Lived-in & loved
Montauk Beach House: Finishing Touches & Finding Our Vintage Soul
Designing this home was never about creating a pristine, newly minted beach retreat. From the beginning, the client wanted a space that felt as if it had always been here - sun-kissed, lived-in, loved, and layered with a history that couldn’t be fabricated with drywall alone.
In Parts I and II, we talked about reworking the floor plan, embracing the existing quirks, and installing architectural details that grounded the house in its original era. For this final chapter, we’re zooming in on the finishing touches: the vintage lighting, textural layers, and collected pieces that ultimately gave the house its soul.
Honoring the House’s Age Without Recreating the Past
Because we didn’t want a sterile white box dropped onto the dunes, we anchored the interior with paneling and natural materials that felt right for the home’s age. That decision became our North Star as we turned toward sourcing décor and vintage elements: everything needed to amplify the patina, not erase it.
We wanted the space to feel as if previous owners had left behind treasures from their travels, or that the house itself had slowly absorbed personality over decades. Nothing shiny-new. Nothing overly precious. Everything intentional.
Danish UFO pendant
A Global Treasure Hunt (From Our Desks)
What started as a casual search quickly became a full-on global scavenger hunt. We scoured auction houses from New York to Milan and every vintage corner of the internet in between.
One Italian auction in particular became a goldmine. From it, we sourced:
The tiered ziggurat brass table lamp (a sculptural little monument anchoring the living room and perfectly complimenting the built- in sofa and side table)
A set of Italian brass sconces for the kitchen and upstairs bath
The Danish UFO pendant that drifts above the kitchen like a soft galactic nod
These pieces brought an otherworldly gleam to the space; never loud, always subtle, and perfectly at home in a beach house with a quiet cosmic undercurrent.
Orange scones in the primary bedroom
We kept the momentum going stateside with more online digging:
Vintage hanging bedside sconces for the guest room
The radical orange sconces for the primary bedroom that feel straight out of a 1970s surf film
Everything we found shared a common language: aged finishes, lived-in lines, and enough quirk to feel like real discoveries rather than catalogue copies.
Leaning Into the Client’s 1970s Bent Bamboo Pieces
Before we sourced a single item, the client walked in with a few vintage bent bamboo pieces that felt like they’d been teleported from a 1970s boho surf shack, in the best way. Instead of fighting them, we let them set the tone.
We layered in:
Cushy pillows in beachy color blocked fabrics
Textiles that could be rearranged with the ebb and flow of guests
Cozy, movable seating pockets that encourage lingering with sandy feet after a day on the water.
The house needed to flex from quiet weekday solitude to a full midsummer party, and the furniture had to roll with both moods effortlessly.
Cushy pillows in beachy colors
A Home That Doesn’t Take Itself Too Seriously
To avoid the trap of “too perfect,” we doubled down on texture and age. A vintage Moroccan rug layered over a sisal base makes the living room feel instantly approachable, grounding the home with warmth and imperfection. Nothing here feels untouchable and everything invites you in.
That same philosophy carried through our material choices. We wanted surfaces to age well, not simply endure:
Solid pine floors, whitewashed so that over time natural pathways will slowly reveal the wood beneath
Durable finishes where durability matters
Patina-ready materials where character should build naturally
This house was designed to evolve with its occupants and to soak up future memories without fear of scuffs or scratches.
Material Moments Worth Savoring
Earlier posts covered our big architectural moves, but the materials truly sang once the décor landed in place. A few of our favorites:
Pink marble countertop and integrated sink in the main level bathroom, equal parts playful and elegant
Chiseled slate kitchen countertops, sturdy enough for heavy use while feeling grounded and organic
Marinaci Gold stair treads and ledges in the “dairy bathroom” a stone we love for its wild, geological movement
Layered with starry tiles, utilitarian ceramics, and the house’s warm pine and cedar envelope, these choices give the home dimension without tipping into maximalism.
Pink marble countertop
A Beach House Built for Real Life
In the end, the Montauk Beach House became exactly what we hoped it would be: a place where a solo week feels restorative and a packed summer gathering feels effortless. The vintage pieces, the aged materials, the not-too-serious textiles, they all work together to create a home that feels permanent, rooted, and joyfully lived in.
Nothing is too precious. Everything has a story. And over time, the house will only get better. We’ve had the privilege of experiencing this house in all seasons and at all times of day, and it is a charmer at all times.
