“We didn’t want to design a typical Hamptons house,” says the designer Clive Lonstein, describing his latest project, the expansion of an existing guest house on a sprawling family estate in Southampton, New York. “The last thing we wanted to do was a predictable McMansion.” Instead, the former vice president of design and architecture at Tiffany & Co. channeled the Hamptons of yesteryear, specifically the regal Gilded Age weekend homes designed by turn-of-the-century architect Stanford White for high-society New York clients. Lonstein’s own client, a New York–based journalist, was completely on board.
“The house is a tiny cottage we’ve had on the property for over 20 years,” explains the homeowner, who acquired the land and main house for her family of five more than three decades ago. “It was one bedroom and we always had a plan that at some point when we needed the room we would turn it into a house. Our kids have gotten older, so we decided to build something that they would love—but still be a little bit separate from us.”
Lonstein’s brief seemed relatively simple, but in reality, he had to take into account a raft of different requirements. The house needed to host the client and her husband’s three grown sons, as well as a revolving door of family friends—without the two camps stepping on each others’ toes. Lonstein’s solution was to create a lateral extension of the existing gabled-roof cottage to house all the bedrooms. “I hate to use this word, but the layout is like a motel,” admits the client. “There is a long row of bedrooms that can be accessed directly from the outside, so there’s no need to go through the house.”
The other necessity was minimal fuss—another complicated thing to achieve in such a high-traffic home. “We wanted things that were simple and durable,” Lonstein explains. “For example, there are textured area rugs, so you’re not going to see a lot of wear. Everything we chose has a lot of patina so we know that it will age beautifully.” That meant installing sturdy granite countertops in the kitchen and nixing a formal dining room entirely. Lonstein instead opted for a classic wooden farmhouse table in the center of the kitchen, so the client’s sons, who are enthusiastic home chefs, could cook and entertain simultaneously. “The table acts as a great surface for baking and kitchen prep,” says Lonstein. “We didn’t want to do the typical kitchen island and bar stools.”