BEACH HOUSE
Built in the familiar Shingle style of New England, this new East Hamptons house is already a much-loved home where family traditions are quickly being established
In no time at all, an new East Hamptons beachside home built in the traditional Shingle style has become a much-loved home for this family.
With its leaded windows, gently undulating roofline, white painted wood balconies and weathered shingle façade, this fine house standing among the sand dunes of the East Hamptons might, be one of a number of late 19th-century homes that help to make this part of the world such a highly desirable place to live. The house is, in fact, a new structure completed in 2011. It’s the much-cherished summer home of the Mccain family and was built on the site of a house that they had bought some years earlier.
LAID-BACK LIVING
‘We were drawn to this neighbourhood because of its casual feel, and strong sense of beach community,’ Melissa Mccain explains, adding that she and her husband, Sean, had decided to buy the run-down Seventies property that originally stood here because of the fantastic views and its situation, so close to the water. Finding a house to buy in this area, she adds, is like finding hens’ teeth so it made sense to buy and use the house as it was for several summers while they waited for the planning permissions to come through.
The seaside cottages designed primarily by two architectural practices (Mckim, Mead & White and Peabody & Stearns) pepper the likes of Newport, Rhode Island and the village of East Hampton on the tip of Long Island. The houses, built in what is known as the
Shingle style, part of the American Arts and Crafts movement, are a New England phenomenon, and Melissa was keen to build a home in this traditional style for her family.
To help them achieve this, Melissa and Sean turned to John Gassett, an architect well known for his experience in designing this type of building. From the outset, the project had its challenges, not least, the plot’s situation among the dunes. To provide a firm foundation for the house to sit on, John had a framework of pilings injected deep into the sand. In response to the restrictions on the building’s height, he designed the dormer windows as extensions out of the roof. This feature had the double benefit of giving the house its unique look, and increasing the space for the rooms on this level.
GATHERING PLACE
The finished exterior has a horizontal continuity that is characteristic of Shingle-style architecture and inside, the ground floor forms an almost entirely uninterrupted open-plan space. ‘You can see through from one end of the house to the other,’ Melissa says, emphasising that she wanted her family to be able to enjoy spending time together in the vast space. Fireplaces were put in, one at each end of the house, and these provide a focus for two sitting rooms, one that is used as a formal room for entertaining, and the other, for relaxed family gatherings. Between the two stands the kitchen, with its all-white
cabinetry and pale worktop accented by four black stick-back bar stools set around the island.
For the decorative scheme, Melissa settled on a look that is highly functional and hardwearing, without sacrificing any sense of style. The pale wood floorboards, for example, disguise the trails of sand that are an inevitable part of time spent among the dunes and on the beach. ‘I don’t respond well to a house that is too precious for you to be able to put a glass of wine down,’ Melissa says.
CELEBRATING IMPERFECTION
Working with interior designer Brad Ford, and inspired by the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic that celebrates nature’s imperfections, Melissa has created an interior that is filled with rough wooden surfaces and flawed antiques. They sit alongside more refined and elegant furnishings, contributing to a look that seamlessly combines both old and new. The coastal-nautical theme pops up all around the house, from the yacht-inspired light fittings, to the shipping charts that adorn the walls of the cloakroom. All-over white walls give a clean and fresh feel, while pops of colour come from the artworks.
Although only a few years old, the property is already establishing itself as the setting for a growing number of family traditions. ‘The day after Thanksgiving, we have a hog roast on the back lawn with all our family,’ Melissa says. More such moments are sure to follow.