How to get the Country Hamptons look

We have the pleasure of writing a series of guest editorial columns for Home Beautiful, focusing on a range of particular styles under the banner of Hamptons homes.  We continue the series with the Country style for the May edition of Home Beautiful.

Long before the Hamptons became a beloved vacation destination for New York’s most affluent, it was simply a string of isolated, barn style farmhouses on sprawling estates in the American country. It wasn’t until the late 1900 to early 2000’s, that the wealthy elites started building their beach side holiday mansions, and this is the ocean-esque concept we mainly associate with Hamptons style.  Fortunately, the Hamptons style isn’t limited to the coastline and can be just as magnificent on a rural property. The houses you see on the original farms usually host traditional practical barns, and they have these beautiful homestead-style houses.  It should come as no surprise then that this timeless interior style has been adapted so well to suit our Australian country charm.  American summer getaways only last three months of the year, yet Australia’s glorious climate is perfect for open plan living that transitions into indoor/outdoor entertaining all year-round.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

THE FEATURES:

There's just something about being in the country that revitalises you - the air is better, you sleep deeper and the days seem longer!

A Country Hamptons house is an eclectic mix of both traditional and tropical styles.  Think rustic timbers, earthy hues and full wraparound verandahs. Barn style sliding doors and timber accents abound in a country home, with a no-fuss, laid back atmosphere.  There is a homeliness to a country house, with huge collections of books, hooks for your copper utensils and eclectic collectables throughout.

While the kitchen remains the heart of the home and the centerpoint for entertaining, it should incorporate more timber than marble as durability becomes a priority.  A butlers sink is always an essential and so perfectly suited to the farmhouse aesthetic, and shaker style cabinetry with matte black hardware provides timeless storage.  If you’re brave, choose a beautiful blue hue for your island bench!  Kitchen vignettes really sell the country charm vibe, when you stack wooden utensils in white ceramics, fresh herbs on open shelves and lots of heirloom cookbooks.

Although the rule of thumb is generally ‘do not mix metals’ in a single zone, a country home tends to have grander proportions so mixing up the finishes of your hardware and tapware can be a fun way to inject some eclectic personality!  In the Hamptons Farm Estate, we used black handles throughout, with polished nickel tapware and most of our feature lighting shows off a brass tone.   Include just enough of everything to create balance and you’ll find that on a big scale it all works together!

Cornices and skirting are pared back in a country Hamptons home.  We tend to see more Hardie Groove Lining on the walls than traditional wainscoting.  There’s also no reason you cant do both – with a half height wainscoting design and big panels of VJ separated by a simple dado rail. Dark timber floors will ground your home (pun intended!) with a tone of warmth while bringing in some old-world character.

For practicality’s sake, the Country home wouldn’t be complete without a mud room! Acting as an informal second entry, it is designated to intercept dirty shoes, Akubra hats and wet coats before they are traipsed through your beautiful home!

The kitchen may find it has some competition to hold the title “heart of the home” when a beautiful fireplace is involved! Floor to ceiling stone would make a magnificent feature and a wooden mantle will be the focus point of for your styling all year round!

When I was dreaming of our Great Room in the North Wing of the Hamptons Farm Estate, I knew I wanted soaring ceilings and huge windows to give us constant views of the beautiful rural landscape, and a spacious area to host family, friends and events.  A barn style pitched ceiling with exposed wood beams is sure to clearly communicate that you are standing in the greatness of a country style home! Bi-fold doors open out to our full wrap around verandah and extend all our living spaces, bringing the outdoors in!  Not unlike the colonial Australian style, a sprawling verandah helps with the cooling of the home and providing more entertaining space, like an extra wide hug!

THE FURNITURE:

When filling a country lounge room, I always start with a gorgeous linen sofa, with a layered neutral palette with pops of caramel to complement the colours of the landscape.  Oak woods are perfect in a Country Hamptons look, providing a natural texture in a warm tone.  Slip-cover armchairs in an off white are both practical and beautiful!  Hardware and lighting incorporate a masculine element when finished in a wrought iron or matte black.

When it comes to cushions, I have a rule of three: bring together a stripe, a geometric and a floral print.  This way, there is beautiful interest on your sofa and the patterns will bounce off each other.   Spring and Summer see the incorporation of duck egg blues and eucalyptus greens into my country palette, with lush layers of linen in a stone shade of white.

Comfy outdoor living is key in a country home, so I love to use an array of plump wicker chairs and sofas, clustered for entertaining and lovely conversations.  I love to continue the interior palette of soft blues and greens into the soft furnishings outside.

We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from our guest editorial column with Home Beautiful!

Subscribe to Home Beautiful's newsletters and magazines or pick up a copy from your local newsagent - on sale the first Monday of each month - to stay up to date!

