How to Let the Sunshine into Your Hamptons Home

Every year part of our spring cleaning ritual is to call in the window cleaners. With that one innocent action we unleash a flurry of activity to clear their paths, then take a look at our Hamptons homes anew. When I took down the sheers and side panels from my large dining room window and the May sun streamed in the whole area took on a wider, sunnier, more open feel. And the window itself  became an attractive feature. Within a week I had a new cream and beige rug for beneath the table and am now looking into floral fabric roman blinds, to be used only for privacy at night. This room faces a neighborhood street, and with the kitchen just beyond, no dog walkers need to be able to count my trips to the icemaker of an evening. My thoughts have turned to window treatments in general and some of the many options available to us.

Many Hamptons residents will be entertaining friends and family over the next few months. A goodnight’s sleep is of prime importance for the exertions of the next day so some form of coverage for summer windows is ideal. After all not everyone is jogging along the beach at dawn. The drapes shown above are simple and elegant. They both have a summery feel and will keep out those early rays of sunlight. The left shows a traditional box pleat valance, the pretty green and white drapes feature a contoured valance with fringe trim and tie backs.

Drapes are a fine choice for Hamptons bedrooms, as they create a soft, gracious look perfect for the bedroom sanctuary. Other options can be used to great effect, however. The bedroom below features darkening shades on all the windows while retaining an elegantly traditional design. The occupants can control with ease the amount of light they allow in at any given time of the day.

In keeping with the seaside charm of the Hamptons home owners may consider plantation shutters for their bedrooms and baths. Perfect for shading from intense summer heat yet allowing cooling breezes in. They are light and airy, and easy to install. Another simple and quick alternative is a fresh white cotton fabric roller blind with a pretty scalloped bottom edge.

A simple and romantic solution for bedroom privacy, and some light filtering, is to hang sheers. They soften the feel of the stark windows and finish the room. The sheers in the beautiful Hamptons bedroom shown here are unobtrusive yet pleasing to the eye.

Thibault, the wall coverings and fabric manufacturer, offers exquisite designs many of which are highly suitable for the Hamptons lifestyle. The dusky pink spotted drapes with delicate bobble trim and tiebacks could grace any living room beach side or in town. Accompanied by the strong floral patterned sunshine yellow wall paper and upholstery with trim, the effect is upbeat, gracious and full of light.

For dining nooks and kitchens fabric blinds in roman or balloon style work well. Both cover more of the window frame than simple roller blinds which sit within the frame uprights. They can make a beautiful design statement but you do lose the top part of the window when the blind is retracted, however, cutting out some of the available light.

One last thought, nothing quite beats a fine lace curtain gently blowing in the window caressed by a Hamptons summer breeze. Old fashioned maybe, but so much class…

Helen Lind is an interior decorator, organizer and home stager working in Long Island and Manhattan. You can contact her at 516-922-3518 for a proposal or consultation, or visit her online at englishivyinteriors.com.