“This project was a dream from the first phone call,” relates interior designer Dan Mazzarini of the shingle-style cabin with ocean views that he designed for a young family on Long Island’s sparsely populated North Fork.
The area’s pristine natural beauty and charming community had been drawing the Connecticut-based owners for years, and they envisioned an elegant yet relaxing spot for summers, long weekends and holidays with family and friends. “It’s beautiful, calming, crisp and neutral with a Ralph Lauren vibe,” Mazzarini describes. “The house needed to be as durable as it was beautiful and comfortable.”
Having previously designed the couple’s primary residence in Connecticut, Mazzarini was intimately familiar with their style and the wife’s desire for that house to “read like a runway show,” he recalls, noting he designed their vacation retreat with that in mind. Having seen and lived the designer’s vision, the owners were happy to give him virtual carte blanche, trusting him to conceive and implement his vision down to the sheets and silverware.
During the expedited five-month project, Mazzarini and his team touched nearly every surface, painting the wood flooring in a glossy shade of white and the soaring pine ceilings in a black that resembles Shou Sugi Ban. “It was a game changer,” he shares. “A total transformation.”
One can only imagine the thrill the owners experienced when they first entered through the home’s glossy black double doors and stood in the spacious, double-height living room. There, a white fireplace with a bluestone hearth creates a striking focal point for matching white sofas covered in a durable yet sumptuous white performance fabric.
Woven baskets, natural wood elements, verdant house plants and black metal accents complete the scene. “When you’re working in a tight palette like this, a diversity of texture creates visual interest and adds warmth.” Mazzarini points to the large paper chandelier in the center of the room. “Even the whites are rendered in a variety of textures.”
As are the black elements. A pair of tall black woven pendants and dark hide rugs, for example, elevate the white walls and flooring in the primary bedroom suite. In pursuit of the unexpected, he opted not to center a small painting over the sleek white bed, instead hanging it on one side. “It makes the space feel more special and considered.” The artwork is part of an eclectic collection that includes oil paintings, black-and-white photography, mixed media, vintage mirrors and papier-mâché animal heads. “It’s a fun mix that rounds out the story.”
A grid of framed pages from a vintage Louis Vuitton book, for example, creates a strong focal point in the family room, the charcoal walls fostering a cozy backdrop for a tailored sectional sofa and a pair of strap chairs. And while not technically art per se, the canoe skeleton hanging in the living room nevertheless makes a statement: this is a peaceful spot to relax and recreate.
Indeed, the designer and his team knew his clients wanted to spend Memorial Day in their new coastal retreat, and they completed the project just in time. When the husband arrived to see the result in person for the first time, Mazzarini welcomed him with burning candles, a glass of chilled bubbly and a grand tour of his new abode.
“It was a perfect cinematic moment,” Mazzarini shares, recalling the refreshing sea breeze that wafted in through the open windows. “This is the house that we all want to live in — comfortable, polished and very intentional.”
Photography by Reid Rolls.
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