Aesthetic - carolegan interiors

IF THE UNITED NATIONS WANTS TO SEE WORLD HARMONY
at work, perhaps it should consider a summit in New York’s
Aesthetic
ACCORD
Hamptons, where, for starters, Ukranian-Russian relations dwell in
a state of blissful détente. The owners of this breezy, beachy blue
getaway are Mikhail and Natalia Filimonov. Mikhail, who runs a
hedge fund, is from the Ukranian port city of Odessa; Natalia is
from St. Petersburg, Russia’s imperial capital.
But international cooperation doesn’t end there. The Filimonovs’
designer, Carol Egan, is Irish. The Scandinavian-inflected vibe she
created for the interiors resides within an essentially Mediterranean
stucco exterior. And the couple’s children—Sasha, 26 and living in
INTERIOR DESIGN: CAROL EGAN
TEXT: JORGE S. ARANGO
PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD POWERS
London; Nicky, 13; and Danny, seven—were born in the U.S. Yet
despite the fact that, as Egan notes, “the gap between Mikhail
and Natalia couldn’t have been wider, like north and south
poles,” the aesthetic accords negotiated here achieve a perfect
rapprochement. The couple did have a few specific requests:
“that the art should be properly presented,” says Mikhail, “and that
the home feel cozy and warm.” Otherwise, he admits, “We were
a blank piece of paper.”
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ENTER EGAN AND SENIOR DESIGNER LARYSA SENDICH.
The Filimonovs had seen several Egan-designed homes in the
Hamptons, which were characterized by the firm’s trademark
uncluttered modern aesthetic and its penchant for handcrafted
materiality. “If there’s one thread that goes through my work,”
notes Egan, “it’s integrity of materials and form.” When the couple
approached them, Egan and Sendich were wrapping up a project
for a Swedish client. “We were going through a bit of a romance
with Scandinavian design, and it rubbed off,” says Egan. “There’s
a rigor to it, but it’s comfortable. Mikhail and Natalia responded
to that.”
One of Scandinavian modernism’s most salient qualities, of
course, is its respect for natural materials and handwork. And
since the Filimonovs were, as Mikhail says, “touchy-feely people,”
this became everyone’s common ground. “That’s how the house
developed,” says Egan. “So much of it is about texture.”
The home’s red-oak floors had been darkly stained, so Egan
bleached and whitewashed them, instantly lightening the mood.
She also simplified fireplace mantels and “cleaned up the ceilings,”
punching into an attic to afford extra height in some rooms. To
enhance the tactile experience of the house, she and Sendich
commissioned many custom textiles from weaver Sam Kasten
and bespoke rugs from Mitchell Denburg. There are also natural
fiber carpets by Elizabeth Eakin (living room) and the 125-year-old
Swedish firm Kasthall (one of the boys’ rooms). And they engaged
Boyd Reath to create textured wall treatments.
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THEN THE DESIGNERS ASSEMBLED A MULTICULTURAL
mix of furnishings. Scandinavian pieces abound, but they’re
in Mikhail’s study may be blonde, but the mahogany desk
unpredictably juxtaposed. In the living room, two Hans
is 1966 Jules Leleu, the light fixture is Israeli artist Ayala
But Egan didn’t overplay the Scandinavian card. Millwork
Wegner Circle chairs from Wyeth, a pair of 1980s Vistosi glass
Serfaty’s and the stool is from Egan’s own collection for
tables and a 1970 Jorge Fick painting from East Hampton
Maison Gerard. There’s no Scandy hint in the basement,
dealer Eric Firestone create a timeless vignette near the
which Egan renovated to accommodate a wine room,
main seating area, which features custom sofas and, above
sauna and media room. Nor is it detectable in the master
the fireplace, a 1961 work by Ukranian Cubo-Futurist painter
bedroom, where contemporary furnishings—Tucker Robbins
David Burliuk. There are Wegner chairs in the dining room,
bedside chests, Lianne Gold sconces from Ralph Pucci, a
too, and Danish ceramic pendants overhead. But these
Loro Piana linen-swathed custom bed and sofa—contrast
share space with a papier-maché buffet by Studio Job and
with Sendich’s own photo of a Ukranian wheat field and a
a 1966 acrylic work by Italian-American Vincent Longo.
quartet of paintings by Nicholas Howey.
The solarium, boasting built-in seating with shelves above
The project spanned three years, but the Filimonovs were
and drawers underneath, also reads vaguely Danish
not in a hurry. “There’s an old Russian saying, You have
or Swedish. But shelves display sculptures by Hamptons
to measure something ten times before you cut it once,”
artist Mia Fonssagrives (“I like to bring local talent to the
observes Mikhail. And like any effective international treaty,
table,” says Egan). And ceiling lighting by the Swiss-born,
it is deftly crafted. Every detail, says Egan, is executed “by
Paris-based Thomas Boog—through Maison Gerard in
people who care about what they’re making and where
Manhattan—riffs elegantly on a brand of nautical kitsch
it came from. It’s so important. It has a different feel,
common in coastal communities everywhere. A Boog mirror
significance and weight.”
in a powder room gets an even more elevated treatment
amid lapis lazuli and Thassos marble tile from Ann Sacks.
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