The rich beauty and diversity of the Hamptons comes alive through the stories of its houses, gardens, and residents in Out East by Jennifer Ash Rudick (Vendome, 2017). Enjoy a peek at four homes featured in its pages, beautifully captured by photographer Tria Giovan.
“When something is personal and practical, more often than not it will also be beautiful and its appeal will stand the test of time. Like their owners, each of these houses exudes a depth of understanding mixed with design intuition.” —Jennifer Ash Rudick
THE MORAINE
HOME OF ALA & RALPH ISHAM
DESIGN STYLE: A combination of Alpine design with Newport influences built on a hillside with beautiful views and gardens. “Ala and Ralph Isham’s storybook house, the Moraine, is set in regal isolation on the crest of a magically landscaped hillside. The driveway’s ascent is so gradual that you don’t realize how far up you’ve climbed until you’ve reached the house and taken in the view: a glacial topography of ridges, swales, and farmland, as well as the Atlantic Ocean four miles away,” writes Rudick.
The house and grounds of the Moraine were designed by a team of talented longtime friends of the Ishams’. Interior designer Rob Robinson had already designed several properties for them. Architect Daniel Romualdez took inspiration from Ala Isham’s love of Wrentham, a turreted Newport mansion. And the late artist and garden designer Bob Dash beautified the property with the formal entrance garden, lush perennial borders, a cutting and vegetable garden, and a vine-covered outdoor dining area.
The Moraine was christened on a magical summer night that ended with dancing on the porch, which remains a favorite gathering spot.
DESIGN NARRATIVE
HOME OF TREY & JENNY LAIRD
DESIGN STYLE: An unpretentious farmhouse steeped in elegant comfort designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber with a series of gardens and outdoor spaces designed by Deborah Nevins. “Trey and Jenny are extremely visual and articulate about design,” says Bilhuber in Out East. “We found a common language. I knew right away it was going to be more complex than picking fabrics together. It was going to be about telling a story.”
Wisteria vines envelop the front porch, the floor of which is painted in jaunty high gloss stripes.
A Victorian mahogany server doubles as a dining room bar. The floors are espresso-stained American walnut.
BAYSIDE COTTAGE
HOME OF PETER HALLOCK & CRAIG MOWRY
DESIGN STYLE: A mash-up of antiques, textiles, and contemporary art from all over the globe, and a lot of chairs. “I’m all about including people, and I like to have chairs you can pull up to join a conversation. I would hang them from the ceiling if I could,” says Hallock in Out East.
The dining area is tucked into a corner of the screened-in porch overlooking Davis Creek. Vintage batik fabrics cover seat cushions and decorative pillows.
The master bedroom is an exotic mix reflecting the owners’ far-flung travels. The quilt is from Rajasthan. The headboard is upholstered in a repurposed shawl from Kolkata.
The master bedroom is an exotic mix reflecting the owners’ far-flung travels. The quilt is from Rajasthan. The headboard is upholstered in a repurposed shawl from Kolkata.
COTTAGE CHARM
HOME OF CORBIN & BETH BLAKE DAY
DESIGN STYLE: Classic nineteenth-century Colonial with modern sensibilities designed by former owner Steven Gambrel. “Steven helped with window treatments and the paint schedule, what we call ‘Steven Gambrel’s fifty shades of grey,’ but we also incorporated some color. Steven understood how to do that without diminishing the spirit of the house that first attracted us,” says Blake in the book.
This Sag Harbor beauty, built in 1810, was originally located on Union Street before being moved to its current Glover Street location.
In the living room, a pale blue-gray strié treatment gives the walls a textured feeling. The sconces are from John Rosselli Antiques. TylerGraphic’s Tunis covers an armchair; the club chair, in Romo’s Hypotenuse Sea Foam.
The backs of the dining room chairs are upholstered in De le Cuona’s Eskimo Husky velvet; the seats are in Eskimo Walrus, which together create an ombré effect. ...Ancestral silver was a gift from Blake’s beloved mother-in-law, Dodie Day.
The backs of the dining room chairs are upholstered in De Le Cuona’s Eskimo Husky velvet; the seats are in Eskimo Walrus, which together create an ombré effect. Ancestral silver was a gift from Blake’s beloved mother-in-law, Dodie Day.
Captions excerpted from Out East: Houses and Gardens of the Hamptons by Jennifer Ash Rudick (Vendome, 2017) | Photography by Tria Giovan