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Every friendship includes at least one leap of faith. For designer Stephanie Woodmansee, it came when a longtime friend and former coworker asked her for help bringing an East Hampton family retreat to life from the ground up.
After years of renting homes on Long Island, the client finally found a piece of land for her family’s forever summer home. While the founder of Henry & Co. Design had previously decorated her friend’s historic Kansas City residence, the pair had never embarked on a project of this magnitude together.
“The family wanted a home that would live on for generations,” says Woodmansee. “It sounds cheesy, but their dream was to build something where all the cousins could come and where their daughter could bring her own children someday.”
Envisioning a historic Shingle Style house, the homeowner enlisted Ferguson & Shamamian Architects to create a timeless residence that balanced approachability with a sense of place. Partner Scott Sottile, who led the project, drew from the saltbox forms of early New England colonial architecture to meet the client’s desire for symmetry while paying homage to the Hamptons’ iconic seaside traditions and the land’s former days as a farm.
Early plans placed the kitchen off to one side of the house, but after thoughtful discussions, it was relocated to the center—reflecting its role as the heart of family life. “They wanted the kitchen to feel like another entertaining space,” says Sottile.
A boring kitchen wouldn’t do for the anchor of the home, leading Woodmansee to douse the cabinetry in a refreshing shade of mint. The hand-painted floors mimic the motion of the waves from the neighboring beaches while also pulling together different architectural and decorative details throughout the house, such as the breakfast nook’s curved banquette and the ornate scroll pattern of the entry staircase’s molding. “In a room that’s so linear, it felt nice to have something that’s a bit more organic,” says Woodmansee.
The interplay of textures ensures that more formal spaces never feel stuffy. In the living room, for instance, a sisal rug sets a laid-back tone, while a boho floral striped linen makes the back-to-back sofa an inviting perch for lounging with a book or chatting over cocktails. “It was super important that this wasn’t a house where you felt like you had to be pretty buttoned up—you could walk in from the beach and still enjoy it,” says Woodmansee.
The airy palette continues into the dining room. A mix of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and ladybugs flutter across a custom Gracie wallpaper, encompassing the room in Prussian blues, blush pinks, and shades of citrus. The diamond pattern of the cornice nods to the wallpaper’s graphic painted borders. “The architecture actually responds to the wallpaper that Stephanie chose, as opposed to the architecture coming first,” explains Sottile.
Throughout the home, almost every room has a relationship to the landscape, whether through carefully considered sight lines or windows and doors that open to the outdoors. The backyard unfolds as a series of rooms, unveiling a new experience at every turn—from a Slim Aarons–esque pool house and a grass tennis court to a pergola-covered dining area illuminated by antique star lanterns.
Each destination invites the family and their loved ones to linger well after the sun sets. And when bedtime rolls around, nature is welcomed back inside, like in the second-floor bunk room that opens onto a screened porch. Woodmansee says, “The kids can open up the double doors, and it feels like you're sleeping outside, which is just lovely.”
Breakfast Room
Mornings in the breakfast room are met with full views of the garden. When mealtime is over, the table transforms into a puzzle-building station. Chairs, Serena & Lily. Pendant light, Anthropologie. Artwork, Natural Curiosities.
Library
The homeowner wanted the interiors to feel just as inviting in the off-season as they do in the summer. The moodier pine-paneled library strikes that balance—a loungey Turkish-style sofa (Luther Quintana Upholstery; fabric, Décors Barbares) provides the perfect landing spot after hours in the sun, whereas a fireplace sets the scene for cozy mahjong nights during the winter. Ceiling wallpaper, Living Quarters.
Mudroom
The mudroom’s gray soapstone counters and sink are a rich counterpoint to the creamy white cabinetry (Farrow & Ball’s Wimborne White). Pendant light, Nickey Kehoe. Roman shade, Décors Barbares.
Bar
The bar’s graphic Les Quatre Saisons marble counters and backsplash add a sense of movement to the wood-paneled walls. Bar stools, Thomas Hayes Studio. Stool fabric, Namay Samay. Ceiling light, Visual Comfort. Sconces, The Urban Electric Co.
Screened Porch
“It’s the epitome of indoor-outdoor summer living, but with a fireplace that allows for cooler evenings by the ocean to be warmed up,” says Sottile of the screened porch. Woodmansee gave the antique rattan sofa new life with a fresh coat of robin’s-egg blue paint and cushions upholstered in fabrics from Ballard Designs and Lisa Fine Textiles. Coffee table, Ballard Designs.
Linen Closet
Dusty blue cabinetry (Benjamin Moore’s Al Fresco) with glass doors makes the linen closet feel like a chic boutique. Inside the cabinets, Woodmansee cleverly used brass plaques to label the different stacks of bed and table linens for each room. Shade fabric, Kathryn M. Ireland.
Primary Bedroom and Bath
After discovering an archival fabric in an old magazine tear-out, Woodmansee worked with Pierre Frey to revive the bougainville pattern for custom drapery, setting the room’s palette. The floral motif continues throughout the bed, from the headboard dressed in Soane Britain’s Coromandel Tulip fabric to the antique bench at its foot, with a cushion in Décors Barbares’s Fleur De Steppes. Mantel, Jamb. Artwork, Vera Girivi.
The daring pairing of Calacatta Monet Viola marble wainscoting and oak herringbone floors makes the primary bath feel both modern and timeless. Tub, Waterworks. Sconce, The Urban Electric Co.
Guest Bedrooms
Instructed to forgo traditional closets, Sottile built out the millwork to feel like armoires and natural built-ins as showcased in this guest room. “The homeowners wanted the feeling of an old house that had lots of millwork—a house that was built before closets became standard, which is a 20th-century invention,” says Sottile.
Ceiling light, Currey & Company. Rug, From Jaipur with Love. Quilt, Dash & Albert.
Woodmansee calls this quaint guest room above the garage one of her favorites. “It’s not super fussy, but just very warm,” she says. The mix of materials—the artful woven chair (Varnish Collection), a tulip-patterned jute rug (From Jaipur with Love), and a patchwork sofa (fabric, Lisa Fine Textiles)—gives the space a collected feel. Ceiling light, Hector Finch.
Rear Facade
Every detail of the Shingle Style house was carefully pored over, like the white shutter color (Benjamin Moore’s White Dove), which is meant to reflect the ease of beach houses and summer afternoons in the sun.
Tennis Court
A grass tennis court, enclosed by a Japanese holly hedge, adds old-school verve to the property. The tennis court fencing and walls were designed by Hollander Design and installed by Hampton Tennis.
Pool House and Outdoor Dining Area
Left: The covered pool house loggia allows guests to enjoy the garden even if a summer rain shower moves through. Cushions upholstered in Anna Spiro’s Flower Field fabric lend a cheerful pop of color to the Bonacina seating. Coffee table, Crate & Barrel.
Right: The teak table (The Raj Company) can fit up to 20 people for dinner parties beneath the pergola. The tablecloth and cushion fabrics by Carolina Irving & Daughters inspired the tablescape’s pink-and-green palette. Rattan chargers, Serena & Lily. Glassware, Terrain. Cloche, KRB.
Interior design by Henry & Co. Design; architecture by Ferguson & Shamamian Architects; landscape design by Ed Hollander; photography by Read McKendree.
