“The closest thing to Eden”

In 1893, the New York Times described the villages of the Hamptons on Long Island as “the closest thing to Eden”. American high society used to holiday there. The world discovered this paradise, less than 100 km from New York, in the 1960s thanks to the Kennedy family, who stayed there regularly, but few know that a style of furnishings was born here, destined to be increasingly successful today. Now as one hundred years ago, thanks to the pandemic, families have rediscovered the importance of owning a comfortable home that is in close proximity with nature. The need to live in wide open spaces with understated and cheerful colours has increased. According to Vincent Grégoire, an expert in recent trends at Maison&Objet in Paris, by 2025, generations Y (1980-1995) and Z (1996-2000) will represent 75% of the worldwide workforce and consumers will prefer modular furnishings that can perform several functions such as work, dining, and play. The Hamptons style gives importance to leisure and rest; it is classical, yet practical and informal, relaxing and contemporary. The colour pallette rotates around natural whites, greys, cream, linen and various shades of blue. The floors are in durable parquet and lighting is provided by suspended lights or by wall lights, but most of all by natural light, as can be seen by November’s Home of the Month and the Get Inspired section. Inspirations which can be partially recaptured in an apartment in Amsterdam and Barcelona, as well as in a home in Brescia and Turin, created using Italian furnishings. Many of this autumn’s innovations in the world of furnishings were revealed during the recent Milan Design Week, and of which there are testimonies in the articles on bathroom furnishings, wallpapers, and new paints. Lastly, Ville&Casali presents the hamlets of Valdichiana, ideal for those looking for a country hideaway. Between Arezzo and Siena, Europeans, Americans and many Italians are looking for their dream home, in natural stone in the hills, close to a small village.