Welcome to The Strand! Our street name takes its cue from a British term for “beach.” While the structure stayed the same, we changed the look of our house with new windows, paint, shutters, and a much coveted dutch door that finally made its way from my inspiration to reality.
A total "before" becomes a weekend oasis
PHOTOGRAPHY: REID ROLLS FOR DAN MAZZARINI
WRITTEN BY: DAN MAZZARINI
The North Fork of Long Island has become a special place for our family. What started as a project (American Beech) led to us buying our first home. Through the early years of our exploration of the area, we fell for the seaside charm, coastal climate, sunny summers and cozy off seasons. Just about 2 hours from New York, the North Fork has become our weekend oasis: a small town foil to our busy big city lives.
My partner Andy is in real estate, so naturally our weekend hobby is driving around, looking at old houses, and daydreaming about next projects and places to live. Our tours and talks evolved into a short list of requirements in a next house: a fireplace, a pool, and a view.
The universe has a way of providing: pre-pandemic, and before 2% interest rates, a little house came on the market nearby. Andy went to see it while I was out of town, and sent me a bunch of pictures. It was not much to look at – a well maintained time capsule, aka, a total before. “Two tiny monopoly-shaped houses put together” is how Andy described it. But when he turned the camera, I saw the real reason he was excited: the house sits on a bluff, overlooking the Long Island sound. That, plus a little fireplace in the living room meant this house had two out of three qualifiers, and we figured “how hard could it be to put in a pool?” (We’d eventually find out.)
We closed on the house in December 2019. Our goal was to do a light lift and enjoy the house for the summer, while we decided what sort of renovation we’d like to do. We immediately pulled up the carpet to reveal…plywood subfloors. No worry: Andy let me fulfill my design fantasy of making an all white house for the summer. So, we painted every surface white – floors, doors, door knobs, cabinets and vanities…it was all subject to change within a few months, so why not?!
1/18
New prefinished engineered floors from Cali Hardwoods were installed in a non-traditional pattern – I wanted to incorporate stripes that mimicked the new ceiling millwork. Furniture was a mix of old and new: table from Noir, chairs from Wayfair, the console is from a Paris shopping trip, the zinc mirror is local from Lumber and Salt, and the whip stitched pendant is my design, made by Jack of all Shades.
2/18
We do a lot of easy breezy entertaining; our house faces directly west, so we get this west coast sunset on the east coast all year long. I love to set a table, so long summer meals are served outdoors with a mix of tabletop from March SF, Williams Sonoma, Food52, Crate and Barrel, and vintage from local Whiteflower Farmhouse.
Shop the Entryway
"Through the early years of our exploration of the area, we fell for the seaside charm, coastal climate, sunny summers and cozy off seasons."
As we all know, things didn’t quite go as planned in 2020, so we ended up living in an all white house for the first 2 years of the pandemic. Thankfully, our 25 year old appliances kept working, our little fireplace kept us warm, and we spent two grateful – if not uncertain – summers on the North Fork, looking at the water, and dreaming of doing our “proper” renovation, someday.
When it finally came time for our upgrades, pricing was the new factor in our decision making. Construction materials had inflated in the pandemic, and lead times for new construction were long, so we decided to not overdo it, and instead to keep the structure of the little house, update the interior and add the pool.
I set to work on the design, with the instruction to make sure the house was not “all white.” My designs are not known for bold color, but I wanted to try something new – a sort of new chapter, post-pandemic. I pulled the colors of the North Fork into the design, and added details aimed to feel like a coastal cottage (which it is…) with a little “salty sailor,” (which I am not.)
3/18
Our kitchen cabinets were made by a neighbor, and topped with a dark green soapstone. I can’t say enough good things about this material - it's been perfect for cooking and entertaining. As durable as granite, with the softer looking finish of marble. Doesn’t stain or etch, and I even cut right on it.
4/18
We added a window to the end of the kitchen, letting in all the southern light. It’s amazing how this one little move made the whole room feel different. Throughout, cabinets are painted Chantilly Lace, and decorated with unlacquered brass hardware from Top Knobs.
Shop the Kitchen
"I set to work on the design, with the instruction to make sure the house was not 'all white.'"
