Skip to content

Top Navigation

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Holidays
  • Gardening
  • Recipes and Cooking
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvement Ideas
  • Cleaning and Organizing
  • Shop
  • Rooms
  • News
  • Beauty & Style
  • Health & Family
  • Pets
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Subscribe
Pin

Explore Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 19 Vintage Christmas Decor Ideas That Are Giving Us Major Holiday Nostalgia

      Read More Next
    • 23 of Our Test Kitchen's Best Cookie Recipes of All Time

      We reach for them after school and after dinner. They're essential to holidays and casual gatherings. Homemade cookies are always a welcome treat. Whether it's a tried-and-true 1940s BH&G cookie recipe or a unique twist on sugar cookies, our Test Kitchen's compiled a lot of favorite cookie recipes over the years. Grab a glass of milk because we're about to dunk peanut butter cookies, oatmeal-raisin cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, and many more of our all-time favorite cookie recipes. Read More Next
    • Conquer Holiday Cooking with This Meat Roasting Guide

      All the times and temperatures you need to know to roast turkey, chicken, beef, and pork for your feast. Read More Next
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See all Holidays

    The CDC Just Updated Its Thanksgiving Safety Guidelines—Here's What You Need To Know

    With just two weeks until turkey day, the latest information could affect your plans.
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Halloween
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
  • Gardening

    Gardening

    See all Gardening

    5 Simple Ways to Prepare Your Garden for Winter

    Depending on what's growing in your garden, there's a lot you can do to get your ornamental plants ready for the colder months. We've got the low-down on how to make sure everything from your perennials to your roses are ready when the snow flies.
    • Flowers
    • Houseplants
    • Plant Encyclopedia
    • Garden Pests
    • Trees, Shrubs & Vines
    • Caring for Your Yard
    • Edible Gardening
    • Garden Design
    • Gardening By Region
    • Landscaping
  • Recipes and Cooking

    Recipes and Cooking

    See all Recipes and Cooking

    21 Essential Baking Tools Every Home Cook Needs (Plus 16 That Are Nice to Have)

    If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking tool must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. For those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflé dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!
    • How to Cook
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Fish Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Recipes & Meal Ideas
    • Ethnic Food
  • Decorating

    Decorating

    See all Decorating

    9 Ways to Decorate Your Front Door for the Holidays

    This winter front door display is layered with holiday cheer. See how you can personalize your home's entrance with holiday front door decorations, including evergreen wreaths, garlands, pinecones, and pops of plaid.
    • Choosing Color
    • Expert Decorating Advice
    • Fireplace Design Ideas
    • Do It Yourself Magazine
    • Window Treatments
    • Styles & Decor
    • Interior Painting
    • Home Makeovers
    • Small-Space Decorating
    • Traditional Home
  • Home Improvement Ideas

    Home Improvement Ideas

    See all Home Improvement Ideas

    What Style Is Your House? The 10 Most Popular House Styles Explained

    With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.
    • Home Exteriors
    • DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides
    • Outdoor Structures
    • Home Remodeling
    • Plumbing Installations & Repairs
    • Remodeling Advice & Planning
    • Flooring
    • Lighting
    • Decks
    • Porches
  • Cleaning and Organizing

    Cleaning and Organizing

    See all Cleaning and Organizing

    A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You'll Actually Stick To

    Cleaning your home doesn't have to be a daunting, time-consuming chore. The key to managing household duties quickly and efficiently is to design an easy-to-follow routine that includes all the most important tasks. Follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a customized whole-home cleaning schedule.
    • House Cleaning
    • Laundry & Linens
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Closet Organization
    • Organization Tips
    • Kitchen Storage Organization
  • Shop
  • Rooms

    Rooms

    See all Rooms

    Living Room Furniture Arrangement Ideas

    Get tips for arranging living room furniture in a way that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment and makes the most of your space.
    • Bedroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Bathroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Kitchen Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Living Room Decorating and Design
    • Dining Room
    • Home Office
    • Kid's Rooms
    • Baby Nursery
  • News
  • Beauty & Style

    Beauty & Style

    See all Beauty & Style

    Call Your Stylist: These Hair Colors Will Be Everywhere This Spring

    Deep brunettes, sandy blondes, and bold reds are in this year.
    • Anti-Aging
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Style
    • Nails
  • Health & Family

    Health & Family

    See all Health & Family

    7 Small But Impactful Ways to Fit Self-Care Into Your Day Right Now

    Staying atop of your wellbeing is a must, especially during uncertain, stressful times. These tips will help you make time for self-care for a mental health boost every day.
    • Family Activities
    • Reunions
    • Conditions
    • Parenting Skills
  • Pets

