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Water Colors

by habituallychic

06 . 05 . 08

I posted one photo yesterday of the Sag Harbor home of Margot Brunelle Fooshee, head of marketing for J. Crew, and her husband but I loved it so much that I definitely wanted to post the rest of them. It’s hot and gross in New York right now and I’m dreaming of owning a beach house this cute!

As I mentioned before, the home was owned by interior designer Steven Gambrel so it was already in pretty great condition. He painted the entry Blue Seafoam by Benjamin Moore and Margot said it was what made her fall in love with the house. “A chair in a harmonizing color was a gift from Margot’s mother, from the family’s summer house in Nantucket. Preserved 18th-century floorboards were simply sanded and waxed.”

“A beachy and comfy sitting room is furnished with Crate and Barrel sofas covered in cotton duck and an antique chest that holds pillows, blankets, books, and games. Sisal rug from Pottery Barn. Vintage Long Island nautical chart was a gift from Margot to her husband. Wall is Iceberg by Benjamin Moore.”

I think the best thing about decorating a beach house is that nothing ever has to look perfect or done. You can pick up shells off the beach and sit them on the mantle and they look right at home.

A vintage camelback sofa was recovered in sky blue linen and pairs well with French chairs, a wicker slipper chair, and faux-bamboo cocktail table, all from interior designer Ruthie Sommers‘s Los Angeles store, Chapman Radcliff Home. She helped the couple decorate their fabulous becah house.

Chairs from a friend’s basement were painted yellow and add a punch of color to the kitchen.
A wooden dresser also in the kitchen makes a perfect bar. The starburst mirror was found at Mecox Gardens, one of my favorite stores!

I love orange so it was fun to see someone design an orange guestroom. It’s an unexpected color and Margot said, “I just wanted to create a happy, fun room. That crazy bright print does exactly what I was hoping it would.” The wallpaper is Thibault’s South Beach, the bed linens from Kate Spade, and the round table, Art Deco chair, and bedside lamp are from Chapman Radcliff Home.

The master bedroom has been described as having a restful absence of clutter. Custom tester bed by Robert Fooshee. Drop-leaf table from Wertz Brothers in Los Angeles, lamp from Laurin Copen Antiques in Bridgehampton. Striped rug, Dash & Albert.

In another shot of the master bedroom, there appears to be a drop leaf dining table acting as a console. It’s another example of something you wouldn’t expect to see in a bedroom but somehow works.

I love this photo of thea painted dressing table and mirror from Now/Again in L.A. in the upstairs hall painted Benjamin Moore’s Blue Seafoam. The shell-filled apothecary jar is from English Country Antiques, another great store in the Hamptons.

Photos by Don Freeman for House Beautiful

16 Comments
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  1. Vie Chaotique June 5, 2008 | 3:51 am

    I love the torn map treatment on the walls – looks like a french garret. I also love the first picture with the water blue chair and walls against the white. Makes me long for the beach.

    PS – I think I share your affinity for shiny shoes – that is if my wardrobe of at least five silver pairs, three gold and one bronze counts.

  2. stljoie June 5, 2008 | 4:46 am

    I have a problem…only one. Nothing shows dirt, lint, hair, sand, etc, etc, etc like a black rug.

  3. franki durbin June 5, 2008 | 10:25 am

    First… doesn’t this home just reek J. Crew? How nice to see the authenticity of the “J. Crew lifestyle” in the house.

    I love the ‘barely there blue’ of the walls. And you’re right… that Mecox mirror just makes that vignette.

    It seems to me that sunlight is the most important character i the decor here. Gorgeous. Gotta love the slipcovers in a beach home. Perfection.

  4. annechovie June 5, 2008 | 11:56 am

    I absolutely LOVE this house – I could move right in. Doesn’t surprise me that she works for J. Crew or that Ruthie Sommers decorated it – no wonder it’s gorgeous! I just wish J.Crew would come out with a home line/lifestyle store – it would be brilliant! Thanks for showing the rest of the house.

  5. T8 June 5, 2008 | 2:01 pm

    Great post – I’m not a beach person, and I don’t typically like that Cape Cod style, but I love this house – go figure.

    BTW, Mecox is one of my very favorite stores. I recognized that mirror right away. I have written a couple of reviews if anybody wants more information at Strange Closets. Search for Mecox.

    Nice post. Chicago’s hot and humid too. It was winter 2 weeks ago . . . the midwest.

    T8
    http://www.strangeclosets.com

    When design takes priority, the result is often strange closets.

  6. Laura June 5, 2008 | 2:24 pm

    That is absolutely the most perfect beach house I have ever seen! I love the one pop of real color with the coral bedroom.

  7. Alice Olive June 5, 2008 | 3:33 pm

    Oh, this is breathtaking. I love lightness to everything. I agree that the mix of not quite perfect/done is just right for your weekender by the beach. (Now I just have to get a beach weekender!!)

    The painted dresser is beautiful too. But overall, the delicate colour and natural light is simply serene.

  8. ckuretich June 5, 2008 | 3:54 pm

    and now…I’m drooling. I am inspired by the blues and the shells…but since I’m not ocean-side, just tell me somewhere I can get cheap stock shells to fill apothecary jars!!!! I thought perhaps the dollar store – but no such luck. (bet you don’t typically recommend the dollar store for decor, but hey – in a pinch!)

  9. Anonymous June 5, 2008 | 4:11 pm

    What issue of House Beautiful is this house in? I LOVE IT!!

  10. Fifi Flowers June 5, 2008 | 4:21 pm

    Nice, light and airy decor… it Screams “WEEKEND RETREAT!” I think I need a vacation home!

  11. GirlGoesGlobal June 5, 2008 | 9:27 pm

    It’s rare, VERY rare, that I see an orange room that takes my breath away. But Holy Citrus Fruit, Batman, that room deserves heaps of adoration. Color me inspired.

  12. Jennifer Ramos June 6, 2008 | 12:10 am

    NICE POST!…Love this decor…except i may need a bit more color.

    On another note..even though its hot in NY, im so jealous u live there! I lived there for years and soo miss it. LUCKY you.

    🙂

    Jen Ramos
    ‘100% Recycled DESIGNER Cards & More’
    http://www.madebygirl.com
    madebygirl.blogspot.com

  13. John Trosko June 6, 2008 | 12:46 am

    This post alone is making me sub to your blog through my rss! Love the nautical!

    John

  14. pve design June 6, 2008 | 10:18 am

    Love that sweet home. Totally true, a J.Crew home line would be a perfect for me and my mates ahoy!

  15. farmhouse wares June 6, 2008 | 1:59 pm

    Yummy! Ever inch looks gorgeous. It’s definately worth dreaming about.

  16. Things That Inspire June 8, 2008 | 8:20 pm

    This home is so ‘me’ – I love the colors a light feel of a beach house. When I hired a designer to help me redo my living room, she commented that the bleached color of my floors (they are bleached oak) reminded her of a beach house…a little strange when you are living in the middle of Atlanta, but I love how light and bright they make my house.

    I am starting a new word document called paint colors. I just had my upstairs painted, in possible preparation for putting my house on the market, and I did it all neutral linen white. I really wanted to paint my bedroom a soft blue, so maybe in my next house I will take a look at the blue in this post…to continue the beach feel just a little bit more…