Latest Trends in Hamptons Landscaping and Outdoor Design

Landscaping and outdoor design play a significant role in Hamptons living, where residents and visitors alike enjoy the region's natural beauty. This year, there are some exciting new trends in Hamptons landscaping and outdoor design to look out for. Here are some of the latest trends to consider for your Hamptons home:

1. Sustainable landscaping: Sustainable landscaping practices, such as using drought-tolerant plants and reducing water usage, are becoming increasingly popular in the Hamptons. These practices not only help conserve resources but can also add value to your property.

2. Native plants: Many homeowners are turning to native plants to create a more natural-looking landscape that blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment.

3. Outdoor living spaces: Creating comfortable and functional outdoor living spaces is a popular trend in the Hamptons. From outdoor kitchens and dining areas to lounge areas and fire pits, these spaces allow residents to enjoy the outdoors in style.

4. Vertical gardening: With limited outdoor space in many Hamptons properties, vertical gardening is becoming a popular way to maximize green space. Wall-mounted planters and hanging baskets are just a few ways to incorporate vertical gardening into your outdoor design.

5. Natural materials: Natural materials, such as wood and stone, are popular choices for outdoor design in the Hamptons. These materials can add a rustic, organic feel to your landscaping and complement the natural beauty of the region.

By incorporating these trends into your Hamptons landscaping and outdoor design, you can create a beautiful and functional outdoor space that enhances your home's value and your overall quality of life. Consider consulting with a local landscaping professional for expert guidance on creating the perfect outdoor oasis.

5 Latest Home Design Trends in the Hamptons

The Hamptons is renowned for its stunning homes and elegant interior designs. With each passing year, new design trends emerge, and homeowners seek to update their spaces. In this post, we'll explore the latest home design trends in the Hamptons and how you can incorporate them into your own home.

1. Sustainable materials: Using eco-friendly and sustainable materials is a growing trend in Hamptons home design. Materials such as reclaimed wood, bamboo, and recycled glass are popular choices.

2. Natural light: Homeowners are opting for larger windows, skylights, and glass doors to let in natural light and create a brighter, more inviting space.

3. Indoor-outdoor living: The Hamptons is all about indoor-outdoor living. Homeowners are creating seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces with open floor plans, outdoor kitchens, and cozy outdoor seating areas.

4. Neutral colors: Neutral colors such as whites, grays, and beige are a popular choice for Hamptons home design. These colors create a calming and sophisticated atmosphere.

5. Statement lighting: Statement lighting fixtures are an excellent way to add a touch of elegance to your home. Chandeliers, pendant lights, and unique lamps are all trending in Hamptons home design.

By incorporating these design trends into your home, you can create a stylish and sophisticated space that reflects the Hamptons' timeless elegance.

5 Hamptons Interior Design Trends You Need to Know

The Hamptons is synonymous with luxury, elegance, and sophistication. From sprawling mansions to cozy cottages, Hamptons homes are renowned for their stunning interior designs. In this post, we'll explore the top interior design trends in the Hamptons.

1. Coastal-inspired decor: With the Hamptons' location near the ocean, it's no surprise that coastal-inspired decor is a popular trend. Think blue and white color schemes, natural textures, and nautical accents.

2. Open floor plans: Open floor plans are a must-have in Hamptons interior design. Homeowners are opting for spaces that flow seamlessly from one room to the next, creating a bright and airy feel.

3. Statement lighting: Statement lighting fixtures are an excellent way to add a touch of elegance to any room. Chandeliers, pendant lights, and unique lamps are all trending in Hamptons interior design.

4. Neutral color palettes: Neutral colors such as whites, grays, and beige are a popular choice for Hamptons interior design. These colors create a calming and sophisticated atmosphere.

5. Vintage and antique pieces: Vintage and antique pieces are a perfect complement to the Hamptons' timeless style. From antique furniture to vintage art, these pieces add character and charm to any home.

By incorporating these interior design trends into your Hamptons home, you can create a space that is both timeless and on-trend. Whether you're renovating a historic home or building a new one, these trends will help you achieve a sophisticated and elegant interior design.

Sea Inspired Coffee Table Books

In our Hamptons home, we love to fill out book shelves and other surfaces with books and decor that remind us of what makes living by the sea so special.

