TWO DINING ROOMS ARE BETTER THAN ONE | Both dining areas serve pretty ocean views. One is part of the kitchen, with a stone floor and extra-long table for everyday dining that seats 10 but extends for 16. The chairs? White pleather to withstand family life and juice spills.
The formal dining room is for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has hardwood flooring and a glass-top McGuire Furniture table. The slipcovered chairs play against the glamorous Vaughan Designs chandelier and dressy Osborne & Little wallpaper in soft sea blue.
“The homeowner envisioned ‘sharing’ this house with family and friends,” says Butler. “Margie and I became friends with her. It was so much fun to stay at the beach and work on the house. She has hosted graduation parties, engagement parties and baby showers, so she has used it exactly as we all had hoped.”
Amagansett means “place of good water,” a Native American nod to the whaling and fishing history in this Hamptons hamlet. So when Marcela Butler and Marjorie Rambusch of Butler Rambusch Interior Design were entrusted to bring out the best in this beach house, they focused on sandy hues and water blues. The homeowner’s top two wish words were “comfortable and casual” – just right for a New York City family with four daughters and two grandkids.
WHERE THE LIVING IS EASY | The first-floor family room fields a busy life. It has pool and beach access making it perfect for the summer season, as well as a fireplace to keep away nippy nights beyond. No fussy fabrics in sight; think rattan chairs accented with vintage indigo pillows, and a sofa and chaise from Verellen HC with thick Belgian linen slipcovers in a neutral sand-dune shade.
“We did try to be practical,” the designers share. “The slipcovers are heavy-duty and we ordered the sofas with two covers each so they could be switched out.” Additionally, the upstairs family room is furnished with comfy slipcovered pieces from Verellen HC. The coffee table on the second floor is Tucker Robbins wood constructed from a solid plank, and the soft, high-pile wool rug with blue design – bare feet can’t wait to sink in! – is from Michaelian & Kohlberg. “Both family rooms are meant for hanging out and never leaving,” the designers add.
Photography Courtesy of Lauren Hagerstrom.
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