Tour an Artful Long Island Property That Avoids Beach House Clichés

David Foxley
·7 min read

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“Our focus was a departure from the expected seasonal beach house aesthetic,” says homeowner Laura DeMare, who, along with her husband, Jim, tapped interior designer Matt McKay to refresh their Hamptons refuge. “We wanted the sophistication and functionality of a year-round home.” McKay, whose work is known for comfortable, collected environments, instinctively picked up on that direction and ran with it. Candy-colored florals on sandy wicker setups was not what led these clients to his door. “It was very much about bringing together interesting things for a four-season home,” the designer echoes of the vision, which centered on a refined palette of warm earth tones and organic textures.

The desire to craft an elevated idyll for all seasons is apparent from the moment one enters the seven-bedroom shingled edifice. There, in the entry foyer, an area rug by Atelier Février grounds the double-height space, where a Haas Brothers tabletop sculpture, bench by Maria Pergay, and several large hanging artworks set the tone. Indeed, the work of emerging artists abounds, introducing “moments of color and playfulness throughout our home,” notes Laura of their collection, largely acquired by her husband, which “brings the space to life.” The DeMares and their now college-age sons have occupied the home since it was built 15 years ago by local firm Michael Davis Design & Construction, but McKay and team were able to breathe new life into familiar spaces, where the family loves entertaining friends.

The living room of a Wainscott, New York, weekend home owned by Laura and Jim DeMare, who have occupied the property, alongside their two college-age sons, for 15 years. Wanting to update the interiors and include more of their extensive art and design collections, the Manhattan-based couple tapped interior designer Matt McKay after their initial meeting. The space is emblematic of the project’s careful planning—as evidenced by the custom Sacco silk rug, which features a “walkway” embellishment weaved around the fixed furniture plan—and includes a custom Jouffre sofa covered in a Holland & Sherry fabric, a pair of Esfera lounge chairs from Espasso wrapped in suede from Edelman Leather, and an Emmanuel Babled coffee table.
New York–based interior designer Matt McKay stands in the home’s commodious living room, which embodies his fresh take on a Hamptons aesthetic.
New York–based interior designer Matt McKay stands in the home’s commodious living room, which embodies his fresh take on a Hamptons aesthetic.

“We wanted the living room to feel more inclusive,” explains McKay of his approach to the airy expanse, with its comfortable mix of custom and collected seating. “That called for a bit of a salon layout, where you’re not looking at the fireplace but into the room.” Given the project’s tight eight-month timeline, the bespoke Sacco silk rug, which features a “walkway” embellishment weaved around the fixed furniture plan, is ever more impressive. As is the new open-plan kitchen, family room, and breakfast area, which had to be durable enough to stand up to a professional catering team or a flock of hungry college kids but thoughtfully scaled and appointed for the couple to make Sunday breakfast solo. In the connecting family-room conversation pit, guests often kick back in an extra-deep Jouffre sofa covered in a plush Angela Brown fabric.

McKay designed the Jouffre sofa in the family room, which Laura calls the conversation pit, to be extra deep and seductive. Francesco Perini coffee tables from Gallery Fumi, with black-marble inlay, ground the space and allow for showcasing a Georges Jouve dish and a Gaetano Pesce sculpture. The ceramic sconces above the mantel are by Pierre Yovanovitch.
In a corner of the commodious living room, a Paul Evans card table surrounded by Pierre Jeanneret Committee chairs from Raisonné covered in Holland & Sherry hairhide is a versatile, snug addition. “You could use it for a game, but also just an intimate dinner for two adjacent to the fireplace—really nice,” McKay observes. The Dune light sculpture by Rogan Gregory from R & Company adds a playful touch; the glam-adjacent drapery wears a sheer RoseHyll Studio fabric.