Here are 5 of my favorite sea-inspired coffee table books you might want to pick up next time your at BookHampton:

5 Design Basics for Staging your Home

Whether you’re about to sell your home or want to rent it out, these 5 tips will help your home look more appealing to buyers:

---

Improve Curb Appeal: 

First impressions are everything! That first picture of your home will leave buyers with a lasting vision of your home— so make sure it’s a good one. (For specifics— Check out my reel all about boosting curb appeal.)

Declutter:

This is probably the most important tip! Declutter every room in the house. Get rid of unnecessary decor, furniture or personal items. Clear all surfaces & make it clean!

Style your dining table:

While still keeping it simple! (remember no clutter!) A beautiful flower arrangement is enough.

Go for Neutrals:

Not everyone will love the bold color on your walls or the bright pattern on your duvet. Neutrals help buyers to see beyond your decor choices and allows them to envision themselves living in your space. So when in doubt, layer on the neutrals!

Stage the outdoors:

By staging a patio or backyard, you’re adding to the livable space of your home. Add garden lights & comfortable seating for a basic upgrade. If you’re renting, make sure to include a grill and dining table with enough seating.

Like & Follow Jenna on Instagram for more real estate & design tips!

5 simple ways to improve your home's curb appeal

Every house that hits the market these days is getting a lot of attention. It's a great opportunity for you to maximize the price you get for your home. An easy way to do this is to make sure your home is irresistible to buyers (or renters!) from the moment they pull into the driveway.

Here are 5 simple ways you can improve your home’s curb appeal before the first Open House.

Add Flowers

This is probably the simplest way to make your home stand out and look it’s best. If the season is right, go with classic Hamptons hydrangeas. You can go small with just two plants on either side of the front doors or steps…or go all out and line the front of your house for a real show stopper.

If that’s not your style, add some planters with seasonal flower or plants. Spring, go for Tulips & Daffodils. Winter you can use evergreens or have your local flower/plant shop create a special front step arrangement.

Whichever you decide, some color will liven up that first impression of your home.

Update Hardware

Power Wash the Exterior

The home we live in now was a fixer upper when we bought it. Last summer, we had the entire exterior power washed and it made it look like a brand new house! If your house has those classic Hamptons cedar shingles or siding, I highly recommend a power wash before your house hits the market.

Check out the difference it made with our house!

Update the Mailbox

This one is so simple it’s often overlooked. An updated mailbox with easy to read numbers adds a noticeable polished touch. It definitely helps with first impressions and sets buyers up to expect good things once they step inside. This is another great spot to plan some flowers or greenery.

I realize, many Hamptons homes don’t have mailboxes— it’s still important to have some way of displaying the house number, especially now that your house is for sale. Add a post with the house numbers or get a number sign made off Etsy. Add some flowers and you’re good to go!

Update Hardware

This can be a simple swap of the front door handles to something more modern or styled. For even more style, you can update the doorbell, light fixtures, and numbers on the house as well. Assess where your home is feeling the most tired and spend your money there.

Create an Inviting Entry

This is where you can get creative and show off a little of your personal style. Bare minimum— make sure you have a beautiful seasonal wreath, an a simple doormat. For some extras, you can add a few lanterns, planters or other decor. When in doubt, keep it simple! Too much clutter will be a distraction.

Turning your home into a great rental property

Renting or selling your Hamptons home may seem simple enough, right? There is a hug influx of people visiting for the summer season (or longer now as the pandemic continues) and it should be very simple to put your home on the market and find a tenant or buyer.

Just like any business, you want to make sure that you are appealing to your customer base and presenting a great product. In real estate, this is done with home staging. In The Hamptons, this means creating a luxe but comfortable coastal style with everything your guests need for an amazing summer. I truly believe this can be accomplished in any size home—with or without a pool.

---

Let’s take a look at my top tips for ensuring your home is set up to be a great rental:

1. declutter

This may be the most difficult step. It can be the most time consuming but it is also the most rewarding. The brain registers clutter as chaos so when a buyer or potential tenant enters your home, they immediately register the chaos and not the tranquil, beach vacation vibes they’re hoping for. Go through each room in your home (even the bathroom!) and get minimalist.
Picture a hotel room. What is on top of the dresser? How about the bathroom vanity? Usually, next to nothing. Avoid storing things on the floor in baskets or large appliances on your counters like mixers or blenders. It’s best to tuck these away or get rid of unnecessary items entirely.
If you’re renting your home, you can designate a closet in your house to keep your belongings. Just change out the lock to have a key and you can stow away all your beloved pieces until you move back in.

