While Peter B Staples of Blue Green Works specialises in crafting poetic lighting collections, the self-taught designer rarely turns down the chance to flex his other creative muscles. One of his earliest projects after founding his New York-based design studio in 2021 extended far beyond illumination. It was a total reimagining of a timeworn but charming cottage that a young Manhattan couple purchased in the Springs, a quiet corner of the Hamptons.
It all started when Staples, who serves as the firm’s creative director, was vacationing with the couple when they told him they were looking for a weekend retreat and asked for his input on location. ‘There’s something about the Springs that feels beachy,’ he says. ‘It doesn’t feel as urban or overhyped as some of the other parts of the Hamptons.’
Amid their search, the couple came across a gabled, shingle-clad residence originally built in the 1700s that had been awkwardly enlarged in the late 1990s. They let Staples tour the property virtually, via a five-minute FaceTime call, seeking his opinion. After getting his endorsement, they moved forward with an offer. But once the sale closed, the true extent of the renovation came into sharp relief.
‘It was funny because it’s a beautiful house with great bones, but as we walked through it together, they were beside themselves,’ Staples recalls. ‘Upon real examination, there was an Ikea kitchen and a Home Depot bathroom. No shade — it just wasn’t quite the fantasy they had imagined.’
Undeterred, Staples laid out his vision for the cottage. He’d meld the country-infused elegance of the Hamptons with Fire Island modernism. ‘I wanted to find the tension between those things and still keep it fresh,’ he says. ‘They wanted the house to be used for guests and entertaining, so it needed to respond to that lifestyle while also being able to evolve over time.’
He began by making minor tweaks to the floor plan — moving doors, adding built-in benches and shelving — before gutting the kitchen. He enlisted Justin Allen of Shepard Co., a local millworker, to help craft wainscot-inspired cabinetry and a smoked-oak island. ‘I wanted to bring warmth into the space,’ says Staples. ‘The biggest surfaces in that room are the countertops, so I wanted something that would develop a patina over time. All these nicks and chips are going to be part of it.’
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Because the project timeline overlapped with pandemic-era supply chain delays, Staples designed and fabricated many of the furnishings himself, borrowing inspiration from luminaries such as Gerrit Rietveld and Franco Albini for chairs, sofas, and lighting. The upholstery pieces, in particular, offered Staples the chance to stir in some of the easy Hamptons elegance he was after, using rich textiles from C&C Milano, Dedar, and Pierre Frey.
Staples mixed those bespoke furnishings with vintage finds from local dealers such as John Salibello and Laurin Copen Antiques, ensuring minimal delivery wait times. Among the pieces are the dining area’s 18th-century French wooden cabinet, a ceramic cocktail table by Roger Capron and a bamboo dresser that sits in one of the three bedrooms. ‘I’m interested in things that feel like they could belong to many different time periods at once,’ he says.
Art also played a major role, injecting the residence with a bit of Fire Island flair. ‘The homeowners primarily collect gay photography,’ he says, noting they already had pieces by Wolfgang Tillmans and Jack Pierson they wanted to use. ‘One of the ideas behind the house was providing a neutral backdrop to hold this growing collection.’ Additional artists now in the home include Pacifico Silano, Howard Fonda and Tabboo!, plus a commission by Julian Caridi.
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While making it clear he’s not an interior designer, Staples nonetheless relished the opportunity to channel his inner decorator, curating everything in the house down to silverware and bedlinen. ‘I went out recently for the photo shoot, and they hadn’t changed a thing,‘ he says. ‘Everything was how I left it, which is a great compliment.’
Staples is especially grateful to the homeowners, who gave him the chance to experiment with a fully realised space. ‘This project was an interesting way to further my design education in real life,’ he reflects. ‘Even though we’re a lighting design studio, our interest is in design as a whole. Who knows what else is going to come our way?’ bluegreenworks.com
