Martin Raffone Designs a Hamptons Paradise

For a busy young family of six, Martin Raffone puts together a stylish, season-ready Hamptons getaway in a New York minute

By Judith Nasatir

As New York design stories go, this one's a classic: family closes on a house in May, and wants it entertaining-ready by July Fourth. What's their designer to do? Shop for just about everything retail—and work his professional skills to the max of ingenuity to create something distinctive and unique. That's what Martin Raffone did on this project. He also upped the ante on comfort and durability—necessary in a five-bedroom house with four children under age ten—in his décor equation for Hamptons-style chic.

"The architecture was already great," Raffone said happily, which helped significantly given the time crunch. "These clients really use every part of the house. Every weekend in the summer the place is packed, with kids in the pool and backyard barbecues," adds the designer. "He's a Texan, and mans the grill." In the eat-in kitchen, the house's hub, both the wife and the husband put their culinary skills to work (he's in the restaurant business). "The kitchen connects to the porch, flows into the living room, and opens to a formal dining room that can sit ten," says Raffone. He limned the dining room in a large-scale floral wallpaper that connects it to the outdoors, lends a traditional flourish, and creates a feeling of intimacy. Upstairs, he individualized the bedrooms with wallpaper, creating one feature wall in each.

As Raffone was completing the installation—"turnkey"—the schedule shortened yet again. "The day we were finishing, she said she'd be there at 6:00 pm. She called at 2:00 to say she was on her way. We wrapped it up, lit the candles, turned on the lamps, bolted the doors, and left." As he was heading home, he got the call from the client that every designer hopes for. It's easy to see why.