“Maison 24 is a luxury lifestyle brand, so our goal is to bring together everything one would need to create a fabulous environment from art & furniture to music & books to jewelry & shorts!” shares Allison Julius and brother Louis Marra [pictured below], owners of the hot Bridgehampton boutique.

Adding, “We get extremely passionate about what we find in the market, especially since so many of the designers and artists we represent are exclusively available at Maison 24, and we know we can offer our clients a unique shopping experience.”

Looking for fabulous furniture, unique toys, shorts, swimwear, totes, or flip flops from Parke & Ronen all in one place? Maison 24 is your place!

How did these two come up with such an authentic idea for a boutique? Growing up with a mother who was a fashion director and a father who was a display director for a major NY-area store chain, so one may say that style is in their blood. Surrounded by artists, designers, and window dressers, they realized their passion for fashion as well as home decor and created Maison 24, the ultimate mixture of the two.

Maison 24 features both traditional and trend-setting pieces. They sell: home furnishings, mens and women’s accessories, music, art, decorative objects, books, children’s accessories, collectible toys, and more.

Location of Maison 24: 2424 Main Street, Bridgehampton or visit them at maison24.com; 631.537.2488

KDH chatted with the dynamic duo…..enjoy their Style Diary!

KDHamptons: Which Hamptons hamlet do you call home?

Allison Julius: We [Allison, her husband Zachary Julius below, and her brother Louis] share a home in East Hampton, along with the family pets: Boston [a 4-year old Maltese] and Beckham a 4-year old Brussels Griffon-Shih Zhu mix.

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons? Why do you love it so much?

Allison Julius: We bought our home 13 years ago but our love affair with the Hamptons began in the early 70’s.  Two of our parents best friends both had homes in Three Mile Harbor and we were fortunate enough to be their guests for several weekends every summer.  Our days started with picking berries in their garden and making lunch to take to the beach or out on their little motor boat around the bay.  Dinners meant a mandatory stop at the farm-stand for more ears of corn than you could imagine and more glamorous dinners on Saturday nights at Spring Close House, Bruce’s or the Montauk Yacht Club back when jackets were still required for men and you were sure to spot Billy Joel & Christie Brinkley or Roy Scheider in the dining room.  When we bought our own home it instantly became a year-round destination since we love being out in winter with the fireplace roaring as much as we enjoy hanging out around the pool!

KDHamptons: Describe your Hamptons home, and decorating style?

Allison: Our home was built in the 80’s and is very angular and modern [pictured below]. It is painted bright white inside and out which allowed us to infuse the decor with lots of color.  We’ve combined new pieces of our own design (like our own Maison 24 Bristol sofas) with vintage pieces in Lucite to create a 70’s-modern feel.  We joke that given what we do for a living, re-decorating is kind of a job-hazard but the best part about that is if it’s time to make way for new pillows or dishes, the car gets loaded up with what is being replaced and off we go to donate it to ARF.  Redecorating for a cause!

KDHamptons: Describe your perfect Hamptons day?

Allison: Ohhh that’s an easy one! Wake up around 8am to a blindingly sunny day.  Set the table outside for our favorite European style breakfast of fresh melon, cured meats, assorted cheeses and oven roasted tomatoes.  Do nothing more strenuous than walk the dogs and hang around the pool all day.  Then by late afternoon hit town for all the ingredients for homemade coleslaw & Caesar salad, fresh berries to marinate in some Grand Marnier and vanilla ice cream to serve them over and swing by Brents for a ton of their sinfully delicious fried chicken.  Set up everything buffet style and invite a few friends over for cocktails and a casual dinner. Sleep, shower, and repeat!

KDHamptons: Personal style: do you have a Hamptons “uniform”? Which designer do you wear the most? Do you have a favorite designer for your Hamptons look?

Louis Marra: I love Parke & Ronen’s brightly colored cotton shorts & trousers.  They are slim cut and they always add interesting contrast waistbands or trim and you can dress them down with a polo shirt or throw on a blazer and be ready for a cocktail party.  And everyone should have a pair of Gap slim fit khakis in their closet.

Allison Julius: I have a small obsession with bows so this summer anything I can pair with my candy pink Valentino platform pumps with the big loopy bows [below] – white jeans, a little print dress – will be my uniform.

KDHamptons: What is your favorite restaurant, why, what is your favorite dish and drink?

Allison: Almond [below] is our absolute favorite place to go for dinner.  Eric makes everyone feel like his special guest and we love the new location in town with the old-school red zebra wallpaper and dark wood.  As far as our fave dishes, the list is long but Le Grande macaroni & cheese, the artichoke with 5 sauces and the pork chop Milanese are our top three! They also make the most amazing Cosmopolitan which is perfect on a warm summer night.

KDHamptons: What is the greatest part about your job?

Louis: Well as a brother/sister team, having a partner that you can trust 100% and know always has your back is pretty amazing.  We also love the challenge of finding the next great thing and the satisfaction we get once we’ve managed to get it into our stores.

KDHamptons: If you could snap your fingers and instantly have another career~ what would be your dream job?

Louis: I would own a 10 room super-chic boutique hotel in Riviera Maya, one of our favorite vacation spots!

Allison: Animal advocate by day and celebrity pastry chef by night!

KDHamptons: Do you have a “best kept secret” destination in the Hamptons? Share a spot you love…

Louis: Well its far from a secret but there is something magical about going to Clam Bar on a sunny day for clam strips and a Red Stripe.

KDHamptons: Two of your items haute Hamptonites need for their summer home?

Allison: Architect Totes, Hand-woven, hand antiqued Italian nappa leather and marine grade canvas with Marine grade canvas lining, Nickel hardware and a removable canvas and calfskin pouch with woven leather loop. These are great totes but are wonderful at home too for magazines, beach towels or kindling.

Louis: One of Dirk Westphal’s limited edition numbered and signed C-prints.  Our current favorite is from his new Caps photo series and its titled A Capricious Summer Climate.  The large-scale and saturated, vibrant color will be a wow moment in any Hamptons home.

KDHamptons: If you could have anyone at your Hamptons dinner party [dead or alive] who would you invite?

Allison: The key to a great dinner party is mixing it up so hopefully the next time they’re out East, Bill Clinton and Justin Timberlake will swing by for one of our buffet dinners!

KDHamptons: Is it more difficult or more easy to run a business with a sibling?

Louis: We think it’s easy but I guess we are fairly unique. 99% of the people we tell we are brother & sister have the same reaction which is ‘I could never work with my brother or sister!’  It makes us laugh because we can’t imagine ever being at each others throats!

KDHamptons: Who is your design inspiration & why?

Allison: Dorothy Draper, Tony Duquette and Kelly Wearstler and we mentioned them all because the reason we love them is the same, their bold use of color, and the incredible mix of pattern and texture in all their work.