The house is really divided almost in half – one side is a great room with kitchen, living and dining (“the room,” as I refer to it,) and the other is three small bedrooms and two baths: the perfect summer cottage.
We updated the kitchen and added new windows to let in much more light. New cabinets were made by a carpenter in our neighborhood, and topped with a dark green soapstone which we love – it’s durable and great for cooking and entertaining. One of my favorite purchases for the house was the Barber Wilsons faucet – it looks great, and is nice and big. Only a designer could say they love a faucet, but I love this one. Overhead, I added a v-groove and beamed ceiling to the space, a little “crunch” and charm, as I like to say. It sort of reminds me of some favorite West Coast bungalows Andy and I have visited.
Furnishings of “the room” were kept simple – this is not a fancy house, so I adopted a very “easy breezy” approach to the space. White slipcovered sofas and white sunbrella directors chairs are bathing suit safe, and a pair of overscale cocktail tables often hold platters of snacks and drinks. I’ve done a lot of local shopping over the 8 years we’ve been on the North Fork – there are great vintage and home stores nearby. Furniture, art, rugs, accessories and lights have all been collected, so I had plenty to pick from. Some pieces were reimaged – like the pair of chairs that were repainted glossy green - and some were finally put to good use, like the tall cabinet which now holds additional sets of tabletop and barware.
5/18
These are a few of my favorite things – an old costume cabinet now lives as additional tabletop storage, topped by a maquette from Lumber and Salt and woven basket from Big Daddy Antiques in Los Angeles. The chairs were thrifted and repainted, and the striped rug is custom from Woodard and Greenstein. Pillows are Etsy and Camira.
6/18
Sometimes having a TV out is just reality, and this house is no exception. With one room living, we didn’t really have anywhere to put it, so above the fireplace it lives. In actuality, we use both the fireplace – and the TV – all the time, so this placement allows them to share attention. Nearby, a vintage tripod lamp is from Hadley Wiggin’s shop North Found and Co., tables are Essentials for Living, sofas are Harbour Furniture and the sailor art is by friend Michael Hildebrandt.
Shop the Living Room
The bedrooms of the home are small, so I decided to lean in and just make them cozy for our guests. In what was once a TV room for the prior owner, I clad the walls in Zak and Fox Auspicious wallpaper. It feels vintage but not fussy, a great backdrop for my mix of furniture. A found dresser was painted white, a canopy bed was snagged at the local RH outlet, and an overscale oak mirror was brought over from our Greenport home.
7/18
I love twin bedrooms – I think they’re great to accommodate guests who may or may not know each other. That, and they’re super charming. I snagged this pair at a North Fork estate sale. The table is from local Whiteflower Farmhouse, the drapery are Kerry Joyce Textiles, the large art is vintage from Beall and Bell, and the bunny was bought at OnCenter gallery on an annual summer trip to Provincetown. The little green table at the foot of the bed is from Andy’s grandparents North Dakota farm.
Shop the Guest Room
"I pulled the colors of the North Fork into the design, and added details aimed to feel like a coastal cottage with a little salty sailor."
8/18
I think a canopy or poster bed adds structure to a room – and, they’re just a fun night's sleep. I used this RH bed in our tiny guest room – while some may be hesitant of the scale, I like that it feels like a room inside a room. I paired it with vintage side tables and little lamps I painted white, both from local Beall and Bell. The art is from the Paris flea market, and the wallcovering is Zak and Fox.
9/18
A collection of vintage goodies exemplifies the fun we have shopping local on the North Fork – a mix of traditional and contemporary pieces. The vintage dresser from Whiteflower Farmhouse was painted white; lamp, mirror and wood objet were all scouted from Beall and Bell. The framed baseball card was discovered in a wall of our Greenport house during demolition for the renovation.
Shop the Guest Room
10/18
A peek into our guest bath is an illustration of my approach to design – high/low, new/old, off the shelf and custom all blended together. The vanity and marble top are from Wayfair, and the faucet Pottery Barn. The new board and batten walls are painted in Calm by Benjamin Moore, and complemented by carrara hex tile from Marbles Online. The mirror is vintage from local Beall and Bell, and the sconces are Ralph Lauren Home for Visual Comfort.
