Jonathan Adler’s Mod Beach House

Tour the modern Shelter Island, NY beach house of designers Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan

Some years ago, (certainly within the last decade) I clipped these photos of an A-frame beach house on Shelter Island (Hamptons, New York) belonging to Simon Doonan (L) and Jonathan Adler (R).  As a New Yorker, it’s hard not to know of Doonan, legendary Creative Director at Barney’s and best-selling author.  I was less familiar with Mr. Adler who, at the time, was making pottery and had not yet blossomed into the full-on design entrepreneur and TV personality he is today.

Perhaps the couple, along with their dog Liberace, still owns this house; perhaps they’ve moved on or redecorated and all this is gone.  Whatever.  I love the cool fun, the signature fire-engine red and all the purple furniture. So here’s a mini-tour.

White walls throughout the house are a backdrop for vividly colored furniture.  In the living room the rug, pottery, pillows and lamp are designed by Adler. Other designers of choice in the room include Piero Fornasetti (eyes on the wall) and Richard Schultz’s petal coffee table.

In the dining room [top photo] pots from Adler’s Capuchine collection take center stage on a vintage Paul Evans table found at a local yard sale.  Ingo Maurer’s light bulb chandy hails from Adler’s parents’ attic. Chairs were found at a local store and repainted in the house signature red.

The loft office boasts a Fornasetti desk chair, vintage desk repainted purple, and vintage key wall ornaments.  The lamp and red lacquer box are by Adler.

Purple vintage Pierre Paulin chairs offer seating in the loft area that’s also enlivened by a fuchsia floor and custom Victoriana black and white scalloped rug. The Adler pillows pull the scheme together. A book by Doonan is resplendent on the black ottoman.

With room for only one guest, a visitor is stashed up on a section of the loft, screened off by swirly black and white beaded curtains.  Adler had the bedspread woven with word art and found the sconces in a thrift shop.

A serious little stove in the corner of the master bedroom adds a touch of practicality to all the whimsy.  The bedcovering is a Peruvian wall hanging. A red Chinoiserie desk and ceramic vase continue all the jolts of red.

(Source: Hamptons Cottages & Gardens)

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