Bridgehampton Vacation Home

Welcome to All in the Detail... I am so glad you are here! 


I constantly dream of owning a vacation home one day, beach or mountains - really not going to be too picky, just as long as it is close enough to easily access on the weekends.  A place to get away, to escape, to unwind, to relax, a place for everyone to gather and be together.  I have oodles, and oodles of images running around in my head of what the PERFECT vacation home would offer in regards to design and guess what... Traditional Homes Magazine has heard my call and has served it all up on a silver platter just for me.  This New York home is gorgeous (with a capital G) and has plenty of room for the whole gang. 


Let's step inside together for a visit.
When Nina Richter and her husband, Greg, bought an ungainly vacation home in Bridgehampton, New York, she never doubted its hidden beauty. She just needed a designer and an architect who shared her vision and determination. Enter Architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects and Interior designer Ken Gemes Interiors. You are not going to believe the transformation.

BEFORE The living room before the renovation.

AFTER The stone fireplace surround was replaced with wood panels and trim for a refined style. A room overlooking the living area was enclosed and a walkway to a second-level balcony was added above the fireplace. O. Henry House sofas and chairs are grouped around a Ralph Lauren cocktail table.

  French doors with transoms open the living room to a back porch.  

BEFORE The foyer before the renovation.

AFTER An antique mahogany table, teak stools, and a thick sisal rug from Merida Meridian bring visual weight to the large open foyer. Stairs were widened and flared at the base, and walls were paneled and painted Benjamin Moore Linen Sand.

BEFORE The front of the house before the renovation.

AFTER To give the house the pretty profile Nina wanted, architect Stuart Disston reshaped the ungainly structure by extending rooflines to create two graceful gambrels. "It appeared to me like a half-finished gambrel house, so we finished it," says Disston. New windows, white porch posts, and red cedar shingles boost curb appeal.

BEFORE The rear of the house before the renovation.

AFTER The back exterior was balanced with the addition of a second chimney, matching an existing one. The new chimney serves both a fireplace in the sunroom and a grill on the porch. A covered back porch, sunroom addition, and new balcony above the porch open the interiors to the yard and sunset views.

BEFORE The kitchen before the renovation.

AFTER A boxed beam ceiling with beadboard insets and simple cabinets with chrome hardware give the kitchen a vintage feel. A Roman shade in Bijou Stripe from China Seas adds a pop of warm color, and caned-back bar stools from Thomas Pheasant for McGuire offer comfortable seating at the island.

An old harvest table in the dining area is surrounded by teak-and-cane chairs from Robert Lighton's British Khaki Collection and lighted by Lumiere sconces.

An attached garage was reconfigured, making space for an inviting TV/sitting room.

A charming guest room was created when an open space overlooking the living area was enclosed. Designer Ken Gemes chose a sea-foam palette, including draperies made with a hand-blocked fabric from TylerGraphic.

A chair and ottoman (by the bed) are covered in an aqua linen from Lee Jofa trimmed with ivory piping.

Many thanks to Nina Richter and daughters Gretchen, 14, and Sabina, 11, with dogs Otto and Olive, for opening up their beautiful vacation home for us to tour! Nina and her daughters are seen here sitting on the porch off the living room. via