The Kennedy family has been a part of East Hampton history for many years and a cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, Edith Bouvier Beale, takes center stage in our discussion of color.
It’s not only about Edith, the focus is on her shingle-style home designed by Arts and Crafts architect Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe in 1897. More on ‘Shingle Style’ Architecture later when we introduce Stanford White and Francis Fleetwood.
It is the much talked, written, and filmed story of the Beale’s “family home” Grey Gardens that is of interest in our research on color. The relationship of color and place is well showcased by the Beale’s home. Its location on Lilly Pond Lane in East Hampton Village, surrounded by water on three sides, creates a special bond between water, sky and light.
The special light and color of the Hamptons has lured many an infamous artist to reside on the East End with brushes, chalk, or camera in hand.
The walled garden and arbors of Grey Gardens in 1916 protected a variety of pale colored flowers as captured in these Lantern Slides, more commonly known as glass transparencies.
Grey Gardens images are courtesy of ClickAmericana
The colors we see outside are influenced by seasons and shadows. They become backlit reflections of the sky and water around them. When we bring the outside – inside, color becomes a part of the architecture of our homes.
These slides are the Paint Colors of the Hamptons. By borrowing nature’s beauty and creating a color theme, decorating becomes a pleasure. And of course, there is the 2009 film Grey Gardens starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, if you are curious about the rest of the Beale’s story.
Using Colors to their Best Effect”
Using colors, not just painting, is much like any project that can be defined by saying success lies in the details. That said …
- Your digital camera or phone is your best friend
- Take pictures of everything in your design theme
- Discard the ones that fail to impress, take more
- Use a note software to build a plan, for me it’s Evernote
- Organize everything, the whole project
- Share it with everyone on your team
- Learn about paint colors as mentioned in The Color of a Home, Part One
- If your intellect falls to the scientific or the professional have a look at Dr. David JC Briggs and Print Mag
- Learn how to mix paints yourself, even if you plan to hire a painter, more on that in “Tints of White”
- Learn about paint collections, seven shades of white in one room?
- Consider paint textures and add-ins like chalk dust or sea shells, as used in Tabby, a type of concrete most often found in the Carolinas
- Try different types of paints and stains, how to combine them in your design and use them on different surfaces
- Zero VOC matters, not just in the base but in the tint as well – (Volatile Organic Compounds)
- Benjamin Moore calls it’s Zero VOC Paints Gennex
- Ecos Paints is our other go-to Zero VOC Paint maker
I paint anything and everything, wood floors, pipes, metal hinges, furniture, literally every element of design!
The Homes of Francis Fleetwood
Francis Fleetwood: With a master’s degree in Architecture from MIT, Fleetwood’s 200 plus Shingle Style homes in the Hamptons define the East End.
He was most notably influenced by Stanford White.
Fleetwood-designed homes are among the most expensive residences in America, often sold in excess of $50 million. AD Remembers Fleetwood “I think people are looking for roots.” Fleetwood, whose clients included Calvin Klein, Paul McCartney, and Lauren Bacall, once told The New York Times, “They’d all love to be born into a grand old house that had been handed down through the generations.” And, he added, surely with a grin, “so would I.”
This EH Village Further Lane Fleetwood is all about details and color. With 10,000 square feet located on the majestic Atlantic Ocean, it is a prime example of everything done right!
Stanford White & Montauk’s Famed Seven Sisters
Yes, that Stanford White who influenced Francis Fleetwood and built Dick Cavett’s prized Tick Hall along with the other six sisters. Arthur Benson retained Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White and Frederick Law Olmstead (who designed Central Park in NYC) to design the ,Montauk Association’s Seven Sisters in the late 1800’s.
Architectural Digest tells the story of Dick Cavett and Carrie Nye with an array of pictures that add to our repertoire of East End Colors and the home they cherished for fifty years. The 2003 documentary From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall tells the story of the 1997 fire that destroyed the original house, and the massive reconstruction project that used forensic architecture to rebuild the historic structure right down to the creaky staircases!
The Mill House Inn’s very own Historic Colors
In 1999 when we were considering paint for the Mill House Inn, we began our search for the perfect colors at Benjamin Moore. We had used and blended their colors before, combining historic hues with our choice of mainstay favorites like Coastal Fog (976) and White Dove (OC-17). Having over 14,000 square feet of Inn to decorate, the color blending technique was a natural.
Using different colors in many of the suites presents a color conundrum … creating harmony by blending colors results in a warm familiar feeling about the entire property.
White Dove takes on a new meaning when a small amount of Newburyport Blue (HC-155) is added to the mix. And in contrast, the Newburyport Blue fades just a hint when White Dove is added to the blend. Two colors of Benjamin Moore, a blue and a white make Suite 40 a very special blend of colors indeed!
An almost final word on Color – Tints of White
One room, seven colors of white, simple or complicated? Both, in Suite Nineteen at The Mill House Inn. The design was both intentional and happenstance. The faded and bleached whites, blues, and greens of the Hampton’s can be found all around you, even in a room that is all white. But you will have to verify that for yourself on your next visit to the inn.
One thing is sure when it comes to color, invest the time to get it right. You will smile with each walk through your home, alone or entertaining a crowd.
One more thing … from Curbed!
Check out the Curbed Hamptons map of celebrity homes … oops – they show Paul Simon on the Map in Sag Harbor, not Montauk. His Montauk address is much nicer!
At the Mill House Inn, we take color seriously because we believe that it adds to our guest’s experience. Call us or email us to experience our colors for yourself!
– Gary
