GREAT ESCAPE

Sandra Nunnerley strikes a harmonious balance in this New York beach house

- EDWAIN STEENKAMP

When it comes to beach houses, you’d be hard-pressed to find a few with enough effortless luxury that appeases those escaping from the fast pace of the city, while retaining the kind of practicality one would expect in a family home. But of course, not all beach houses have interiors designed by Sandra Nunnerley. This shingled beach house in the village of Southampton, near New York, is one of contrast and balance. Fine decor sits alongside raw textiles, key styles from every decade, and even every continent – all coexisting in a surprisingly natural way.

For Sandra and the team at her New York-based design studio, Sandra Nunnerley Inc., this is the result of a very considered and detailed approach that has resulted in the harmonious balancing of different elements. ‘We always want to understand how people live in a house,’ she says. ‘In this case, I know the family quite well, as we’ve worked together on two previous projects.’ She adds, ‘but with any project, you have to determine how people move and function in a space and, most importantly, what their lifestyle is like.’