Amy Lau Creates an East Hampton Retreat Using Mid-Century Modern Furniture
When two New York art enthusiasts left the city behind for a getaway home in East Hampton, they made sure to take along designer Amy Lau to create their relaxing lagoon-side residence. After purchasing the four-bedroom house in 2012 for $3.75 million, the couple wanted to create a setting that contrasted their art deco Upper East Side apartment. “We did not set out to collect modernist furniture for our house in the country but rather to find furnishings and art we could live with while relaxing,” homeowner Joel Portugal told Modern Magazine. So they enlisted their long-time style influence Amy Lau, in addition to East Hampton architectural consultant Sandra Brauer, to combine mid-century art with tranquil, summery touches.
Bright colors dot the living room, which boasts a 1940 Erik Nitsche lithograph and a Greta Magnusson Grossman coffee table. Vladimir Kagan’s citron 1960 Swivel armchair and an Osvaldo Borsani lounge chair are prominent against the white ceiling fixtures and newly added bookshelves.
The open living and dining space leads to a loft area that was configured for both work and relaxation. In prime position of the view of Georgica Pond is a desk and chair set from B and B Italia.
The couple has affectionately dubbed the master bedroom “our Nakashima room.” The walnut bedside tables, chest of drawers, and a small table were all designed by the innovative furniture craftsman George Nakashima. Lau took special care to have the 1950s wave chests lacquered in sea foam green and to find matching tulip-colored Pierre Paulin chairs that were made in 1965.
To accommodate a larger kitchen and a guest suite, Brauer expanded the house from 2,900 to 3,400 square feet. The new guest room includes a Gilbert Rohde coffee table from 1941 and two 1965 lounge chairs. More modern art makes its way into the room through the cherry wood suspension light.
To see more of Amy Lau Design’s work, visit their website here.
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Images courtesy of Amy Lau Design
