Antique Spanish pottery and modern furniture creates quiet luxury in a Sag Harbor home
Lebrillo serving bowls and Spanish ceramic plates decorate the spacious kitchen of this Hampton home, Stephen Kent Johnson
The restoration returned some architectural elements to their original glory though the owners did not shy away from necessary updates. “I wanted to bring back the soul of the 1890s house while layering in modern updates that felt honest and timeless, ” says owner Neal Beckstedt.
Once a thriving whaling town before the ubiquity of petroleum eclipsed whale oil as the principal source of fuel and lubricant in the 1860s, Sag Harbor enjoyed a bustling period of industrial activity before its famed watchcase factory shut down in 1975. “The largest factory in a village of factories, it gave Sag Harbor a blue-collar tinge,” The New York Times wrote. Instead of shying away from this connection, the owners embraced that legacy.
“It was built for a working-class family, and I wanted to celebrate that,” Beckstedt said. “I grew up on a farm in rural Ohio, and I spent my childhood playing in a barn, so I was trying to recapture that feeling.”
A careful renovation restores the dignity of this 1890s workers’ cottage
Built as Bulova Watchcase Factory housing for workers in the 1890s, the humble structure seduces us with its air of quiet dignity. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, this kind of wood-framed, shingle-clad structure was characteristic of worker housing of the late 19th century.
From the outside, the two-storey home is an unassuming affair. In a bid to reclaim the unaffected aesthetic of the original building, the owner scraped the paint off the wood shingles of the exterior, windows, pine floors, wood-beam ceilings, and brick chimney.
New furnishings were chosen or treated to suit the look.
Raw wood furniture and distressed finish on the exposed beams make this home feel like a place where you can let down your guard. “This home was always meant to be a restoration of quiet luxury,” Beckstedt explained.
And, he’s succeeded. Carefully chosen furnishings and a subdued palette where coastal blues stand out makes for a relaxed atmosphere. The fantastic views of trees and shrubs from all the windows creates a secluded woodland retreat.
Despite the owners’ commitment to the historical integrity of the architecture, the furniture is a blend of antique and modern. Polished Charlotte Perriand stools and modern Danish sofas mingle with an 18th century Swedish table in the dining area. A 19th century armchair and a new custom live-edge walnut sofa sit together in the TV room below.
Classic blue and white pottery sets the mood in the kitchen
A great big kitchen featuring a vintage potbelly stove beckons us further into the home.
A collection of blue and white Spanish hand-painted plates hang above the kitchen sink. Most of them are from the southeast coast where this style flourished.
A large lebrillo serving bowl hangs next to the kitchen backdoor.
A medley of antique ceramics from various places fill the hutch cabinet. Here, we find Andalusian designs with its intricate ornamentation next to splatterware and a few Valencian chargers.
A house that reflects its local history
Though often associated with luxurious mansions, the Hamptons is an idiosyncratic place that welcomes those seeking their version of “quiet luxury.”
The village straddles both East Hampton and Southampton and wears its idiosyncrasies on its sleeves. While its harbor provides access for luxurious boating, most of its shingled homes were once modest workers’ cottages. They are quaint, small enough to manage part-time, and full of historic charm.
It’s the kind of place where newcomers buy a weekend home and then later in life they find themselves living there full-time.
Susan Kaufman, a former fashion journalist, is halfway there. She fell in love with the Hamptons at eight years old when her parents brought her up to visit her aunt and uncle’s “beautiful but very modest cottage” in East Hampton. The former People magazine editor who now spends at least half her time in her Amagansett home has garnered a strong following online for her photographs of homes in the Hamptons.
Charming in every season, even in the arctic weather of January and February, her images make it easy to see why so many have fallen in love with Sag Harbor.
Neighbors new and old celebrate the conviviality of this walking village
Longtime Hamptons resident Susan Sprott says Sag Harbor “has always looked outward and welcomed newcomers.” In the early 20th century, this multicultural community saw an influx of middle class African Americans whol were looking to find a beachside summer escape.
An associate broker with Sotheby’s International, Sprott moved there in 1984 and cannot get enough of “the charming lanes, the beautiful harbor, the intimacy of a walking village.”
Close enough for a weekend getaway, an exhausted city dweller could certainly imagine spending a few days in Sag Harbor to unplug.
American Nobel Prize laureate John Steinbeck found a refuge here in the 1950s. His home and writing shed, Joyous Gard, with its expansive views of the water, are now a beloved writer’s retreat.
