The Fashionable Life

The Fashionable Life
Clothing designer Carmen Marc Valvo is known for helping women make an entrance.
But his Hamptons home demonstrates an equal talent for creating an understated retreat
Valvo, an avid gardener,
has cultivated a backyard idyll that includes
a canopy of wisteria
over the dining area and
climbing hydrangeas
alongside the fountain.
112
FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
IN STYLE HOME
WRITTEN BY SHAX RIEGLER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LUCAS ALLEN
The designer, in his pool
house, bought the carved
wooden horse in Rajasthan,
India. OPPOSITE ÒWe
have a lot of things for the
table,Ó he says, Òso setting them out at night is a
chance to create a moment.Ó Valvo and Knaust
store stemware in an
antique Irish credenza;
dishes are housed in
an English pine cabinet.
A
ll summer long, friends and family members
and plucking invasive weeds, you can see the meticulous eye that
clamor for weekend invitations to the Bridge-
he brings to his work, creating glamorous gowns for Kate Winslet,
hampton, N.Y., beach house Carmen Marc
BeyoncŽ, Claire Danes and Oprah Winfrey.
Valvo shares with his partner, Christian Knaust.
When Valvo and Knaust bought the property in 1989, after
But come September, when the social whirl-
scouring the Hamptons for a year and a half, it was hardly red-
wind begins to slow, the two find themselves
carpet worthy. Devoid of architectural detail, the simple 1,200-
with a newly quiet place to escape from the
square-foot A-frame presented a rather unprepossessing faade
buzz of the fashion world. ÒThis is my haven,Ó says Valvo. ÒOur
to the world, and it sat on a marsh-covered lot with no gardenÑ
apartment in the city has much bolder colors and great big views of
or even plantsÑto speak of. Still, its location at the end of a quiet
Central Park. Here, everything is whitewashed and sun-bleached.
saltwater inlet offered spectacular views. And Valvo, accustomed
This place is more casual and soothing.Ó
to recognizing potential in a bolt of fabric, saw an ugly duckling
In the orchid-filled greenhouse or out by the pool, the designer
gardens year-round, and as he walks about, pinching wilted blooms
in need of TLC.
But first the house would change him. When the company heÕd
IN STYLE HOME
FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
115
Valvo purchased the
buffalo antlers above
the living room mantel
during a Cape Town,
South Africa, safari. The
sofa and bench are from
English Country Antiques
in Bridgehampton, N.Y.
This guest bedroom
features Portuguese
linens and an antique
Swedish mirror from
Mecox Gardens.
ABOVE, LEFT In one of ValvoÕs ever-changing and carefully curated vignettes, a jade-colored tea set, a botanical print from English Country Antiques in Bridgehamp-
ton and a Brassia orchid (tucked inside a Thai urn) sit atop a Chinese altar table. ABOVE, RIGHT In the Òsunset room,Ó the Bruno Mathsson settee and birch-root
table and chair complement a framed vintage Kuba textile placed above an antique wooden chest from Japan.
been working for dissolved, Valvo suddenly found himself without
my hands in the dirt. We move the pots inside when it gets cold.Ó
a job. ÒI needed to keep up with the house payments,Ó he explains.
Indeed, they blend right in. ÒThe only dominant color in this house
Duly motivated, the designer embarked on his first solo collection,
is green,Ó Valvo points out. ÒI love shades of celadon.Ó
which immediately found its way to the sales floors of Saks Fifth
Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
The homeÕs interior reveals the backgrounds and interests of the
owners themselves, who met on their first day at Parsons School of
Renovating his cottageÕs floor plan has taken decidedly more
Design, 31 years ago. ÒWe were both standing in line to register,Ó
time, and nearly every year has brought a new project to this show-
recalls Knaust, a former menswear designer who is now the presi-
place, which, now at 5,000 square feet, includes four bedrooms and
dent of Carmen Marc Valvo Inc. Knaust was raised in Sweden, and
a wine cellar. First the couple built a walkway to the water. ÒWe can
the houseÕs spare, clean palette and many Scandinavian antiques
kayak to the beach from here,Ó says Valvo. After that, he and
clearly testify to his influence.
Knaust added a porch and roofline dormers. Next came a large,
ValvoÕs hand can be seen too, in the carved-wood Balinese panels
cook-friendly kitchen (employees in his New York office, where
he picked up in Thailand that line the walls of a shower. ÒIÕve
Valvo also designs wedding gowns, jewelry and swimwear, are regu-
always taken work that would allow me to travel,Ó says the designer,
larly treated to his homemade muffins on Monday mornings).
who grew up north of New York City in suburban Westchester
Finally, they made way for a garage and ValvoÕs potting shed.
County. ÒFirst I wanted to see Europe, and then I wanted to see
ÒI do all the gardening myself,Ó he says proudly. ÒI love getting
Asia. Different jobs took me to India, Bali and Hong Kong.Ó He
IN STYLE HOME
FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
119
A walkway over the propertyÕs wetlands makes
for a short stroll from
the pool to the inlet,
where colorful kayaks
stand at the ready.
ABOVE, LEFT ÒI love to take our breakfast or cocktails down to the shade garden,Ó says Valvo, enjoying the area, which is planted with violets and Japanese
painted ferns. ÒThis is one spot that I think is just perfect.Ó ABOVE, RIGHT The antique lead seahorse finial was once part of a weather vane.
also spent time in Paris, during tenures at Nina Ricci and Christian
stays constant is the profusion of orchids, the quiet mix of styles,
Dior. Trained as a painter before turning to fashion, Valvo takes
a family of rabbit figurines Knaust has been collecting for most of
an artistÕs approach to creating vignettesÑor little Òsnapshots,Ó as
his life, a warm welcome for guests, and a good bottle of wineÑor
he calls themÑwith favorite objects he collects. A resulting tableau
twoÑenjoyed over lunch.
above the fireplace includes buffalo antlers that he brought home
Almost two decades in the making, this haven has finally arrived
from Africa and an assortment of elegant vintage portraits from
at its finished state, or so one might think. Valvo has other ideas,
Sweden, though that grouping will inevitably evolve.
including expanding the koi pond. ÒThe house feels like itÕs in
ÒI like to surround myself with beauty, so IÕm constantly arrang-
a good place right now, but when you own a house, youÕre never
ing things,Ó says Volvo. ÒThe only rule I follow is that three is
done,Ó he says. Fortunately, these owners have the necessary mix of
always better than two. ItÕs something I learned in fashion: An odd
prescience and patience required to hunt down just the right details.
numberÑwhether itÕs buttons on a dress, plants in a garden or ob-
For instance, just after buying the house, Knaust found an ornate
jects on a shelfÑis always more interesting than an even number.Ó
wrought-iron gate he thought would be perfect for a wine cellar.
The eclectic mix of folk piecesÑall unique in provenanceÑare uni-
Valvo recalls, ÒThat thing sat in the back of a shed for 15 years,Ó
fied in palette. ÒItÕs easy to mix them all together: The Asian statues
until such a place was built. And it is perfect. ÒChristian was right,Ó
are faded, the floors are pickled, even the pottery is pale.Ó
he says, marveling, Òeven if I didnÕt know it at the time.Ó
Like fashion itself, the house changes with the seasons. What
120
FA L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
IN STYLE HOME
the look? Turn to the Sourcebook on p. 137.]
[Want to get