Thomas O’Brien’s Home and Garden

Interior and furniture designer Thomas O’Brien is a self-described rescuer of things. But not just any things. “Personal items from someone’s family history or experiences are what I am drawn to,” says Thomas. “I was taught to ask about things, even pictures, in someone’s house. What is brought forward carefully and made new is what I love.”

At his iconic summer place in Bellport, New York, this belief about Thomas’s chosen objects is embodied in many ways, such as a grouping of seemingly disparate but somehow subtly connected treasures in a bowl; a Georgian mahogany breakfront filled with precious Steuben pieces, Italian colored glass, and Picasso ceramics; lighting and furniture from Thomas’s own collections; and even the “Academy” and “Library” buildings on his property. Each one has an intrinsic richness and beauty while containing a cultural or relational narrative all its own.

The gray, Federal-style Academy building that started life as a schoolhouse and is now home to Thomas and interior designer Dan Fink was first reimagined as a home for a woman poet in the 1920s. Thomas serendipitously discovered it on a summer bike ride decades later. “It was always about coming to the front door of the Academy house,” he says. “It’s such a wonderful place— building and home. And it naturally unfolds to other parts of the garden and then next door to the Library. It’s really a full circle of making home and garden in a life of design and collecting.”

The white shingle, Colonial Revival-style Library sprang from Thomas’s imagination once the adjacent property became available and its existing rancher was raised. Conceived as a depot for his treasures, including some much-loved pieces from Aero, his Manhattan emporium, as well as items from past collections that still function as design references, the Library is also home to Thomas’s office, a few bedrooms, and an up-to-the-moment kitchen that spills over into the salon to create one big remarkable room.

Clearly a thoughtful and poetic designer, Thomas views his gardening as a mix of “beautiful things and a hopeful idea.” As he explains, “It doesn’t always work out as planned, but the wonder of watching what happens is everything. It’s the memories and history and newness all at once.”

Whatever is in bloom at the moment inevitably finds its way inside, whether for the table at dinnertime or to add a natural touch to a desktop or pedestal. Roses are a particular favorite as they remind Thomas of his grandparents, who adored them. “The garden was a very important part of their lives,” he remembers, “and I often say I design the garden now for my grandmother, Dellamae. I value making both home and garden special in a kind of loving and wholesome way— just as she taught me.”

Thomas O’Brien’s Copper Beech

Stocking handsome home goods, quirky art objects, simple and chic chore jackets, children’s pj’s, and some of the most delicious take-away fare in the area, among many other treasures, is Copper Beech, Thomas O’Brien’s extra-special emporium.

It sits, front and center on the well-travelled South County Road, in Bellport, New York with a jaunty overhead sign and summer and full-time residents as well as visitors providing a brisk business. Originally home to Wallens Supermarket, the building was remade into the perfect spot to house and sell O’Brien’s curated collection of wares.

More from O’Brien’s Home and Garden

By Margot Shaw | Photography by Michael Mundy

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