How to get the Classic Hamptons look

We have the pleasure of writing a series of guest editorial columns for Home Beautiful, focusing on a range of particular styles under the banner of Hamptons homes.  We commenced the series with the Classic style for the April edition of Home Beautiful.

Within the walls of our homes, we are able to create personal retreats and escapes; a cocoon from the rituals of day-to-day life.  Designing your home extends to designing your lifestyle – one that will be the envy of all!

The timeless appeal of the Classic Hamptons style is a refined balance between sophistication and relaxation with indulgent luxury.

The way to master the flow of your home is to add details from front to back that capture the eye as you walk through.  The Classic Hamptons home begs for applause from the moment you enter; with coffered ceilings, layered wainscoted walls and sweeping staircases that delight the senses!

THE FEATURES:

The staircase of a Classic Hamptons home should be its crowning jewel!  Details like a bold newel post with carefully designed spindles – either in a Chippendale pattern or with ornately carved spindles – can be carried throughout the home into other features, making the spaces communicate together.  A black step with a white riser and a bold handrail demand attention!

Coffered ceilings are perfect for a high-end luxury home!  These often include intricate mouldings to add allowance for shadow to pop in every square! Coffered ceilings can be used in an entrance, a great room or any area that requires an extra layer of drama!

Wainscoting is like icing on a cake for your walls. It starts with a beautiful deep, rounded edge dado rail that then works down towards a carefully designed smaller rail. That then guides you along the wall in a square or rectangle design.  This style looks exceptional in entrances, on staircases and they can become a major feature of any wall just by layering these intricate mouldings. They masterfully blend with skirting, cornices and architraves that then allow your colour palette to pop!

Cabinetry is always a highlight but when it comes to a Classic Hamptons home, there is no greater feature than the kitchen itself!  Gone are the days of hiding the kitchen – a Hamptons home is all about entertaining and showing off! The island bench is always the centre of attention, embracing lengths of soft toned Carrara marble. 

A feature oven is a must have, sizing no less than 900cm. This becomes a wide, freestanding masterpiece that is not only for cooking but for centralizing the cabinetry design.  A beautiful rangehood demands bold extruding features with glass cabinetry either side, to showcase your collated dinnerwares. Tapware, hardware, butlers sinks and stunning pendant lights are all distinctive elements in a Classic design.

A bath is a must have feature for a Classic Hamptons bathroom.  Whether you use it or not becomes irrelevant when it commands such a luxurious presence in a space!

With freestanding tapware – which is practically jewellery for a wet area – and panelling or shelving, wow moments will abound!  Your counter can be a spot to indulge in by adding a feature mirror, wall sconces and pendants, with a double basin that features refined front panelling that is more than just shaker style.  Marble flooring with a statement border or a checkboard detail is what it’s all about!

A Classic Hamptons outdoor area should be an experience – opening up to flowering arbours, an entertaining alfresco and relaxing sun loungers by the pool.  Outdoor spaces are as equally important as indoor design as it fully encapsulates your lifestyle.   The pleasures of hosting your loved ones and swanning around the pool are sure to be an entertainer’s dream come true!

THE FURNITURE:

When styling a Classic Hamptons home, we introduce the traditional blue and white palette, but include floral and oak tones for depth that translate to a more traditional style. Our Indah Island x Carnival Homewares stripe rugs are essential to set the scene.

Blue linen sofas in a traditional roll arm style are both comfortable and beautiful! Our best-selling Bobbin Armchair is a perfect choice for more statement seating. Their dramatic back design make these chairs breathtaking from all angles! Chesterfield chairs with deep button backs are another great option.

An oak coffee table grounds the space and contrasting side tables bring personality into the room.  I always love to include a bit of rattan in every space to incorporate another layer of natural texture.

Vignettes with eclectic antiques and blue and white ginger jars are a fun way to let your personality shine through.

Lastly, lighting is more elegant in a Classic Hamptons home, with hanging chandeliers of crystal and brass.  Wall sconces and pendants will take your bathroom to the next level and beautiful table lamps scattered throughout will bring ambience and interest to each space.

We hope you enjoyed this excerpt from our guest editorial column with Home Beautiful!

Subscribe to Home Beautiful's newsletters and magazines or pick up a copy from your local newsagent - on sale the first Monday of each month - to stay up to date!

Our Hamptons Estate & Modular Walls

When designing the outdoor living space of the Hamptons Farm Estate, we wanted to remain connected to the massive acreage of the property, like traditional Hamptons estates were built on.  We knew we needed a robust boundary wall that wouldn’t overpower the views and balanced out our landscape design.

We wanted to tie together both the farmhouse and the outdoor living area, while incorporating a compliant pool fence.  In consultation with our celebrity landscape designer Dave Franklin, we knew that ModularWalls would be the perfect solution!

