Hampton Designer Showhouse 2014

Does it get any better than summer in the Hamptons? Staying with wonderful friends,  visiting childhood pals, attending family wedding out in Montauk, staying on the beach until dusk? Well, yes, this year it was just a notch better...the Hampton Designer Showhouse 2014 had just opened when we arrived!

My dear friend was one step ahead of me and arranged for the two of us the tour the house Sunday morning before all the crowds arrived. We blissfully roamed around this 12,000 sf Hamptons gem to our hearts' content. It was thrilling to see the work of such luminaries in the designer galaxy as Tobi Fairley, India Hicks, Phoebe Howard, Katie Leede in person to savor every little detail. Believe me when I tell you that my iPhone photos hardly do it justice.  I'm sure the media will cover this one in great detail (maybe already out there? I'm still away on vacation!) Here is a peek at some of the highlights for me (mostly bedrooms as it turns out!).

first, we dropped Chris off at the nearest beach (very close by) with the Sunday New York Times and a beach chair, and pointed him in the direction of the nearest umbrella  ... he was not interested in touring the Showhouse! bye Chris see you in a little while!

I love this Katie Leede designed bedroom... she took her daughter's heavy, dark and almost brooding Jacobean bed and mixed in expertly with a light hand to create a welcoming haven...who can do this?...look at the turquoise tufting on the "ceiling" of the bed... and those signature Katie Leede fabrics lend warmth and touch of the exotic wherever she uses them... LOVE this bedroom

gorgeous window with ogee shaping in the valence, that deep deep fringe! 
the lighthearted print of the green fabric with the turquoise border... 
and look how she keeps in "beachy" with sisal style floor coverings
 and the matchstick shade... and don't you love the furry pouf

the welcoming little corner of the bedroom with the tufted turquoise leather settee...
almost Chesterfield in feel...and the hanging pendant 
with quatrefoil motifs, the oversize painting...

a closeup of the little curved turquoise chesterfield, 
and those Katie Leede fabric pillows..so inviting

next, this Provence-inspired sanctuary by Kate Singer soothes the soul with its soft palette of linens and lavender accented with Farrow & Ball Clunch, Calluna and All White...the sweet gourd lamps, the Louis XVI bed done in a gorgeous Kravet Couture shimmering linen, the rustic whitewashed iron chandelier are all pure Provence

pretty tile-patterned carpeting in soft hues by Country Floors is
the perfect backdrop for a chic Provençal haven for lucky guests

Kate Singer mixed the old and the new successfully in this serene space... love 
that bergere and ottoman in linen with nailhead trim, the beautiful whitewashed
carved wooden floor lamp and the leaning mirror... and the beautiful appliquéd
pillow.. pure indulgence!

the adjacent bathroom featured this "tomettes"-shaped tile pattern 
that works perfectly with the Provençal bedroom

here is a view with the full effect of the chandelier in the room... so pretty!

the view from this bedroom is of the stunning back garden and pool... pool surround designed
by India Hicks... don't you love the planters, and that seating grouping in the corner.. so inviting under the umbrella ... can you imagine drinks with your girlfriends there? I love this sight

the Master Bedroom... ta da!! is by Tobi Fairley, and is exuberance that manages to somehow also be soothing in grays and orange toile.... perfectly balanced...as only Tobi can do it!..

impressive balanquin over the high, upholstered headboard works beautifully with the
high ceilings and lends drama and glamour to the traditional toile de jouy..

Tobi has a way of mixing fabrics, patterns and textures that is unmatched!

and this would be your upstairs porch off the master...sweet view!

I couldn't ID the wallpaper she used in the master bedroom but it creates wonderful energy for 
the sunny room and a perfect foil for the grays and oranges .. and the art is pitch perfect

pair of lovely wing chairs in the same toile as the bed and draperies...

and here's a close up ...

the wallpaper too...

this dazzling living room downstairs took my breath away...the furry bench, the
stunning starburst pendant the restrained palette punctuated with orange...

you see a mix of golds and silver metallics in this room, and it 
works together beautifully.. the walls are stunning...

here is a close up of the wall treatment... at first we thought it was wallpaper, 
but, no, this entire room was brilliantly faux-painted... it looks like gold leaf was
applied over the entire walls, then layers of paint added and combed..to 
a stunning effect...

the front of the beautiful Hampton Designer Show House in classic cedar shingles

side view of the house and the pool house

back view from the tennis court to the pool house