    Pets

    See all Pets

    Luna Is the Most Popular Female Cat Name for the Second Year in a Row

    Plus, check out the other top options that owners are calling their pandemic pets.
    • Dogs and Puppies
    • Cats
    • Caring for Your Pet
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. BHG.com
  2. Decorating
  3. Styles & Decor
  4. Traditional Decorating & Design Ideas
  5. This Southampton Summer Home Traded Beachy Decor for Sophisticated Global Style

This Southampton Summer Home Traded Beachy Decor for Sophisticated Global Style

By Candace Ord Manroe
May 26, 2020
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin FB
Credit: John Bessler

A young family's Southampton summerhouse stretches past stereotypes to reach new heights of unstuffy sophistication.

Start Slideshow

1 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Beach House Reimagined

Credit: John Bessler

Beach houses, done well, can make coastal themes and colors rock. Yet even the most gifted designers struggle to overcome the genre's limitations: There are only so many ways to riff on surf, sand, and all things nautical. New York designer Young Huh, known for bringing a global perspective to her projects, dodged the dangers inherent in beach-house decorating in a delightful dovetail with her client Rose Caiola Musacchia, who wanted to instill her family's Hamptons home with elements of exotica from their travels.

1 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Global-Inspired Design

Credit: John Bessler

"Rose had a distinct vision inspired by her passion for Moroccan and Indian art and design," says Huh, who enjoys nothing more than bringing reminders of her clients' great cultural experiences into their homes. "At the same time," she says, "we didn't want to make the design appear 'costumey' or out of place. That meant respecting the traditional shingle-style architecture with a composition that overall was somewhat traditional, with modern and ethnic flair for a global point of view."   

That flair, though tightly edited, does the heavy lifting that personalizes this beach house for Rose, her husband, Carl, and their two young children. 

In the entryway, a jute rug from Stark sets a casual scene. 

2 of 15

3 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Anything But Typical

Credit: John Bessler

The airy garden room, the most heavily trafficked by the children with its pool access and TV, blends practicality and cultural flavors. Ethnicity exudes from ikat curtains (one of Rose's favorite fabrics, in a warm gray) and from paler gray-on-cream hand-blocked Indian wallpaper that Huh inset into preexisting panels. "It was very much a typical beach house before, with tropical palm trees in the insets," Huh recalls. A pediment above the inset from an earlier design was retained for the sense of definition it brings to the fireplace.

To streamline the room, Huh remade an existing rattan sofa into an all-upholstered piece that sports a clean, modern style with graphic color blocks of dark gray and white. For durability, she chose a fabric for the frame that takes the sting out of spills with its easy cleanup. "Otherwise, it doesn't make sense to use white in a beach house with children," she says. Fabric on the seat cushions is hard-working but not without sophistication: Up close, threads of the linen cushions reveal "a silver shock" for a touch of modern glam.

The family's existing sculptural wood coffee table provides an important visual connection to the wooded property and its acres of gardens. The round mirror above the fireplace is framed in the delicate plasterwork of Stephen Antonson. It echoes the shape of the round window above the French doors. 

3 of 15

Advertisement

4 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Glamorous Living Room

Credit: John Bessler

"We wanted a design that was welcoming, approachable, and glamorous," says Huh, who invested the living room with the home's most luxe look. Its artful design shimmers, especially at night. An existing artwork (an image of the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and the only piece reused in the space) served as the design catalyst. "It's a photograph that's entirely covered in tiny glass beads," Huh says. Giving a nod to traditional Hamptons architecture, she framed the art with white-painted millwork and flanked the space with bookshelves. She matted the walls behind the art with a hand-painted celadon paper dramatically accented in gold leaf. "We put lighting all around the framework so that at night the entire wall has a warm glow, and the glass beads sparkle," she says.

Bringing the home's earthy palette into the more glamorous living room could've been daunting, but Huh extended her Midas touch to the black-and-gold velvet covering the sofa, an understated gold pattern on the chairs' creamy upholstery, and a metallic gold glaze on the linen curtains. The custom sofa is dressed in a Lee Jofa velvet stripe placed on the diagonal for a chevron effect. 

4 of 15

5 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Custom Furniture Pieces

Credit: John Bessler

The hand-grooved doors of a clean-lined custom chest glow with a subtle gold finish, and above the chest, a bespoke Moroccan mirror frame echoes the chest's lovely low sheen in hand-pierced brass. Warm beige grass-cloth walls, though neutral and beach-house appropriate, appear lustrous.

