just some of the organic, curved silhouettes chosen by the designer as a means of integrating natural elements into the home and enhancing a sense of spatial circulation from room to room.
The dining…
area, separated from the kitchen by custom oak pocket doors, features simple cane back chairs that offer a sentimental nod to a coastal farmhouse theme. Magel deftly combines this old-world charm with touches of theatricality; above this seating arrangement hangs a futuristic pendant light by Lindsey Adelman made of polished bronze and wafer-thin porcelain discs.
Deeper…
richer colors create a more intimate ambiance in the private areas of the home. One bathroom combines panda marble with polished nickel faucets and limestone accessories for a pronounced contrast between cool and inky tones, while a shower cubicle fully embraces depth and drama with an all-black interior of brick-shaped tiles. A second bathroom features an impressive wall-to-wall purple marble sink, overlooked by a pair of vintage globe lights, whose combined softness and pastel aesthetic once again strengthen the connection between the home’s internal identity and its residential setting in nature.
Magel…
describes this new home as “luxurious and soothing with pops of drama”, and this unique country chic style is especially well-tuned in bedrooms which offer stunning views of verdant fields and the ocean beyond. Here, a blend of modern sophistication and functional convenience are invigorated by bolts of artistic energy, expressed through inventive furniture pieces such as a majestic glass chandelier and a Fit Table available through Dshop, crafted from interlocking slabs of textured travertine stone.
Indeed, it is precisely this ineffable mix of rustic elegance, refined efficiency, and avant-garde expression that makes for a uniquely layered home; one that resonates perfectly with the rich and varied landscape of this coastal idyll.
Interior Designer & Interior Architect: Tamara Magel Design
Exterior Architecture: Seth Howe
Landscape Architecture: LaGuardia Design Group
