Designing a Southampton Summer Home for Real Life
There is something special about designing a summer house. It should feel different from your everyday home. A little lighter, a little more playful, and perhaps a little less precious. Most importantly, it should make you feel like you've arrived at summer the moment you walk through the door.
That was our goal for this Southampton home, designed for a young family with two daughters who live in New York City during the school year and spend their summers out East.
The house itself had so much charm when we started. The primary bedroom is tucked onto the first floor, with two guest bedrooms upstairs, and the backyard opens to a pool where much of summer life takes place. It wasn't a house that needed to be completely reinvented. The bones were already there. Our job was to recognize what was special, build upon it, and create a home that felt collected, cohesive, and ready for the way this family actually lives.
Starting With What We Loved
I always look first at what a house is already telling us.
Here, I immediately loved the blue front door, the brick floor in the entry, and the wood-paneled walls. Together, they established a wonderful foundation for the rest of the house: natural materials, classic details, and color used in a way that feels cheerful rather than overly decorated.
Instead of changing those elements, we leaned into them.
We added a Society Social bench upholstered in soft blue and white, then brought in an unexpected pop of coral with a console table from Oomph. A woven rattan mirror from Pottery Barn adds another natural texture and reinforces the relaxed quality we wanted throughout the home.
The result is an entry that gives you a little preview of what's to come. It is traditional but playful, polished but never too serious.
Creating Flow Through an Open Living Space
The heart of the house is the open living and dining room.
The double-height ceiling and open staircase to the second floor give this part of the home an incredible sense of airiness. There's an effortless summer-breeze quality to it, and I didn't want to interrupt that with furniture that felt too heavy or formal.
The existing fireplace and built-ins naturally anchor the living area, so we created a furniture arrangement around them that encourages everyone to gather.
A Society Social sofa in a playful blue-and-white print became one of our starting points. We paired it with two Serena & Lily swivel chairs in performance linen and a Ballard Designs spool chair.
I love mixing furniture from different sources rather than purchasing a matching collection. It makes a room feel as though it evolved over time.
One of my favorite moments is the grasscloth coffee table from Mrs. Alice. The scalloped edge brings just enough whimsy to the room, while a sisal rug underneath grounds everything with natural texture. A gold bamboo floor lamp from Pooky with a playful shade adds another layer of personality.
Nothing takes itself too seriously, but everything relates to something else in the room.
That is often how I think about creating flow. A color might appear prominently in one space and then show up as a small accent in the next. A woven texture introduced in the foyer might reappear in the living room. Curves, scallops, bamboo, blue and white, and natural fibers become subtle threads connecting one room to another.
The rooms don't match. They belong together.
Designing a Beautiful House That Can Handle Summer
A Southampton house also needs to work very hard.
There are children running in from the pool, sandy feet, wet bathing suits, friends stopping by, and weekends when the dining table suddenly needs to accommodate a much larger group.
Throughout the house, I intentionally chose substantial, forgiving materials that could stand up to real family life.
Performance fabrics were especially important in the living room. Sisal and jute bring in the relaxed texture we wanted without feeling precious. The dining table from Pottery Barn has extension leaves so it can expand when the family is entertaining, and the Crate & Barrel dining chairs are comfortable and practical.
The dining room credenza brings back our blue palette with another scalloped detail, while a round coral-inspired mirror from Williams Sonoma references the nearby sea without making the room feel overtly coastal.
That distinction was important to me.
This is a beach house, but it didn't need seashells everywhere to tell you that.
Instead, we referenced its setting through color, texture, natural fibers, and small moments of whimsy.
Mixing High and Low
One of the clients' requests from the beginning was to create a beautiful finished home while working within a total budget that felt comfortable to them.
I loved that challenge because I don't believe great interior design has to mean everything is completely custom or extraordinarily expensive.
We mixed pieces from Serena & Lily and Schumacher with finds from Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, Ballard Designs, Quince, Society Social, and other accessible sources.
The primary bedroom is a great example. We used an upholstered linen bed from Quince, which has become one of my favorite resources for well-priced upholstered beds. It has the casual softness we wanted for a summer bedroom without requiring a custom price point.
We paired it with a blue-and-jute Serena & Lily rug and white painted bamboo nightstands from Ballard Designs.
The combination feels layered because the pieces weren't chosen based on where they came from. They were chosen because they worked together.
I think that's one of the most valuable things a designer can bring to a project: knowing where to invest, where to save, and how to make pieces at very different price points live together beautifully.
Finding Places to Have Fun
A summer house should also have moments that make you smile.
The powder room gave us the perfect opportunity to push things a little further. We used Schumacher wallpaper, a whimsical star-shaped ceiling light, and a gold Williams Sonoma mirror.
Because it's a small, enclosed room, we could create a more immersive moment without changing the character of the entire house.
That's often where I like to introduce the unexpected. A scalloped edge. A surprising color. A wonderful wallpaper. A light fixture that feels almost like jewelry.
Those details give a home personality.
Designing From a Distance
There was another interesting layer to this project: the clients weren't living in the Southampton house while we were designing it.
We designed the home during the fall and winter, sourcing and ordering everything while the family was back in New York City. Furniture and accessories were delivered to our receiving warehouse as they arrived rather than sending pieces individually to an empty house.
Once the final items arrived in the spring, we scheduled one major installation.
Installation days are where months of planning suddenly become real. Furniture is assembled, rugs are rolled out, lighting is placed, art and mirrors are hung, beds are made, accessories are styled, and all of the little decisions we've made along the way finally come together as a complete home.
This installation was a big one. We assembled the primary bed, placed furniture throughout the house, styled the rooms, and worked through all of the final details.
By the time the clients arrived, I was finishing the last touches, including putting fresh towels into the bathrooms.
They didn't have to arrive at a house full of boxes and spend the first weeks of summer figuring out where everything belonged.
They could simply walk in and start their summer.
And ultimately, that is what good interior design should do.
A Home That Feels Collected, Not Decorated
The finished Southampton house is playful without being over the top, polished without feeling precious, and comfortable enough for children to come running inside from the pool.
There are investment pieces alongside great finds. Performance fabrics next to grasscloth. Traditional silhouettes mixed with scallops, bamboo, rattan, and unexpected color.
It isn't a home where everything is custom, and that's part of what I love about it.
Thoughtful interior design isn't defined by how much something costs. It's about seeing the potential in a space, understanding how a family wants to live, and making hundreds of individual decisions that ultimately feel effortless when they're put together.
This house feels collected, layered, cozy, and approachable.
Most importantly, it feels ready for summer.
Photography by Julia D'Agostino. Style and Space Interiors is based in Sleepy Hollow, New York and serves clients throughout Westchester County, the Hamptons, NYC, and beyond.