2. Depersonalize.

Tuck away important family heirlooms and remove family photos from bookcases, dressers and nightstands. Take down large family portraits or wedding photos hanging on the walls and replace with ocean photography or abstract artwork in ocean tones.
Depersonalizing also means taking an objective look at your furniture and decor pieces. You may love that dark leather lazy-boy that is super worn in, but it screams “very personal” and not luxury vacation home. Assess your color palate in each room as well as linens. What adjustments do you need to make? Is it time to swap that bold wallpaper for a simple, light colored paint? Do you need to refresh the beds with all white linens and a new comforter? Do you need to change out some artwork on the walls? Try to put aside your emotions and look at everything through your potential tenants eyes.

3. Choose Beach Decor Carefully

It is very easy to go from classy beach decor to tacky. Not every piece in your home needs to scream “WE’RE AT THE BEACH’’ There is a subtle art to coastal decor and the elegant, peaceful vibe comes from a less is more mentality.
Avoid too much signage that say cliche phrases like “Life is better at the beach” and “Toes in the sand, wine in my hand.” If you love signs, go for 1 or two signs that emphasis the town you’re in. For instance, a handmade wooden sign that says Sag Harbor if your house is in Sag.
A surfboard can be a great piece of decor if you have a huge blank wall and don’t know what to do with it. If your budget allows, Grain surfboards are literal pieces of art that bring in the warmth of wood.
Again, keep things as clean & minimal as possible. Opt for white or light wood furniture. Keep any linens, bedding or pillows in ocean tones (white, light neutrals, blues) without buying towels that actually have seashells or starfish on them.

4. Don’t forget the outside

A great rental does not need to have a pool, but it does need to have a comfortable outdoor space. Fire pits, grills, patio seating— these are all essentials in a summer home and are fairly simple to create even if you don’t have a patio. My top tip for outdoor spaces is to make sure there is ample lighting. The most charming way to do this is with garden lights. These make summer nights magical and will make the outdoors feel like bonus square footage.

5. The “extras”

If your home is bike-able to the closest beach, included 2 beach cruisers. If you’re around the corner from the bay, buy a paddle board or kayak. Do you have an empty basement? Add a ping-pong table. These “extras” elevate your rental at a minimal cost to you. Think of all the fun summer things you enjoy and do your best to ensure your guests have access to these as well.

---

Every home has it’s own charm and uniqueness.

It can be challenging to shift through a very lived in space to make it appealing to buyers and renters.  If you need help with your home, please reach out below for our home staging offerings and to schedule a consultation.

We would love to help turn your home into a great summer rental property!

---

Hamptons Nursery

Of all the rooms in our East Hampton house, this is one is my absolute favorite. When I began planning the nursery, our entire world seemed chaotic. We were at the beginning of the pandemic. Joe and I had just demo-ed our kitchen, we were working from home, and trying to decide if we needed to cancel our baby shower. My prenatal care changed drastically and it was uncertain how labor & delivery would unfold.

As I envisioned bringing a sweet baby girl into the world, I wanted her first experiences to be beautiful & peaceful. I didn’t want her to sense the uncertainty of the world. Rather, I wanted her room to be a tranquil place that we would love to be in and where she would feel safe.

Once I knew how I wanted the room to feel, I got to work on designing the room. I’d never designed a nursery before and I learned quickly what was important to me and what was actually functional.

my top 5 tips for nursery design:

*note— baby never sleeps with stuffed animals in the crib. Please be sure to review the AAP’s safe sleep recommendations while preparing your nursery.

It does not need to be childish.

As I researched nursery design, I read somewhere that the primary caregiver will be the one who spends the most time in the room—so make was important to make it a place you actually want to spend time in! Homes always change and evolve as families grow, and a nursery is no exception.

I set out to make this space beautiful— for both myself & my daughter.  I wanted it to feel a part of the rest of the home. Our house has a lot of characteristics of the classic Hamptons style— bright whites, natural wood tones, hues of blue and clean coastal decor. If you love the very dainty or child-centric decor, by all means, make your nursery that way. But I knew after a few weeks of looking at bunny rabbits or zoo animals, I would be bored with it before the baby was even born.

