Galerie House of Art And Design, An Inaugural Show House, Opens In Sag Harbor With Top Designers

Top design talent from the Hamptons, New York City and farther afield have converged in Sag Harbor at the Galerie House of Art & Design, an inaugural show house that is open to the public this month.

About two dozen interior designers and design studios worked to transform the shingle-style residence, demonstrate what they are capable of and put their unique touches on the bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, closets, living spaces and outdoor areas. In line with Galerie magazine’s focus on art in addition to interiors and architecture, the show house also features artworks chosen by designers and curated by renowned galleries.

“I don’t think art and design have been paired in a house like this at this scale before,” said Lucy Rees, Galerie’s arts and culture editor, during a preview tour last week.

On Middle Line Highway, the nearly 20-year-old house originally built for actor Kevin Sorbo was renovated by East Hampton’s Michael Derrig through his firm Building Details, with redesigned landscape architecture by Mr. Derrig’s Landscape Details. While the updated exterior was of Mr. Derrig’s design, he explained that he worked with a number of architects to implement their designs for the interior architecture.

Rayman Boozer, the principal designer at Apartment 48 Interiors in Manhattan, designed the junior primary bedroom suite. He said his inspiration was “The Durrells in Corfu,” a British television series set in the 1930s about a family that moved from the south coast of England to a Greek island to live cheaply.

“They moved to this island, they rented a villa, and it was really Bohemian,” he said. It was a ‘Swiss Family Robinson’ vibe because it’s really rustic, they’re really poor, but at the same time they’re really sophisticated, educated people, too.”

The TV show is based on “My Family and Other Animals,” an autobiographical account of the true story, and Mr. Boozer used the concept of writers living in a coastal environment.

The wallpaper and fabrics are of his own design, created through his participation in the Black Artists + Designers Guild with fabric maker S. Harris. He used a number of artworks by Brazilian artists, and he mixed vintage and modern furniture. He also created a “cabinet of curiosities” with birds, shells and other “naturey” moments.

The suite’s bathroom includes a custom vanity plus glossy, shiny brass that he said feels optimistic. “I always want all my work to feel that way,” he added. And the super bright wallpaper is something to be remembered, he said.

Katie Leede, who has an eponymous design shop in Sag Harbor, designed what she has dubbed the “Magical Mudroom.”

“I thought about it as a space that is part of a larger whole, like there is a quiet respite where you could start the day,” Mr. Leede said. She suggested it’s a place to enjoy morning coffee and retreat, but also as a place where kids could put on sunscreen before going outside. It is also outfitted with riding boots and dog leashes.

She sought to invoke both the nature of the Hamptons and its glamour, and pointed to a painting on the wall that speaks to that theme: The abstract piece by Nancy Lorenz has gold on top of burlap. “It’s got the high-low of life here, like a real natural underbase, but this polished, sort of, luxe, glamorous exterior,” she said. “I wanted to play with that juxtaposition of what life is like here.”

Shells from Blooming Shells in Sag Harbor hang on the walls, which are covered in wallpaper featuring birds and foliage. The light fixtures, a number of them designed by Aerin Lauder, are from Circa Lighting, a sponsor of the showhouse.

She said she wanted to mix new and fresh with old-fashioned: “I like that kind of eclectic mix of things that feels very livable, and like it could be your grandmother’s house but updated so all the grandchildren really love it, too.”

Richard Mishaan Design, an interior designer based in Manhattan who also lives in Sagaponack, designed a second-floor bedroom suite and its balcony overlooking the grounds and pond.

Rather than paint or wallpaper, Mr. Mishaan used removal, interchangeable fabric wall coverings.

“The whole room is made up of panels that are on grommets, and you can switch out the panels,” he said. He explained that he based the idea on a story he heard about a king of France who collected toile wall coverings produced in a town next to Versailles.

“He used to change it out seasonally, or if he was traveling he would just send the rooms ahead to different palaces,” Mr. Mishaan said.

This was his first time implementing the concept.

“Show houses are like an experiment,” he said. “If you do this on a project and it doesn’t work out for a client, you’d probably be in a real panic because you ran out of time and you’d have to replace things. But when I do a show house, I want people to kind of come along on the ride with me.”

The show house is about designers showing off what they can do but also about showing visitors what they can do themselves, according to Mr. Mishaan. “You could do this yourself,” he said. “People slipcover furniture all the time.”

The room also includes modern furniture and iPad paintings by artist David Hockney. Mr. Mishaan said the room goes from the 18th century to the 21st.

And then out on the balcony are two sets of furniture, one for the daytime, and a second with a fire pit in the middle for evenings or fall. While most Hamptons homes have the same teak furniture that is not that comfortable and not that attractive, he picked Bernhardt outdoor furniture that he said is modern and super clean.

The library is by New York-based interior designer Sara Story and includes a number of curved niches. Ms. Story said she built the design around light sculptures by Cuban-American artist Jorge Pardo and around the idea of how an artwork lends itself to a space. She used a variety of vintage and important pieces, she said, and envisioned it being a room where one would work while admiring the collection of objects and artwork. The wallpaper by Fromental is dark with streaks of red, and the ceiling is painted to match. It’s a whimsical, playful, sexy room, she said, with a fireplace and a bar.

Leyden Lewis, who has an eponymous Brooklyn design studio, designed a lower level sitting area, hallway, kitchen and changing room. He named his space the Urchin Pool House. Though the space is part of the main house and not a separate structure, the pool is just steps outside. “The entire space really is about pulling together community, whatever that might mean for anybody,” Mr. Lewis said. “So we really wanted it to be a place where everyone converges … after a pool party.”

The Galerie House of Art & Design is located at 772 Middle Line Highway, Sag Harbor. It will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through August 29. Tickets are $55 and proceeds benefit the Southampton Hospital Foundation for the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital emergency room annex in East Hampton. Proof of vaccination or masks are required. To book a visit, go to galeriemagazine.com/houseofartanddesign.