Adjustable lamps from Circa Lighting reach the desired height without competing with the custom chest and Moroccan-style mirror.

5 of 15

6 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Classic White Kitchen

Credit: John Bessler

In spaces that include the master bedroom, kitchen, and baths, white beadboard on walls and ceilings remains. Huh and the homeowners opted to leave the rooms untouched, reveling in the classic cottage look. "What we love most about the design is, it's not ostentatious," says Rose. "It's not a home that screams, 'Look at me!'"

Canine family member Romeo stakes his place beneath the skylight in the classic white kitchen.

6 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lighting That Dazzles

Credit: John Bessler

Hung at staggered heights, luminous lanterns from Morocco cast a dazzling glow on a rustic wooden table paired with upholstered chairs. "We wanted them to look a little bit random, but we actually did drawings for precise placements to ensure that look," Huh notes. At night, the flickering flames of candles, a must-have for Rose when dining after dusk, play a shadow game with the lanterns' lacy light. "The room feels exotic, like being in a souk," the designer says.

7 of 15

8 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Roomy Entertaining

Credit: John Bessler

In the media room, easy chairs covered in a navy blue, crocodile imprinted leather provide roomy seating. A custom bar in the room ensures guests are well equipped to enjoy the entertainment. 

8 of 15

9 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Warm and Airy Bedroom

Credit: John Bessler

Beadboard on the walls and ceiling warms the high-vaulted master bedroom, which boasts a tiny private garden just outside that's even equipped with a small gate.

9 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Reading Nook

Credit: John Bessler

A club chair and ottoman provide a daytime reading spot next to the French doors in the master bedroom. Lightweight raw-silk curtains with a metallic silver glaze are lined with blackout material, making it easier to sleep in. The small table is upholstered in leather. 

10 of 15

11 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Light-Filled Master Bath

Credit: John Bessler

The barrel-vaulted ceiling adds drama to this light-filled space, which looks onto a rock garden. 

11 of 15

12 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Patterned Guest Room

Credit: John Bessler

A neutral backdrop sets the scene in the guest room allowing the bed to take center stage. Patterned pillows from Zak and Fox play with the vintage embroidered Indian wool blanket on the canopy bed. Striped drapery panels add additional pattern.

12 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Private Garden

Credit: John Bessler

Rose is a passionate gardener, aided by landscape professional Maureen Ford. The multi-acre property's profusion of colorful annuals creates a magical setting. Faux bois furniture in this intimate space is from Janus et Cie.

13 of 15

14 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Poolside Seating

Credit: John Bessler

Instead of lighting with predictable nautical lanterns, Huh introduced Moroccan-made iron lanterns in the tented poolside pavilion. 

The Musacchia family enjoy their tented pavilion by the pool in privacy thanks to a stepped-back double row of beautifully verdant boxwoods and a canopy of trees. Janus et Cie furniture repeats the graphic gray and white palette of the garden room just inside. 

14 of 15

15 of 15

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Family At Home

Credit: John Bessler

The Musacchia family is pictured here: Carl, Rose, and their children, Sofia and Carmelo.

15 of 15

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 15 Beach House Reimagined
2 of 15 Global-Inspired Design
3 of 15 Anything But Typical
4 of 15 Glamorous Living Room
5 of 15 Custom Furniture Pieces
6 of 15 Classic White Kitchen
7 of 15 Lighting That Dazzles
8 of 15 Roomy Entertaining
9 of 15 Warm and Airy Bedroom
10 of 15 Reading Nook
11 of 15 Light-Filled Master Bath
12 of 15 Patterned Guest Room
13 of 15 Private Garden
14 of 15 Poolside Seating
15 of 15 The Family At Home

Share options

Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Shop | Better Homes & Gardens

  • Farmhouse Furniture
  • Accent Tables
  • Ottomans
  • Trunks & Chests
  • Wall Shelves
  • Lamp Shades
  • Wall Mirrors
  • Throw Pillows
  • Wall Art
  • Living Room Sets
  • Shop More Next

Better Homes & Gardens may receive compensation when you click through and purchase from links contained on this website.

  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Logo Products at Walmart
  • Better Homes & Gardens BHG Real Estate Real Estate Services
Better Homes & Gardens

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Books from Better Homes & Gardens
  • Help
  • Media Kit
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
BH&G is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.bhg.com

View image

This Southampton Summer Home Traded Beachy Decor for Sophisticated Global Style
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.