Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Rosemarie Petruzzellis

Two weekends ago I had the pleasure of being invited to attend the grand opening party of the Hamptons Designer showhouse. I jumped at the chance to see the house but also to tour that area of Long Island as I hadn't visited before.

Some amazing decorators were invited to work on the project, as we have all seen many places online, but I thought in the next few posts I'd show some of my favorite areas and details that I happened to notice while there.

Strangely enough, but as is often the case, my favorite rooms weren't the grand spaces on the main ground floor done by the big names, but rather the smaller rooms located on the 2nd floor and the lower level (where the best of the best work had been done in my opinion).

Two of the first smaller rooms which blew me away were the 'his' and 'hers' dressing rooms (closets really) which had been taken on by the decorative artist Rosemarie Petruzzellis of The Paint Palette.

I believe I may have actually seen Rosemarie at the opening party over drinks on the pool deck as I saw someone in eye-catching pants painted EXACTLY like the bright green Lady's dressing room, but I was distracted by seeing my friend Emily Eerdmans whom I spent the majority of the evening talking with because as we all know, she is so unbelievably interesting and distracting!

If one can't have fun in their private closet at their beach house, where can you really let loose? I love this wild abandon on the walls both in the 'his' and the 'her' dressing areas.

The rooms were decorated as if in use, with clothes tossed around (much like my own closet!), you half expected the bathing suit and towels strewn about to be wet. I imagine she raided her own closet as well as her husband's in furnishing the clothing!

The bright orange wall color in 'his' closet is grounded against a dark ground with a green stripe (much like faux panels) which would really help to cheerfully wake you up while dressing in the morning -I love painted 'architecture' like this.

No detail was left untouched, even the door stop to the 'his' closet is a cute cast iron dog. Who wouldn't love a dressing area like either of these!

Rosemarie can be reached via facebook under the name of 'the-paint-palette' or at paintpalette2k @ yahoo . com

Sag Harbor shopping

While in the Hamptons, my favorite town was probably Sag Harbor. As my favorite activities are house stalking and furniture shopping, it was a natural fit!

The first stop for anyone visiting should be JED for classic glamorous style at 27 Washington Street. They also have a 1st dibs website here, definitely check it out.

Also be sure to check out Ruby Beets next door with a mix of vintage and new homegoods at 25 Washington Street. My friend Heather at Habitually Chic had recommended these stores to me and has covered them on her blog (see links) and they did not disappoint!

After all of this shopping, you're sure to work up an appetite so stop across Main Street at LT burger, where all of the local celebrities hang out for burgers and shakes (try the delicious turkey burger; Christie Brinkley's favorite, a local regular, and mine as well!).

Like the rest of the town, the restaurant has an updated vintage feeling to it: laid back, unpretentious and delicous!

Across from the harbor at 34 Harbor Street is La Maisonette -an eclectic and edited mix of mainly French antiques. I saw so many unusual quirky items here I really wanted to bring home with me!

However, my favorite shop of all (and a real treat) is the Christy's Building Art Center at 3 Madison Street.

Housing an amazing collection of art, salvaged architectural pieces and amazing antique furniture from all styles - every piece is a show stopper.

Rather than a shop, it felt more like the apartment of some incredibly stylish person with a highly edited but eclectic mix of offerings.

These built-in mahogany book cases are really gorgeous -I wonder where they came from? (and how I get my hands on them!).

My take-home piece though would have to be this painted screen showing the Place Vendome in Paris. I was too in awe to even inquire the price (i'd be willing to risk my retirement on this piece!). So while in the Hamptons, be sure to leave the allure of East Hampton to spend some time in nearby Sag Harbor!

My apologies for the poor photo quality. My camera seems to have developed a case of the 'blues'.

Looking up

While I work on a few in-depth posts from recent travels, I wanted to leave you with some window boxes I noticed the other day here in DC. Who says an apartment without a garden space needs to be banal; this is amazing! I only wish my thumb were half as green. Also notice the great brick details along the cornice.

Sunny weekend

I hope everyone is enjoying this hot sunny weather. This amazing French ormolu decoration at the Getty seems the very height of summer sun to me!

Time is ticking....

This baroque chinoiserie clock from the Getty reminds me that summer is ticking away. I've had so many things going on I've barely had time to write about any of them but look forward to some interesting posts in the near future!

Montauk

The first stop in the Hamptons was the very tip of Long Island (to avoid traffic) - fabled Montauk. An old surf town, Montauk has really become the 'cool' young hang-out of the Hamptons with the best beaches and a laid back feeling in contrast to the other areas.