Because the clients prefer to maximize outdoor time when the weather allows, certain interior spaces are tailored for colder months and darker hours. Take the den, for example, which “quickly emerged as a family favorite, offering both intimacy and drama,” Laura says. That corner room, where occupants sink into “an incredibly comfortable” alpaca sofa and Vladimir Kagan lounge chair and ottoman, is shrouded in horsehair-covered walls. Similarly, in the cocoon-like primary bedroom upstairs, McKay suggested eradicating its yellowish cast, which he thinks people often mistakenly equate to cozy, with a more interesting, richer palette. “I wanted it to feel cleaner and fresher,” he says, “so bringing in these more dramatic colors made a big difference.” The walls, notably, are covered in a tactile Phillip Jeffries ultrasuede—evidence of husband Jim’s particular distaste for roll-painted walls.

Ultimately, the project progressed at a swift pace with zero discord among parties, thanks, the team says, to a shared gut intuition. “Our first design meeting was very memorable for me because we got up, Laura gave me a hug, and said, ‘Oh my God—you’ve nailed it,’” McKay recalls. “The result is a space that feels exceptionally refined, warm, and welcoming,” agrees Laura of their creative kismet. “A testament to the power of living with pieces that you truly love.”

The front façade of Laura and Jim DeMare’s Wainscott, New York, home, built by local firm Michael Davis Design & Construction some 15 years ago. The interiors were recently refreshed by New York–based designer Matt McKay.
The double-height entry foyer sets the artful tone of the rooms that open up beyond it. There, a Haas Brothers sculpture stands on a table over an Atelier Février area rug from the Invisible Collection. The bench is by Maria Pergay.
The open-plan kitchen, abutting a breakfast area and family room, is a hive of activity for the homeowners, their two college-age sons, and, when entertaining large groups as they often do, professional chefs and servers. Bar stools from StudioTwentySeven covered in a Casamance fabric pull up to an island topped with stone from Beata & Agnes. The space, illuminated by Scott Daniel Design’s Mobius pendant lights, also includes Katonah Architectural Hardware and Sub-Zero appliances.
Under a Faye Toogood pendant light in the breakfast nook, with its views out to manicured gardens, the family gathers around a Garde dining table on Afra and Tobia Scarpa dining chairs from Modernab Gallery.
“The dining room achieves a masterful dialogue between vintage and contemporary design pieces,” explains homeowner Laura. There, Carlo Scarpa dining chairs from Modernab Gallery surround a commanding dining table, while a bespoke sideboard by Valentin Loellmann from Galerie Gosserez provides an elegant counterpoint. The space is further elevated by a Campana Brothers mirror, as circa-1970s Gianni Celada for FontanaArte pendants and Gino Sarfatti sconces from 1stDibs add warmth to the composed setting.
The den, a favorite gathering spot for the family in colder months and after dark, is anchored by a vintage Pierre Chapo coffee table from LA’s beloved Galerie Provenance and is grounded by a bespoke rug from Sacco. The custom hanging wall cabinet by Casey Johnson complements the Cassina sofa and Vladimir Kagan lounge chair and ottoman from Wright Auctions. The walls are covered with a Hair on Hide from Arte; the plaster table lamps are by John Dickinson; the ceiling, illuminated by a Foolish Fool chandelier by Damien Langlois-Meurinne from the Invisible Collection, is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Ferret Brown.
To balance freshness with worn-in warmth, McKay rid the existing primary bedroom of its existing yellowish cast, preferring instead to use richer, moodier hues. A Johnny Abrahams painting is visible through the doorway leading into the room, whose walls are covered in a Phillip Jeffries ultrasuede. Corbu bedside tables, topped by Carlos Otero lamps from Hostler Burrows, flank a king bed covered in a Libeco blanket opposite a pair of Hans Wegner Ox chairs.
In the enchanting powder room, a hand-painted Gregorius Pineo wallpaper—which McKay selected for its “tribal, graphic, and beautiful” qualities—dances in the delicate light from a vintage crystal chandelier and a pair of sconces from Apparatus.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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