Sydney Meets Long Island
The classic Hamptons style is as clean and breezy as the Long Island beaches where the look got its start. The décor is simple and sophisticated and the overall effect creates a feeling of pure relaxation. It reflects an elegant lifestyle without being stuffy or overbearing. No wonder home buyers even here in Sydney love the look and want it for their own.
Home stylists, or home stagers as they are sometimes called, tell us that the breezy, beachy look of the Hamptons is a favourite for young upwardly mobile professionals who are drawn to the trappings of success. It gives them the feel of having ‘arrived’ but is anything but pretentious. If you’re thinking of applying this style to your home prior to listing it for sale, you could certainly benefit from the choice.
Walls: To achieve the beach-house feel, begin with a neutral backdrop. You need not paint everything white, but very pale neutrals work best to show off the little details that make a Hamptons house so appealing. Another element in this style is the panelled wall. If you have no bead-board or tongue and groove panelling in your home, buy some. Before you paint, just panel one wall then paint it along with everything else. (You will probably need a primer coat on the panelling.) It will look like it has been there all along adding texture and interest.
Floors: Skip the carpeting here. Instead, go for natural wood – very dark or very light in a pickled or white-washed finish for that weathered, beach home look. Make your choice of area rugs natural – go with light sisal or jute. If you want soft and cosy for your bedroom or elsewhere, stick with light, sandy colours.
Furnishings: Throughout the house, stick with bright and breezy. Buy slipcovers in white linen and accessorise with brightly coloured throw cushions. You’ll want to combine the old with the new to give your rooms the upscale yet down-to-earth feel that is the hallmark of the style. Think heavy, timbered tables with simple chairs painted white. Add some wicker or rattan if you like.
Décor: The Hampton’s look calls for old and new, natural and rustic combined, with accents of painted furniture in white, soft blues, and quiet greens. Haunt the antique shops to find nautical-themed treasures. Sea glass, driftwood, floats, and rope can add interest but never forget that the Hamptons styling has a split personality. It also wants classic sophistication.
A word of caution: It’s easy to go astray with the Hamptons look if you haven’t studied it carefully. Too much wicker or poorly done slipcovers can smack of ‘cheap’. There is no place in this particular look for even a hint of bargain-basement. Shabby Chic and Hamptons style are not the same. This is why so many home-sellers choose to engage a home styling service so that they don’t have to make large investments in perfect furniture and décor.
A properly prepared home styling company owns a large array of furnishings so that they can, if necessary, provide the accoutrements of Hampton styling to more than one client at a time. Some property styling companies rely on hiring their furnishings from other vendors which can lead to poorly done or damaged furniture – an absolute “no-no” when it comes to this particular look, so beware. At Urban Chic Property Styling, we not only own our exquisite furnishings and décor, we also own the fleet of trucks to deliver them. We employ first-rate movers to set-up and remove your beach-house gear so that no damage is done to the furniture, to your walls, or floors. That, in and of itself, can represent huge savings.
We offer a number of options and solutions to your home-styling challenges. We could, for example, simply consult with you about what needs to be done so you can do it yourself. We can do a room or two if you prefer, or the whole shebang. The choices are all yours. It’s a source of great pride to us that our clients walk away knowing that our service was well worth the investment.
Whether you choose the Hamptons style or something more traditional, we stand ready to make your home irresistible to buyers. Call us today and learn what Urban Chic Property Styling can do for you.

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