The coolest place to hang out is the charming 'Surf Lodge'. The vibe here reminded me a lot of the Soho Beach house we stayed in in Miami - old school, perfect and trendy: sort of like a photoshoot from the store anthropologie come to life.

Full of cool spots to hang out, such as the sunken living room filled with books and records, or the bar with fun game tables, this is where you want to spend the heat of the day while not eating in the chic restaurant or relaxing on the adjacent lake.

We were there early in the morning to avoid crowds so I was able to snap these pictures to give you a feel for the space.

Adjacent to the main building is the block of hotel rooms facing the lake. I love the private decks on each room with individual hammocks!

An outdoor shower is the perfect place to rinse off before heading into the restaurant.

The bucolic lake really was tempting though: inside or outside, that is the problem.

Even the transportation was stylish: I loved this coral painted retro bicycle outside.

The small beach town has a lot of restaurants, one of which had this sign which caught my eye. Now, do you think the piano player has to be able to multitask or hopefully, these functions would be done seperately!

On the way into East Hampton from Montauk is the oldest horse breeder in the country, dating back to the 17th century. What a perfect place to learn how to ride, right on the beach too! In the next few posts I'll show my highlights from the towns in the Hamptons, including the Hamptons Designer showhouse which was the start of the whole trip to begin with. Stay tuned!

Sag Harbor's Old Whalers Church

I'm back from a long weekend spent in the Hamptons and while I organize my photos and unpack, I wanted to leave you with an amazing church I saw in Sag Harbor: The Old Whalers Church. Designed by Minard LaFever in 1840, the building incorporates the then popular Greek revival style with the unusual and quirky Egyptian Revival Style. The original 185 foot tall steeple blew down in the hurricane of 1938 but they hope to rebuild it at some point. I saw this church on a small street in the center of town and it literally took my breath away! Can you blame me?

historic photo courtesy of cardcow.com As always -the other is my own.

More from Highpoint: Hooker furniture

Another showroom I visited at Highpoint Market was Hooker furniture.

Much like Century furniture, Hooker carries a variety of lines with something for everyone. Above is Harbour Pointe which reminded me of a charming Maine cottage.They offer more contemporary lines as well. I loved the cerused oak finishes and the streamlined form of this armchair.

Small details always make such a huge difference to turn a piece of furniture into something special. The turned edge on the painted wood headboard above starts to create a cozy space.I love a good nightstand (maybe because I don't really have one in my tiny apartment) and this one had a large top but also a great shelf for books. Notice the great hardware too.The side of this accent table was adorned with an oversized postage stamp and postmarks - a painterly touch great for an informal den; especially for someone who likes to travel.

The drawers of this distressed dresser come pre-lined in a pretty paper -that reminds me to freshen up my own drawer liners!

This charming accent table, in a rather old fashioned gothic revival style, is enlivened by a coat of fresh green paint as if you had just picked it up from your local flea market but without all of the work! So many good ideas for my own apartment here.

Century Furniture

I realized I have been back from High Point Market for months now and have never shared my favorite pieces from some of the manufactorers we saw! I'll start off with Century, probably my favorite. What I love about Century, other than their great quality, is that they span Classic to modern and everything in between as evidenced by these pictures. Growing up, my grandparents had a lot of furniture from Century (albeit their more modern collections) and so it's a brand I return to over and over again.

I'll start with Century's newest collection: Archive Home. This line is based a lot on the current trends for light, bleached and natural woods: think Belgian style and reclaimed woods.

I loved that they included a lot of the designer's sketches -such as the one of the table base seen above.This little quatrefoil side table is just the perfect spot for a drink beside a chair.

The arms of this linen sofa looked very Axel Vervoordt inspired to me; so elegant.

Many of the finishes were rustic, but you needn't worry about splinters; they know what they're doing.

Another favorite line of mine was the Oscar de la Renta Collection. I especially loved this parchment game table; perfect for the corner of any stylish living room.

This tortoise and parchment side table reminded me a lot of something my grandparents would have had (in a good way!).

This x bookcase from the Oscar de la Renta collection would be perfect for any room of the house. I could especially see it in a bedroom or den.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my favorite collection was the grand tour. The quality was outstanding and some of the pieces could fit into not only very traditional settings, but also more contemporary. The top of this handsome accent table is almost too pretty to cover up with anything!

The unusual treatment of the Grand Tour bombe chest makes it perfect for an entry hall or more modern hotel lobby.

The lines of this side chair in mahogany and walnut remind me of a klismos -can I have 12 of these for my dream dining room please?

While we're at it, I'll take one of these Mica Mirror cabinets for my bareware!Last but not least, the finish on this red faux tortoise chairside table was just incredible; again I wouldn't want to cover it with anything! I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did!