Your 5 Step Approach to Nailing the Hamptons Look

A Hamptons home is all about laidback luxury, with clean lines, bright, airy spaces and indoor-outdoor living as its hallmarks. While appearing effortless, there are a few insider secrets to achieving this chic, coastal style. We chat to the winner of The Block All Stars Amity Dry, architectural writer Angela Fedele and Hamptons blogger Louise Treacy for their expert tips that will put you on track to achieving your dream Hamptons home.

STEP 1: THE EXTERIOR

LOUISE TREACY:

The exterior of your property sets the tone for the rest of the home, so keeping to a similar style and colour palette will create a unified feel. “The look of the exterior was one of the most important areas to design – I wanted it to be timeless and well built,” says Melbourne Hamptons blogger Louise Treacy, who designed her dream Hamptons home. “We mixed exterior elements to achieve the ‘Hamptons meet modern country’ look, using render with weatherboard details for interest.”

The combination of Scyon Linea weatherboarding and concrete render brings a country flair to this Hamptons style home.

AMITY DRY

As owner of her dream Hamptons home and winner of The Block All Stars, Amity Dry has picked up some great tips along the way and believes no Hamptons home is complete without a clad exterior. “Giving Hamptons homes their hallmark look, weatherboards create strong lines provide a classic, coastal charm,” she says, adding that all exterior trims should be crisp white, no matter what colour the cladding. If you do choose a darker hue, stick with a shade from the same colour family – for example, charcoal trims paired with light grey weatherboards.”

The combination of soft grey weatherboarding with charcoal trimming gives this Hamptons house a unique and modern feel.

STEP 2: PRIORITISE NATURAL LIGHT

ANGELE FEDELE

A bright and airy living space is key to a Hamptons home, so maximising natural light is essential. High ceilings and windows are an effective way to do this, immediately creating a feeling of spaciousness. “A gabled roof promotes higher indoor ceilings and superior spatial awareness,” says Angela. Try using sheer, lightweight curtains, avoiding placing larger pieces of furniture near windows, and using the lightest shade of white you can find for ceilings.

High gabled ceilings give the illusion of more space that beautifully complement the open-plan design of this living area.

STEP 3: GO NEUTRAL – AND THINK BEYOND WHITE

AMITY DRY

A muted palette will soften an interior and provide a fresh backdrop for decorating, and while pure white is a popular choice, there are alternatives that offer the same versatility while adding a hint of colour and warmth. “The Hamptons look is defined by a few key things,” says Amity. “The colour palette is always neutral, with whites, creams, linen tones, greys and blues the main colours used to achieve the look.”

Outside, introduce colour with a pastel hue such as cool blue, mint green or soft lemon. Angela Fedele, says that mirroring a colour palette from the coastal environment is an effective way to achieve a Hamptons look. “Key colours for the Hamptons exterior include blue and white (a nautical nod), eggshell, grey and warm white and of course natural textures such as oak, jute finishes, and driftwood.” Louise agrees that a soft colour palette works best with plenty of natural textures.

The soft grey, white and eggshell palette of this Amity’s Hamptons inspired home is simple, yet elegant.

STEP 4: BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUTDOOR LIVING

ANGELA FEDELE

With a signature feature of a Hamptons home being its outdoor living space, this style of home is ideally suited to the Australian lifestyle and has been designed to make the most of warm days and alfresco entertaining. “Light, open spaces are essential for creating a seamless indoor/outdoor transition,” says Angela.

“Bi-fold doors are commonplace on balconies and ground floor decking spaces, working to blur the boundaries of indoor/outdoor spaces.” Adding that the doors also allow for ventilation and uninterrupted coastal views. Colour-matching your flooring – both inside and out – with the walls will also help to create a harmonious flow from your living area to your outdoor space.

The design of this open plan living and dining area cleverly extends the space outdoors with the addition of bi-fold sliding doors.

STEP 5: CHOOSE TIMELESS FIXTURES

LOUISE TREACY

Quality fixtures that stand the test of time are key to the Hamptons look. As with the exterior and furnishings, a ‘less is more’ approach will mean that your interior will be classic rather than simply keeping up with what’s on trend, saving you money and resulting in a look that you’ll love forever. From cabinetry and lighting to tapware and door handles, look for simple, elegant pieces.

“Almost every element used, whether it was the style of windows and doors, to the smaller details such as cabinetry hardware had to be researched and sourced independently,” says Louise.

Indoors, look to warm whites and creamy hues, and add texture through furnishings in natural materials like sisal, rattan and linen.