We chose ModularWalls for their style, their excellent technical support and the DIY opportunity.  Saving money on installation was a big winner in our books! The delivery was efficient and beautifully presented.  The assembly instructions were very clear, and it was reassuring to know we could easily get in touch with ModularWalls if we needed any further technical support.

When considering a fence design, we wanted something that would match the Hamptons aesthetic and provide protection against the harsh outback wind.  The Modular Wall’s EstateWallexudes class and luxury yet has a bold, masonry presence.

The EstateWall achieves everything we hoped for, and it has zoned our outdoor resort living space so well.  We are honoured to recommend ModularWalls to anyone seeking a stylish and functional fencing solution!

 

Why we chose the Architects Choice for our Hamptons Pool Fence

In Australia, we are fortunate to spend a lot of time outside entertaining and enjoying life.  In consultation with our celebrity landscape designer Dave Franklin, we knew we wanted to tie together both the farmhouse and the outdoor living area to create a resort like experience.  Our goal was to design a one of a kind outdoor entertaining space that exudes luxury and charm with a Hamptons farmhouse feel.  Our beautiful Aqua Technics pool sets a relaxing tone to spend long summer days beside.

 

We knew we needed a compliant pool fence, yet I was insistent that it shouldn’t interrupt the visual flow from the Farmhouse verandah into the gorgeous outdoor entertaining area. For this criteria, we could not look past The Architects Choice. 

 

As the most trusted supplier of glass pool fencing, glass balustrade and wire balustrade in Australia, they are partnered with Royal Life Saving Australia and Water Safety NZ.

 

The panels are DIY so all you need are a few tools, basic DIY skills and a mate to assist – as the glass is quite heavy. The quality glass panels make fitting and aligning the gates quick and easy with custom hinges, latches and panels all designed to fit together.

 

For the Hamptons Farm Estate we have used the stainless steel spigots giving a frameless look with 1800mm wide by 1200mm high glass panels.  The gate is an 890mm wide by 1200mm high, toughened glass and all the latches and hinges are The Architects Choice range, with a self-closing magnetic latch.

 

The overall look we wanted was seamless lines and clean, clear views. Allowing for the entire outdoor entertaining area to flow effortlessly from the moment you step outside, with unobscured views. Perfect for safety and elegant aesthetics.

 

The Architects Choice is easily accessible from Bunnings Warehousewhere the process is simple. Go to The Architects Choice website  choose your post system, either frameless spigots or semi-frameless. Choose accessories, measure up your site, then use The Architects Choice calculatorto work out exactly what is needed, then head into your local  Bunnings Special Orders Desk with the printed list. Simple!

 

Boasting premium automotive-grade toughened glass, certified pool fencing with mechanically polished edges. Partnered with Royal Life Saving Society Australia and Water Safety NZ, The Architects Choice is not only staunch on their products but their water safety advocacy producing only the strongest and safest water safety complaint products for the DIY market.

 

Go to The Architects Choice social media pages on Facebook or Instagram or their Youtube Channel for all the installation ‘How To’ guided videos.

 

Hamptons Outdoor Living with NewtechWood

One of our “must haves” for my Hamptons Farmhouse were big expansive verandas, leading out to the amazing rural landscape. When the size of your outdoor deck is larger than most Australian homes you need to select your decking materials carefully. Wrapping around our renovated Hamptons farmhouse, the expansive 293 sqm deck complements the home’s exterior and enhances the outdoor furnishings while unifying the indoor and outdoor space.

Not wanting to compromise on design details, the decking had to be hardwearing but also achieve the laidback luxe style I am renowned for.

My search for the perfect decking came to an end as soon as I laid eyes on NewTechWood’s latest composite decking range. I knew instantly the Coastal Range would create the warm wood textural backdrop which would be an ideal canvas for my outdoor furniture and decorative pieces. This is high quality composite wood decking taken to the next level. The NewtechWood Coastal Decking Range has deep grained wide planks that truly look like wood and add another rich layer of texture to my outdoor entertaining area.

While the coastal range is available in three colours I selected Antique which was so aligned with my aesthetic, you would have thought it had been custom made for my Hamptons Farmhouse given its vintage finish and natural colour variegation.

I’m all about eye-catching design and natural textures, but practicality and function also play an enormous role when choosing finishes for my own home and the homes of my clients.

NewTechWood uses the innovative Ultrashield technology to ensure that the composite decking boards are fully capped, giving protection to the boards making it very low maintenance.  I don’t have to paint, seal or oil the deck ever, which means I don’t have the inconvenience of removing all the furniture annually as I would for a traditional wooden deck.  It won’t splinter, crack, mildew or mould and the colour is UV resistant and won’t fade.

