KDHamptons

KDHamptons: Please describe the Libby Langdon brand aesthetic?

Libby Langdon: My brand is all about easy, elegant, everyday style.  When I design homes for clients, I want to create the same stylish and comfortable spaces that I create for myself.   I believe everyone should have somewhere to sit, a place to put a drink and a spot to put their feet up.  I don’t love interiors that are too precious or fussy.  I love creating warm, inviting homes that that have a casual elegance but still work for peoples’ everyday lifestyles.

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

Libby:  I’ve been coming to the Hamptons for 20 years, and this is the place that I definitely think of as home.  I adore our house and have a visceral reaction when I walk up the stairs; it’s as if the weight of my NYC work world and all the daily stresses just melt away.  It’s incredible that a place can soothe my soul as much as this place does.  I also love the light out in the Hamptons.  Because are surrounded by water on three sides, I believe that creates a special quality of daylight and sunsets that are beyond compare.

KDHamptons: Please describe your Hamptons home? Do you have a favorite design element?

Libby: Our house — as we would say in the South – is an “upside-down” house, meaning the main living area is up on the third floor, guest rooms and our office are on the second and my design studio is on the first.   It was built this way high up on a hill so we can see Sag Harbor bay from our top floor. We are at the end of a dead-end street and backed by preserved land, so we have lots of wild turkeys, deer, rabbits, red fox and hawks….we love watching all the wildlife!

There are so many design elements that I really love.  The long decks on the front of the house are definitely amongst my top five.  We’ve got some great outdoor furniture and since the grill is also on the third floor off the kitchen, we live out there when the weather is nice.  We have some really special nights out there with the people we love the most!

KDHamptons: What is your favorite Hamptons restaurant, favorite dish and drink you get every time?

Libby: I love Estia’s Little Kitchen on the Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. For dinner, I always get the turtle roll appetizer and the potato crusted flounder.  My favorite drink is a Ruby Rita from The Beacon in Sag Harbor overlooking a marina sunset [pictured left].

KDHamptons: What is the trend in Hamptons design right now?

Libby: Design in the Hamptons transcends trends.  Most of my clients want a space that announces their own personal style and really speaks to their aesthetic.  It’s interesting because I don’t feel like I’ve ever repeated the same design or look on a project; each client is so different and, although there are common threads in what people are looking for, they want their individual spin on it.  It should feel like THEIR home and not a carbon copy of someone else’s. When I started noticing the common-threads in what clients were asking for over and over again and not always being able to find that perfect piece, I was inspired to design my own line of upholstery furniture, offering lots of fabric/trim options for personalization.

KDHamptons: Describe your perfect Hamptons day in detail?

Libby: My perfect summer day in the Hamptons is to sleep in a little later than usual, go to Ocean Road Beach in Bridgehampton with my husband Keith and enjoy morning coffee (I drink tea!) and a walk by the ocean.  Then we go back to the house, catch up on some emails and head out to our pool, work on some crosswords, make a delicious lunch and sit outside under one of the porches in the shade sipping a yummy Hamptons rosé.  Then it’s nap time in the shade by the pool before it’s time to get ready for dinner guests. When our quests arrive, we welcome them with cocktails on the upper deck and I prepare my grilled pizza appetizer outside.  After, we move indoors for a fun and laughter-filled candlelit meal.  We wouldn’t trade this time with great friends for anything!

KDHamptons: What is your favorite Hamptons antique store or design resource?

Libby: My favorite Hamptons Antique Store hands-down is English Country Antiques in Bridgehampton.   I buy a lot of new pieces for projects and also sell clients from my own upholstery furniture line, but I have to be careful not to make their homes look like showrooms with all brand new furniture.  It’s imperative to mix in some carefully chosen older items with nice patina, adding dimension to the overall design.  There is wonderful history out here in the Hamptons and I think by incorporating pieces here or there from English Country Antiques is a great place to start staying true to the stylish past.

KDHamptons: Your Hamptons “dream build”: Contemporary or traditional and where it would be?

Libby: My dream build would be a transitional home (right in between contemporary and traditional designs) and it would sit atop the bluffs in North Haven overlooking the water of Noyac Bay.  But I’m pretty darn happy right where we are!!

KDHamptons: Which item does every haute Hamptons home need for spring/summer?

Libby: I think every Hamptons home needs outdoor furniture that’s just as comfortable as your indoor furniture.  For me, it’s about designing an outdoor living room with outdoor rugs, outdoor lamps and super cushy, comfy outdoor sofas and chairs flanked by end tables, ottomans and cocktail tables. People in California have been doing this forever,but people in the Hamptons are just catching on to the concept! I get most of my outdoor furniture from Braxton Culler:  http://www.braxtonculler.net/

KDHamptons: What is the “color of the season”?

Libby:  In the Hamptons, I see blue, in all shades, as the perennial favorite of my  clients (and actually everywhere for that matter).  Blue is livable, timeless and looks fantastic with so many other colors and it’s also easy to mix multiple shades of blue and have them work beautifully together. Pale blue, navy and turquoise look super stylish when mixed together.  When you combine the colors of the coastline; tan, blue and white, you’ll have a perfect palette that you will love living in for a long time…

KDHamptons: Who do you think has the chicest house in the Hamptons?

Libby: Oh boy, that’s a tough one, I don’t think I can pick just one and I know there are a gazillion chic homes that I haven’t seen!  I have to say I think Greg Yale’s house is uber chic. He’s an amazing lighting designer and when you’re inside his home at night, the outdoor area surrounding his home is even more illuminated than the interior, so you are enjoying all of the gorgeous greens and landscaping in the dark of night.  It makes his home seem enormous because the outdoor space feels like an extension of his indoor space — it’s stunning and I’ve never seen anything like it!

KDHamptons: If you could decorate anyone’s house [dead or alive] whom would you choose?

Libby: I would love to decorate Jimmy Buffet’s house!  I love what he’s all about — fun and fabulous yet cool and casual.   I imagine he would want to incorporate some unexpected design features and it’s such fun to design for someone who wants to take chances and create a real ambiance and environment. He knows who he is and what he wants and I love working with people like that.  Plus, I know all the words to every song he’s ever written!