SHORE THING
In step with Australia’s indoor-outdoor lifestyle, this East Coast US architectural style has many fans. Here’s what you need to know…
Home of the original summer house, the romance and glamour of the Hamptons has long been coveted in other climes. The many prime coastal locations in Australia, a congenial climate and steady feed of extraordinary Hamptons visuals via movies, magazines and other media ensure the ideal of a Hamptonsesque lifestyle – and home design – remains alive and well.
New York architect Gary Lawrance, author of Houses of the Hamptons
1880-1930, describes the original summer houses built on Long Island’s South Fork as “little worlds unto themselves” – containing all the comforts required for a summer away from the stifling metropolis of New York City.
“They had many guestrooms. They were made for entertaining, living in, enjoying,” says Lawrance. “They represented your status in the world… and showed you were very successful. The houses were run by the women who married the men who made the money. The women ran the social world and schools, and to run a great house was a lot of work. A great house was run like a hotel [with] cocktails, benefits, balls and garden parties.”
Where Newport had the Vanderbilts and the Rockefellers, the Hamptons was more relaxed. Moving on from the American Colonial shingle homes built by the working class, the summer homes of the late 1800s had Georgian, English Manor and Tudor influences, and ranged from simpler ‘cottages’ to elaborate mansions. Lawrance
says many of the original summer houses have, and are, being torn down, with some recent casualties built in the 1920s. (The infamous Grey Gardens residence sold for a reported US$15.5 million in November.)
Still a haven for America’s rich and famous, the handy Hamptons is somewhat of a home away from home for surf-loving Australian photographers, models, restaurateurs and fashion designers living in New York. Meanwhile, interior designers including Diane Bergeron, Thomas Hamel and Linda Kerry are among the Americans to have made Australia their base. All are busy sharing their experience of Long Island style.
“Hamptons is in high demand right now,” says Lynda Kerry. “I get calls every other week. It’s still a really hot look. And it works well here in Australia. Queenslander homes, California bungalows and weatherboard homes all relate to the Hamptons aesthetic.”
Builder’s daughter and interior designer Natalee Bowen of Indah Island has become a leading local proponent of Hamptons style, moving between projects in Perth, the US, New Zealand and Asia. “The Australian love of indoor/outdoor living is the reason we love the Hamptons style so much. It’s classic and the architecture has longevity,” says Bowen. “The interior details can be manipulated to create more of one particular look: coastal, classic/traditional, modern, minimalist or glamorous.”
Architects and volume-home builders report strong interest in the Hamptons vernacular. Noting the trend, manufacturer James Hardie launched a weather board mimicking product in 2007. Made from fibre cement, the Scyon cladding range has transformed fibro shacks and brick-veneer homes into cheerful seaside (and suburban) cottages on both coasts of Australia.
“Cladding and panelling products are wonderful for renovations. They create an instant facelift for the home,” says Bowen, now a Scyon ambassador. “Panelling is great for adding character indoors, or adding a layer to a new wall in a wet area, for instance. It’s easy to use, cost-effective and results in an authentic look.”
Diane Bergeron, who grew up in a shingle house, concurs. “I’m fine with using cladding. Weatherboard can look a bit country… but it’s easy to get the Hamptons look with cladding.” Bergeron suggests the term ‘Hamptons’ is applied loosely here, but when it’s done properly can work really well. “Attention to detail really matters,” she says.
Turn the page to see what our experts say. Their takes are a little Amagansett, a dash of Southampton, a tad Montauk – and all about grace and ease. >