Hampton's Style

Everybody who reads my blog knows that I am an inferior interior decorator at heart.

I've lived in my native Westphalia, in Bavaria, now in the Ore Mountains and for a while in England, but never anywhere near the sea. By chance, I came across the "beachy" Hampton's style. It is defined by "cool, classic and sophisticated designs that meet rustic, casual beach vibes". Coastal and casual, the Hamptons interior design style - originally inspired by a group of villages called The Hamptons on Long Island, New York - has come to represent elegant and relaxed coastal living.

I, personally, am more of the school of "cluttered country house" style, but I am most amazed myself, of all people, that I really like "Hampton's".

Just a few preliminary remarks, This old scholar of socioeconomic history can't help it.

The Hamptons comprise a group of villages and hamlets in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together form the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons form a popular seaside resort and one of the historical summer colonies of the northeastern United States.

Historically, the area had been devoted to agriculture and fishing. Many farms are still in operation. There are three commercial vineyards operating in the Hamptons as well.

Given the area's geographic location, it maintained strong commercial and social links to New England and the nearby states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Many of the original settlers were from and most of the trade links were with communities in Connecticut. Indeed, much of the older architecture and aesthetics of the villages in the Hamptons resemble New England. This is especially true for East Hampton Village, on which the main focus of this article will be.

The villages and the hamlets of the area are distinguished by their significant population increases during the summers, although the Hamptons have increasingly become a year-round destinations for New Yorkers seeking a refuge on weekends.

Residential real estate prices rank among the highest in the US. Closeness to the ocean is as a marker for land valuation and, of couse, social standing. We are in America, after all .

Sherrill Farmhouse, built in 1857, is a frame Greek Revival/Italianate residence in East Hampton, New York and listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.

(Credit)

(Credit as above.)

Dolphins at East Hampton's first port- Northwest Landing, 2007 (Credit as above).

To give you an idea of the socioeconomic scale, here is an East Hampton house that I (and I may be wrong) would place somewhere in the upper mid-range. Interestingly, its interior is only a faint approximation of the eponymous Hampton's style, maybe because the owners put beauty and comfort above textbook "interior decoration" and maybe they had no - harrumph - interior decorator to cramp their style.

The Hampton's style seems to be hugely popular in Australia as well. This would be
a typical Australian "Hampton's style" beach house. I like its simplicity and clear, uncluttered lines.

Bernie Madoff's modest shack in the Hamptons lists at $21M.

Generally, the houses at the Hampton's range from very nice...

...to bloody awful....

...and the interior from grand...

...to rustic.

But now I'm done with all that (I hope not) boring socioeconomic and historic lowdown, let's finally have a look at the core of this topic - the Hampton's interior style.

Hampton's - from rustic to (only too often self-consciously) "elegant" - comes in many shapes. The pictures here are in more or less arbitrary order. They may well be from other coastal locations, Florida and California come to mind, we are dealing with a global beach icon here.

Very nice, uncluttered, airy, light and beach-y, though not something I'd want to live in.

Chinoiserie goes well with Hampton's.

A bit showroom-y, but apart from that - this is the general idea!

If that weren't a showroom but a real home, I'd say that suburbia doesn't go well with Hampton's style,
including the incongruous, awful chandelier. The driftwood table base would be fine, weren't it for suburbia
and that lighting abomination.

Even the pooch fits in. It doesn't always need to be blue...

There are so many lovely "accent pieces" around that would go well with Hampton's without making it too showroom-y and inferior decorator-driven, that I am amazed that the Hampton's afficionados don't make more use of them. (But then, most what we see here are showrooms, not real homes.)

Just a few examples:

That's the real thing, PUR-LEESE, never a chandelier, awful or not.

A charming accent piece to break up the "showroom ambience".

Original (or imitation) ship lights are a MUST!

Possible side tables. Everything trellis goes.

As does the most Timeless motif.

Another nice accent chest of drawers.

Mirrors that mimic portholes are THE thing!

As I said before, chinoiserie goes well with Hampton's.

My theory is that Hampton's style is so pleasant, because it, as long as "designers" haven't messed with it, reflects the necessities of coastal life. There is a lot of wet, wind and salt around. thick carpets (specifically not of the "fitted" variety) are unthinkable , it calls for slate or tiles and plain, flat-woven rugs. Clutter ought to be avoided for the same reason. There is a lot of light, simple structures and bright colours are called for. Imagine a mountain hut done up in that style and - yuck! - you'll see what I mean.

Sanderson's Hemsby pattern - another excellent potential "Hampton's" accessory - is part of their "Port Isaac range" (you may know the Cornish village Port Isaac as "Portwenn" from the epochal ITV dramedy "Doc Martin").

And now we're in Cornwall, here we have the pared down, simple coastal styling of a Cornish holiday cottage in Mousehole. It may not be called "Hampton's style", but there's no doubt it IS.

I rest my case.