“My grandmother, Katharine Rose Hedges, taught me a great sense of pride in our family heritage on the East End,” shares Heather Rose Rauscher.

Heather Rose Rauscher hails from a historic Hamptons family whose roots run as deep as the magnificent old Maple trees on the East End. “I have spent my whole life in the Hamptons.  I am a 12th generation Wainscott, East Hamptonite, born in Southampton Hospital.  Although I currently split time working in Manhattan, I spend as much free time as I can out east.  I feel a deep sense of heritage living here.”  Inspired by the natural beauty of our environment, Heather founded a custom textile design business aptly named Hamptons Hedges.  Heather shares her storybook attachment to the Hamptons in this NEW KDHamptons Lifestyle Diary, below:

“My grandmother comes from the Hedges family, which was one of the founding families from Great Britain to settle in the Hamptons,” shares Heather.

KDHamptons: What do you love most about the Hamptons?
Heather: The Hamptons is such a mecca for art and beauty, and it is very international.  The beaches are breathtaking and the landscape is very inspirational for my work.  Being able to live in a community that offers both rolling farm lands and the best beaches in America is a treasure.

Heather bikes with her sister, Hedges, along the fields of corn to Beach Lane in Wainscott

KDHamptons:  How would you describe your perfect Hamptons day in detail?
Heather: My perfect Hamptons day would begin with waking up in the morning and riding my beach cruiser down to Beach Lane with my sister, Hedges.  It’s my favorite beach out here because I grew up there with my family, and I find it to be more serene and hidden from the summer crowds, which gives me a relaxing place to escape to.  After a great beach day nothing tops going to the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, sipping a glass of chilled Rosé with my boyfriend Maximilian, and watching  the sun set over the vines…

Heather with Sag Harbor furniture craftsman, Maximilian Eicke at the American Hotel.

KDHamptons:  What is your favorite childhood memory of the Hamptons?
Heather: Those memories would be centered around my family at Beach Lane.  For starters, we are known for being a beach family.  My dad is a surfer, windsurfer, and kite boarder.  I was on that beach since I was 5 days old.  People joke that my dad is the Mayor of Beach Lane.  He is the type of person that can have a conversation with anyone and learn their life story.  He is also known for never sitting down for a second, and he is still the same way today as he was when I was a baby.

“I loved running through the corn fields as a little girl,” says Heather.

My mom is always right there with my dad, either on the beach, or out on a paddle board.  My parents also taught us to swim at a young age in the ocean and would take us in big waves.  I remember how they would help us dive under the huge waves and how much fun it was.  They taught us not to fear the ocean.  So I find Beach Lane a very special place.  After every full beach day, my mom would stop at the nearby farm stand to pick up locally grown corn, strawberries, and tomatoes.  The women there would always give me and my sister, Hedges, free Tate’s cookies — even when we were in high school and college.

Heather’s parents in Wainscott

KDHamptons:  Please tell us about your textile collection, Hamptons Hedges?  What inspired you to launch it?
Heather: Although I currently work full-time for Waterford Home (a sister company of Waterford Crystal) I have always produced my own textiles on the side since graduating from FIT.  I create my personal work under the name Hamptons Hedges, because of my strong family roots to the area.  I am very drawn to the beauty found in nature, which inspires my designs as I stylize them in a more abstract form.  I embrace color and vibrancy.  I use a lot of ombrés and rainbows of color.  My lines are very beach and summer oriented.  I think my understanding of the Hamptons lifestyle has inspired all my work, and it comes across in all my fabrics and surface designs.

KDHamptons:  Please tell us more about your Hamptons Hedges surface designs?
Heather: I love to produce surface designs like dishware, wall coverings, or wallpaper.  I am trained in both surface and textile design, and feel they play an integral component in creating a perfectly complimentary space.  I like to create all parts of a design project, the results are more cohesive and original.

KDHamptons:  Where are your products manufactured?
Heather: Where they are manufactured depends on the client.  With prints I like to go digital, because you can get more colors and I can make in the United States.  With wovens, or Jacquards, you really need to utilize a mill either in Europe or Asia.

LongHouse Reserve

KDHamptons:  Are there a few specific Hamptons locations that have inspired your designs?
Heather: One location I find very inspiring is LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton.  I love the colors, the gardens, and the sculptures tucked in between the landscape.  Also, LongHouse founder Jack Lenor Larsen is a world famous textile designer, which makes a lot of sense for how the place is laid out.  I also love the sunflower fields, and wildflower meadows out here.  They are so lustrous and stunning, inspiring great patterns…

KDHamptons: Where can our readers purchase your textiles?
Heather: By approaching me for commission via email:  heatherrauschertextiles@gmail.com or via my website: www.HamptonsHedges.com