The coastal decking range delivers a natural looking high-end finish with all the convenience of being long lasting and ultra-low maintenance and is also backed by a 25 year warranty. You can find out more about the Antique Coastal Decking I used here : https://newtechwood.com.au/composite-decking-australia/coastal-range/

Hamptons Farm Project Reveal: Internal Products

When it came to choose the internal products for this estate style home, we were very aware about the styles and feel we wanted. With open spaces and a flow of living we needed to make sure that what we chose was going to go with and not against the look. When it comes to technology, this was something we needed to work in large open spaces with a lot of other electrical products. It had to be simple enough for us to use, cost effective and stylish.

We did look at many options and then we came across Quantify Technology; it was everything we were looking for and more. It was an incredible device with an amazing solution for our needs. We can create moods, turn power on and off, it can work from an app and device, and using voice activation. It was such a simple installation that our fabulous electrician, Troy from Harris Electrical, had no issue with and that is almost unheard of.  We now have a system put together with Aruba that is incredible Wi-Fi system and Amazon Alexia that caters to all our smart home needs.

Another element we needed to address was air conditioning; we chose Stinson Air for their expertise in selecting the right unit us for the home. As this is such a large home, it was necessary to use a few different options throughout the entire home. We have full ducted units in the North Wing and Bedrooms, then split systems on the Mezzanine and Studio in the South Wing. This gave us options and choices on when using the air conditioning, and it was effective for the spaces and area.

Photography by @koby_turner

All About the Details

A great way to showcase a home’s character is by creating layers when building or renovating. By using the foundation of the home, you can create this character and layering on the walls. When looking at a Hampton’s style home or a take of, paneling is a major detail that is reflected throughout the home. Within paneling you can choose many different styles; Traditional Wainscoting, Shiplap, Dado Rails, Picture Rails, and Full Wall paneling.

 

 

Wainscoting replicates a traditional look, using different mouldings and trims that would conventionally go to a Dado height of 1.2 metres from the floor. This look is formed by layers of squares or rectangles to emphasis depth on the walls. These mouldings are typically highlighted in white, to create a band of detail throughout the house. Contact your local carpenter or trade in this area as it can be worked in with your skirting. The biggest use of Traditional Wainscoting is preferably in an entrance, up the stairs, when creating a more formal room or in bathrooms and bedrooms to add another layer of detail and character. It can be made out of wood trim mouldings, plasterboard or cut out wooden panels depending on your budget. If you’re on a tight budget, you must consider where this look is going to make the biggest impact, and research around for different products to create the look as this is a big factor in your budget.

Shiplap is the use of vertical or horizontal boards on a full wall. This layer is used to emphasis detail in a room, area and wall. The best part is you can use it throughout your home, only in certain areas or just to create a feature wall in one room. It can also be used in wet areas; we suggest using the Scyon Wall products through James Hardie, as these are a waterproof product that can line a wall in a wet area to create that Shiplap affect. We love suggesting Shiplapping as it is very cost effective, and a great way to detail a bedroom wall, as you can add a popping colour as a feature or even replace a bed head. It is easy to install and can be a good DIY project over a weekend.

Dado Rails are another great use of mouldings and trim to emphasis a space. They are a stand out feature that can be used on all height walls not just restricted to tall walls as they are normally at a 1.2 metre height. Dado Rails can be painted in white to stand out or painted the same colour as the wall to add depth. We suggest using this look in entrances, up the staircase and in formal rooms, if it doesn’t fit your budget to fit out the whole home.

Picture Rails are traditionally known to hold a painting or picture, with a hook and wire, therefore no need to drill holes in walls. They are now used in a more contemporary sense to draw the eyes to a higher level in a room to create height, depth and character. These details are traditionally used in a higher wall, but we are now seeing them in homes even at a 2.6 metre high roof. It is a great way to manipulate where you hang your artwork and be able to rotate your styles without making holes in the walls; making it easy every time you restyle your home, or change the look of a room.

Full Panel walls This is a look that has come back in trend; using straight lines of wood paneling in the shape of rectangles, floor to roof. This look increases depth in a room, and can be used as a feature instead of art and/ or wallpaper. It is a more modern take on a traditional look. When creating this layer, it is a great idea to pencil it out on the wall. That way your professional trade can see exactly where you want them to go, the heights you want them at, and to see if your wall is more suited to rectangles or squares. This way no mistake will be made and there are no surprises.

In all of these styles, the profiling of the moudling doesn’t necessarily have to be overly detailed; it can be a simple rectangle to create a more modern look or to the extreme of highly profiled scroll, for a more high-end traditional look and everything in between. It is great idea to look at moulding online, find inspirational images or speak to your carpenter or builder to show you the profiles. Make sure to place them on the wall of your home to see what works best in your space and what will create the look you want to achieve. My go to is Intrim Mouldings. They have a huge range of profiles that will create anything from modern, classic, traditional or more.

We are currently choosing our mouldings for our #indahislandfarmproject in Toodyay. Make sure you jump onto out social media @indahisland to follow our progress.