Creating the Hamptons Look in Five Steps

No longer reserved for the exclusive east coast of New York, the Hamptons-style home is an increasingly popular choice amongst Australian home buyers.

27 Jan 2022

With a relaxed yet elegant coastal style, it’s easy to see why so many people seek to emulate this aesthetic. Read on to discover 5 steps to unlocking the classic Hamptons look that works just as well in Australia as it does in the USA.

Opt for Oversized Furniture

The Hamptons-style home is quite formal, with a structured architectural style, but cosy and welcoming at the same time. To mimic this look and feel, the right furniture is key. Opt for oversized furniture in neutral colours. Think big beautiful lamps, large upholstered seating with relaxed cushions and glass coffee tables. This will create the luxe coastal feel the Hamptons design is known for. By incorporating these types of furnishings, you’ll create inviting and comfortable spaces that you and your guests will enjoy immensely.

Embrace a Coastal Colour Palette

Another quintessential aspect of a Hamptons home is its colour palette. When it comes to creating that elegant coastal feel, start out with warm neutral colours of whites and greys for the exterior of your home. And on the inside, opt for crisp white walls, with accents of blue, green, yellows and beige incorporated in your furnishings and décor. Having a minimal colour palette to work with initially will allow you to create the ultimate Hamptons space without limitations on your styling and shopping experiences.

Don’t Forget Your Flooring and Walls

While the walls of a Hamptons-style home traditionally remain classic and neutral in white, the detailing of wainscoting can add an extra element of character. This subtle wall detailing suits the sophisticated, timeless design of the Hamptons home down to the ground. Pair this with timber floorboards and textured or lightly patterned rugs to complete the coastal look.

Invest in Window Treatments

Decor doesn’t end with furniture and accessories; it continues with windows and what you add to them to help create your perfect space. The Hamptons feel is light and airy, well suited to floaty, floor-to-ceiling curtains (linen or sheer) that give the open and luxurious coastal feel. However, if curtains aren’t your style, plantation shutters are another great styling option. Plantation shutters encapsulate the nautical theme of this design style, where the shutter panes can be seen as an ode to the sails of a ship. They support that light and airy Hamptons concept, while also allowing you to decide how much of that light you want to let in. Both window treatments are great options to pair with the other design elements to match the home.

Finish with Elegant Landscaping

Hamptons landscaping mimics the interior and exterior design aspects of the home, manicured yet inviting and charming. This style of landscaping is designed and set out to lead you towards the entry, inviting you to grasp the complete coastal sensation. Typically, a Hamptons garden is filled with lush green lawns and vast hedges, as well as blue and white flowering plants like hydrangeas and gardenias, a subtle connection to the nautical colour palette referenced inside the home. The landscaping mimics the architectural structure of the home too, with purposeful paving often placed between the greenery. And, just like the furniture, bigger is better when it comes to selecting trees, think pines, magnolias and olive trees.

And of course, a Hamptons garden is not complete without a luxuriously wide deck, rocking chair optional. This allows a fantastic connection between outdoors and indoors, extending the inviting opulence of the home right to the front steps.

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