11/18
Pieces were reimagined from our Greenport house for our new primary – the dresser, nightstand and stool came over in the move. The woven bed is new from Williams Sonoma, the lamp is Paloma Contreras for Visual Comfort. The basket paintings are by my friend Michael McGuire; the KD Lang portrait was picked up at a local yard sale, and the dice box was a gift from a friend. Drapes are Pierre Frey.
12/18
Pieces were reimagined from our Greenport house for our new primary – the dresser, nightstand and stool came over in the move. The woven bed is new from Williams Sonoma, the lamp is Paloma Contreras for Visual Comfort. The basket paintings are by my friend Michael McGuire; the KD Lang portrait was picked up at a local yard sale, and the dice box was a gift from a friend. Drapes are Pierre Frey.
Shop the Bedroom
"Sitting back and taking it all in, this home was the perfect respite for us in an uncertain time. "
The bathrooms were gutted, and updated with new millwork, tile, vanities and lighting. For the primary, I chose a brass pedestal sink and fixtures, and painted the v groove walls in Collingwood. I also repurposed a vintage mirror from a nearby shop into a medicine cabinet. Off the kitchen, a little half bath was reimagined as a dark and moody surprise by painting it out in a glossy Grove Green; it’s the room that gets the most compliments, for sure.
13/18
New v-groove walls and tile in a vertical running bond (a DanMazz signature move,) gave this tiny bath new life. I used a buyout brass base and marble topped sink with Newport Brass faucet and partnered it with a vintage mirror that I converted to be a medicine cabinet for a little vintage cottage appeal. The ticking stripe curtain is Pottery Barn. Sconces are Thomas O’Brien for Visual Comfort, and the art by local painter Amy Worth.
14/18
Little rooms can still pack a big punch, as evident in our Green Grove lacquered powder room. I wanted to do something surprising in this little space, so it got the royal treatment with new board and batten millwork, and a dramatic dose of this deep color. The faucet is Newport Brass, sconces are Regina Andrew, the mirror is custom from Skyframe, and the vintage art was picked up on a trip to Maine.
Shop the Powder Room
15/18
Inspired by a porch of a house that got away, our outdoor room nearly doubles the square footage of our indoor entertaining space. I added the little window in the peak to give it more of a sense of “room,” an idea that’s echoed in the ceiling detail that mimics those inside.
16/18
Vertical detail - Here too, everything is a mix: I repainted an old dining table the same green as our interior doors to anchor one end of the Williams Sonoma sofa and chairs. The coffee table is RH, the rug Wayfair, pillows from Etsy and throw blankets are Annie Selke for crisp evenings on the porch. Signature DanMazz move: hang a mirror (or piece of art) over a stile, seen here on a porch column.
17/18
There’s no better shower than an outdoor shower. I asked our contractor to build us this one based on a favorite Napa Valley hotel. I added the little window and shutters for a view of the water while you’re sudsing up. Hydrangeas are Limelight, stool is vintage and the striped towels are from Wayfair.
Shop the Porch
Before we finished our interior, I drew a napkin sketch for our amazing builder of a porch we’d seen on another real estate tour. He built us our little screened in porch in no time, a now favorite room for warm weather dinners all season long. Part of the exterior plan was a paint job (cue my usual black and white!) and landscaping. We kind of went hog wild, installing a fully mature hedge, about 40 huge boxwoods (because I’m impatient,) 60 hydrangeas and…the pool! Pools, as it turns out, are no joke to build – it was as close to the movie The Money Pit as I’ve experienced. One day, I got a call: “it's digging day,” and a crane showed up in our yard. It took longer than expected, but in the end, we had our pool overlooking the water, and our checklist was finally complete.
Sitting back and taking it all in, this home was the perfect respite for us in an uncertain time. While I love big old houses (cue the next project?) our little cottage by the sea has sheltered and nurtured us for the past 4 years, and provided the backdrop for some really important events; birthdays, holidays, engagements (ours) and weddings (our friend’s), as well as all the day to day dinners, drinks and gatherings that happily fill in the cracks of life. The game monopoly is about rolling the dice on real estate – Happily, choosing our little monopoly house at the end of Long Island has been the perfect place to hold us, while we watch the boats go by on the Sound.
18/18
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My 9th Street Apartment
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City Mouse, Country House
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Living Large (in small spaces)
