Dan's Papers - October 26, 2007 - Blossom Haven

The saying "learning from history" has its place, not just in politics but in design as well. Large, rambling, and high all may equal grand; but an hundred or more years ago that was not always the case. So while today's Hamptons homeowner may put their pocket toward thirty-foot ceilings, 1,500 square foot basement media rooms, and umpteen seasonal living rooms, yesterday's sought other clever ways to create impressive style.

With the cold weather approaching, it's not hard to turn our focus to the fireplace, one element of any home that is not only useful and ambient, but has been around since the dawn of man (Neolithic Scottish peoples built central hearths with ornate surrounds for cooking, heat, socializing, and ambiance). "The fireplace is a wonderful focal point for any room-including kitchens and bathrooms-but of course an almost necessary element of a living room or great room," notes Erica-Lynn Huberty, principal of Blossom Haven Interior Design in North Haven. Ms. Huberty is keen to point out that a fireplace need not be the typical smooth, sheetrock-encased chimney breast with a carved pine, white painted mantel and a brick surround, though, she adds, "this Federalist look is both historically correct for Eastern Long Island, and can be lovely."

"Historic design comprises everything from the gilded era of the Robber Barons, to the sleek movement of Arts & Crafts, to the retro-Deco style of the 1950's. And while not every new idea has been a good one, the ones that are remain a constant source of inspiration for other new ideas that do work," says Ms. Huberty, who often looks to the past, as well as to current design ideas, for her work with clients in the Hamptons and Manhattan.

Fieldstone fireplaces and surrounds have been used for centuries throughout New England, especially in places like North Haven, where Ms. Huberty has her home and design studio, and where one can easily unearth a mound of large, smooth, rounded stones from a tiny garden bed. "I love applying a stark modern aesthetic around such a fireplace; and the combination (the greys, whites, and pale rusts of the stones against a pair of sleek Eames or Mies van der Rohe chairs is magical," points out Ms. Huberty. Fieldstone - be it flat, round, smooth or jagged - can be employed as a surround or as a whole exposed chimney facing, with the layers of one-of-a-kind stone reaching from floor to ceiling and peeking out the roof or alongside an outside wall. A simple slab of walnut serves nicely as a mantel.

Itinerant painters of the 18th and 19th centuries were essentially "country craftsmen" who did everything from trompe l'oeil molding in place of paneling and woodwork to reproducing wallpaper (a true luxury in those days) with paint. "All decorative art techniques can be applied to enrich and compliment any traditional and yes, dare I say, modern interior," insists Ms. Huberty. "Historically, an overmantel was the most common way carpenters and painterly craftsmen brought unique character to a fireplace." An overmantel, any defined space that rests above a mantel, is often made of wood, but can be painted in a trompe l'oeil fashion. In previous centuries, overmantels were filled with a mirror or, more commonly for Eastern Long Island, with a painting either installed or applied directly to the wall.

"Any good carpenter can fashion an overmantel in almost any molding style imaginable," says Ms. Huberty. "Overmantles need not be framed at all- one can get pretty creative while remaining subtle and traditional. A chimney breast that juts into a room that is encased in sheetrock can be the perfect smooth, simple, column-like surface to apply a direct mantel-to-ceiling mural."

Subject matters in early overmantel paintings were most often landscapes of the village or farm on which a family lived. Notes Ms. Huberty, "A Sag Harbor whaler's house would have had a scene including perhaps the home itself, its yard, the wharf, a view of the harbor, and, in the distance, a ship out in Gardiner's Bay belonging to the captain who owned the house. Nowadays one might recreate a similar scene of one's own yard or village or favorite water view; or create a Chinoiserie textile pattern, or abstract color field."

Another way to create unique and elegant style with a fireplace is by using wood paneling to create architectural interest across the whole of a wall while incorporating the hearth into the space. "Window seats on either side of a hearth are a warm spot to sit in winter, and a fantastically interesting architectural detail." Ms. Huberty urges homeowners who are renovating or building from scratch to look into Rumford-designed fireboxes. "Rumford fireplaces are angled differently than modern conventional fireboxes, and are shallow, to reflect more heat, something that would save many homeowners those insane heating bills. They were common on the Eastern seaboard from 1796 until about 1850. Jefferson even had them built at Monticello."

Creating a focal point above and around a fireplace is one way early Hamptons homeowners sought to add character, elegance, and panache to their homes. And, as Ms. Huberty points out, while incorporating a functional element into the overall architecture of a room, one can utilize a fireplace in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, not necessarily budget-breaking, and historically significant for the style of the particular home.

Blossom Haven is located in North Haven. For more information call (631) 725- 4785 or visit www.blossomhaven.com