Weathered and Wealthy…Get The Hamptons Look

There are some geographic areas which become synonymous with style:

The California Bungalow, Scandi, Tuscan, Dutch Colonial, The Queenslander, Spanish, Cape Cod and …  Hamptons. The irony is that while Hamptons style is seen to be coastal, casual, cool, white and weathered the area is in fact home to some of the world’s most expensive and lavish real estate. Seaside simplicity comes at a price!

The Hamptons – Southhampton, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Westhampton along with various villages like Sag Harbor and Amagansett – are names long associated with seaside wealth, style and leisure. The area is renowned as the most expensive zip code in New York and a summer getaway for NYC’s rich and famous. Celebs like Calvin Klein, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce and Jay Z keep holiday homes in the area along with a variety of bankers and business tycoons.

Jackie Kennedy spent her childhood summers there at Lasata a seven-acre estate that recently sold for nearly US$39 million. The little retreat belonged to her grandfather John Vernou Bouvier who bought the 10-bedroom mansion in the 1920s. While the median asking price is around US$2.2 million there is an opportunity to buy in at $175 million if you’d like something a little larger than the neighbours. Originally built for the Ford family of Model T fame the 42-acre spread on Jule Pond enjoys nearly a quarter of a mile of ocean frontage and a massive 1800 square metre, 12-bedroom, 12-bathroom main house. There’s also a 60-foot pool a three bedroom carriage house a basketball court and a tennis court, a guest wing, a staff wing and … you get it, everything the person with everything could possibly want from their holiday home.

But many people achieve the timeless Hamptons look with a lot less money, there are any number of builders in our region who are advertising Hamptons-style new-build homes for a fraction of the real thing and there are equally many interiors decked out to reflect Hamptons style. A bit of white tongue and groove timber, some exposed beams, a lot of white paint along with some subtle neutrals, pieces of cane furniture, linen fabrics, and you’re on your way. Add a few weathered nautical touches and the odd beachcomber find for a beachy look and you could be in Sagaponack. A stone feature wall and/or fireplace complete the comfortable look if you’re somewhere cooler.

For more inspiration, as these places are so Instagramable you’ll find thousands of pictures there and on Pinterest. Get out the white paint!