So while the room still is a nursery, I didn’t look at traditional “baby” themes and decor. I love the pieces I found and as baby grows and the room changes, I will happily move some items elsewhere in my home.

High quality, meaningful decor

I’ll never forget, I had a very small framed picture of Monet’s Lily Pond in my childhood room. I was so interested in him as a painter and that has carried through to my adult life. It was always my dream to go to Paris and see his home in Giverny.

As fate would have it, Joe and I planned a trip abroad to France, not knowing it would be our last before babies. On our second night there, I got that double-lined, positive pregnancy test. Wandering Monet’s gardens & home— two dreams fulfilled at once— I knew I had to incorporate his art into our baby’s nursery somehow. We saw so much of his work at the Louvre and the Musee D’Orsay. I love the colors in this print of “The Cliffs at Etretat” and knew it would be the perfect focal point of the room.

Joe and I are both passionate about the arts and one of our greatest hopes for our baby is that they will appreciate and hopefully participate in them in some way. I love that instead of a generic animal print, there is a gorgeous print of one of the great impressionists. And to make sure music was readily accessible, we hung one of Joe’s ukelele’s in the room for spontaneous songs & serenading.

Conducive to Sleep

Getting sleep for mom, dad and baby has been at the top of my priority list since before I even knew I was pregnant. I took a class, read books, and wanted to make sure the nursery was a perfect spot for great sleep.

First and foremost, safety is important. The AAP recommends no loose blankets, no pillows, no toys or stuffed animals, no bumpers in the crib. Only a fitted sheet on a firm mattress. So if all you can splurge on is a fitted sheet, make it a pretty one. I got ours from Serena & Lily— They are beautiful, soft and safe. While baby never sleeps with blankets, we use muslin blankets all the time so I purchased a decorative ladder to display and store them.

Next up, I decided to hang our sea-critter mobile above the change table and not the crib. Here’s the thing— mobiles are fun, interesting and a great decor item. When your baby is trying to fall asleep, we don’t want them staring up at this super interesting, fun toy because guess what? They won’t go to sleep! It’s too stimulating. But during diaper changes— distractions, play & fun are more than welcome.

And finally, a dark & quiet room. As of right now, our baby is doing great without black out curtains. She sleeps the same either in pitch black or in a dim room, so I’ve opted for bamboo shades. We have them in all the bedrooms and I love that the brown tone warms up the bright white. If at some point the light becomes an issue, I will likely swap them out or add black out curtains. She also sleeps with a sound machine which helps block out noise from the kitchen & living room.

Accessibility to Books

One of my biggest pet peeves while pouring over pictures of nurseries on Pinterest and Instagram was seeing well meaning parents hang book selves at a height where only an adult can reach the books! You might not know this about me, but I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education.

It is SO important for kids to be exposed to and be able to get their hands on books at a young age. And by young I mean, right away! We even read to Aurora while I was pregnant.

We want our kids to see books, touch books, & hear books being read to them all the time. Infants are primed for learning and if we expose them to books, they are learning to love them at an early age while also developing their language skills like vocabulary and the rhythms of speech.

So from a design perspective, we want those books to be easily accessible and visible! If they’re doing tummy time, they see their library. Once they start to crawl, they can scoot over and touch the books. And as they get older, they will be able to pick out books on their own, look at them, touch them and bring them to you to read.

While floating shelves are a great design item, save them for another room in the house or use them for displaying decorative items only.

Take your time

I know how strong that urge to nest can be. You want everything to look perfect weeks (maybe months) before your little one gets here. I was the same way. COVID, however, had other plans. I was forced to slow down. Shipping times were delayed by weeks on essential items like the change table and the crib. I couldn’t go shopping in person but was stuck trying to design the perfect room with google as my only ally. I couldn’t have my baby shower, so I couldn’t really anticipate what I still needed or when anything would arrive.

Did I get the room done on time? Absolutely not—and I even had extra time because Aurora was 2 weeks late! It’s still not finished. And you know what? Everything is ok. Our baby is 4 months now. She’s sleeping in our room in the bassinet and just took her first nap in her crib in the nursery this morning. I hardly use the nursing station I set up…I feed her & pump in the living room all day. We use the nursery for the change table (approximately 100 times a day) and we play & read in there. At the end of the day, babies really don’t need that much. Try to relax and not stress about getting it perfect before baby. They need you and a safe place to sleep. End of story :)