Close your eyes and imagine… actually, scratch that. Read now and close your eyes later if you like. But do imagine walking through your front door into a space that positively sighs with serenity. You’re welcomed with the clean crispness of whites, soft blues, pale greens, and natural textures greeting the eyes and touch. Everything seems infused with sunlight.
It’s a vibe with all the feels of summertime in the Hamptons — a place situated at the intersection of sophistication and ahhhhh. Experiencing the zen of that coastal calm isn’t limited by season or geography. With just a bit of intentional design strategy, you can have that coastal charm in your home year-round, regardless of where you live — and working within whatever budget serves your needs.
As the colder months settle in and the breeziness of summer’s shores fade, Hamptons-style design gently declares, “There’s no such place as far away.” That’s what’s for us today.
Meet The Peaceful Color Palette At The Heart Of Hampton Design Style
Nature is such a design style guru. If you’ve ever wished you could hire an amazing personal interior design stylist, but you’re not quite there yet budget-wise, a great place to start is to look outside your favorite places. Because — chances are — what’s happening outside your fantasy home is drawing a map to how to bring the magic inside your home.
Like our topic today, the Hamptons. A seaside stretch of South Fork, Long Island, the homes of the Hamptons have long been synonymous with the essence of seaside design paradise. The color palette takes its inspiration from the sea, sand, and sky that beckons people to the shore. Colors run soft and pale, but still warm and comforting. Whites, blues, greens, grays, beiges, and more create a sense of expansive breathing room and a welcoming place to land.
Foundationally, choose upholstery fabrics with that in mind. Like a sectional sofa in eco-friendly beige linen, flanked by a pair of armchairs in a classic Wedgewood blue and white striped damask. Or give those comfy chairs a textural twist instead, decked in shadow blue striped textured velvet. The idea is soft neutrals for foundations that free accent pieces to truly accent elements of elevated scenic seaside feels.
Breathe Easy: How Fabric Textures Elevate Peace In Your Home’s Vibe
Let’s touch on textures a bit more. Because textures in classic Hamptons homes are a bit different from what you experience inland. The beach itself is a delightful dance between soft and gritty and textures in Hamptons-inspired design reflect that kind of interplay, juxtaposing natural materials like rough-hewn wood and botanical decor with fabrics that are soft and often woven natural fibers.
The rule of thumb is to use upholstery fabric textures that add a sense of breathability, grounding, and calm. Often, that’s achieved through cotton, linen, or wool, but that’s just a starting point. Trust your feelings, or rather trust what feels calming and beachy to you.
One affordable way to get there with your existing pieces is slipcovers. So you can reimagine your sofa in a refreshing mint green denim or dove grey microsuede, both pet-friendly and machine washable in a victory for stylishness and practicality. Throw pillows are another great way to add texture, like zen beige textured chenille, sunny yellow and white contemporary floral embroidered fabric, or a storm blue sophisticated oval and stripe woven pattern, all colors that fit the ocean vibe.
Using Curtains And Contrast To Open Up An Air Of Luxury In Your Home
Clearly, one of the great joys of a place like the Hamptons is the chance to revel in the sun. That often means homes with loads of full-length windows and sliding glass doors inviting the sun in at every opportunity. But there are more ways to cultivate brightness and airiness besides having an ocean view and epic windows and doors.
One simple — often overlooked — trick is using sheer curtains to roll out the welcome to natural light in any windowed space. Like traditional sheer curtains in chablis beige, champagne white, or a textured light spa blue (because we ran out of beverages). Or go with a slightly heavier weave casement sheer fabric in pale slate grey or earthy birch beige to offer privacy but still welcome the natural light.
You can accentuate the impact using lighter fabric shades for your main furniture pieces, with contrasting accent fabrics anchoring the eye on a single pop in an otherwise uncluttered and airy space. Like an ottoman or upholstered coffee table in coffee brown animal print microfiber fabric or upholstered dining chairs in bedazzled blue and cream damask jacquard.
Fabrics That Transform Your Home With Elegance And Performance
There may be a voice in your head going, “Um, this is an awful lot of light-colored fabrics. Have you met my life?” Same. Happily, today’s fabrics are decidedly up to the task.
For starters, indoor options like Crypton (built for performance at the fiber level) and outdoor options like Sunbrella (in no danger of fading fast regardless of the elements) mean no more choosing between style and practicality. Combine all that with the increased durability of everything from denim to velvet to faux silk and you’re free to lean into your brightest ocean design dreams.
That’s especially great news since any Hamptons design vibe is a blend of elevated elegance and an approachable feel-free-to-make-yourself-comforable style, too. Simple, clean lines are the key. (Which is, again, why slipcovers are such an easy win here.)
Like an airy and inviting sofa clad in a pearl white machine washable denim slipcover or reupholstered in a classic Hampton blue striped Crypton tweed. And dressing other pieces like chairs and ottomans in a playfully sophisticated beachy stylized woven botanical pattern in ocean aqua, or a timeless and uplifting checked pattern in seagull grey and white. All fabrics made for performance and durability.
You’re Ready To Bring Home The Lived-In Luxury Of The Hamptons
When you walk into a space, what might ease a bit of something in your shoulders, have you breathing more deeply, and perhaps inspire an involuntary smile tickling upward at the corners of your mouth? Your Hamptons-inspired style update can give you that sense of luxurious openness.
Maybe for you, that’s a living room with natural textures like driftwood sculptures, woven baskets as unique storage, and a rattan coffee table with an upholstered top in a soft green floral pattern offering a biophilic touch.
Or a lusciously layered bedroom with a headboard in aqua Crypton velvet, a duvet cover in sugar white linen, and throw pillows in snuggly silver shearling and elegant peach floral woven pattern fabric. Finish the scene with a bench, slipper chair, or chaise in vintage beige and taupe woven plaid or a sand dollar beige geometric pattern.
As the temperatures fall, a luxurious and welcoming Hamptons-style vibe seems like a pretty great place to come home to. We’ve got all your coastal calm fabrics needs covered and we’d love to help you do a little dreaming. Give us a call today.