Hamptonites spend a LOT of time at home in the off-season. Whether we are entertaining for the holidays, cocktailing, hosting parties, a romantic date night, or family dinners, cultivating a chic country nest is at the top of many East Enders lifestyle list.

Local design darlings Jennifer Mabley and Austin Handler are known for nailing the “Haute Hamptons Look.” Austin shares,  “Our clients always ask us how we describe our style. Some of the terms we’ve come up with to try to describe our design point of view are: ‘Beach Chic,’ ‘Modern Beach,’ and ‘New Hamptons.’ I would say that our design style is fresh and relaxing, and very comfortable.”

The fun and fabulous Hamptons husband & wife design duo were recently asked to design the VIP Green Room at Guild Hall for the Hamptons International Film Festival, which left many guests whispering that they could take the whole room home with them! KDH asks Jen & Austin to break down the elements of the showcase room in this NEW KDHamptons Design Diary below:

Perhaps more aptly named a blue room vs. a green room, the VIP suite that Jennifer and Austin created is both sophisticated and playful, a room that entices you to entertain by drawing you in rather than making you feel like you need to keep out….

Austin says, “Our design inspiration was to create a fresh, calm, Hamptons-style room for film festival VIPs and guests to relax in before/after the film screenings and Q&A/discussion panels. We opted for a palate of sandy beiges, mixed with pops and punches of bold blue tones. We chose classic Hamptons colors, paired with an eclectic mix of furnishings, clean lines, and great dose of style.

Austin adds, “The organizers of the Film Festival were thrilled with the room that we created, the Guild Hall employees hoped that the room design could be left there permanently, and many of the VIPs mentioned that it was the most comfortable Green Room that they had ever been in, including Richard Curtis [writer of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and writer/director of About Time, which screened at this year’s festival].” Richard has been in the Green Room at the Academy Awards and the BAFTAs so tip of the hat Jennifer and Austin!

Jennifer shares, “The furnishings and accessories we featured in the suite came from local vendors including: Mecox Gardens [Southampton/East Hampton], a rug from Custom Cool Rugs [Quogue/Sag Harbor], artwork from the amazing East Hampton artist Susan Vecsey, and lovely fall hydrangea arrangements from Topiaire [above] on Jobs Lane in Southampton. And, of course, we sprinkled in an assortment of furnishings and accessories from the Mabley Handler collection as well.

For more information please contact:

Mabley Handler Interior Design
Interior Design and Decoration in the Hamptons
34 Head of Pond Road
Water Mill, NY
631.726.7300 t
www.mableyhandler.com

***and read the design duos Hamptons design blog:
www.designingthehamptons.com