House & Garden:The Small Things Matter
Volume 49, Issue 9

By Grace Corradino

Lacking creativity, I have learned to steal good ideas, give it my stamp, and then call it my own. I try to pay attention to the small things that people do which seem to make sense or make life easier. The other thing I have learned is that there are design ideas lurking everywhere.

In Lonelyville, for example, there is a cottage which surely must be occupied by some very clever folks. Their gate, featured in one of our photos, is both creative and functional. I feel certain the deer never sail over the gate on to their deck, something that has happened to me at least twice. They have designed and installed wooden renderings of lighthouses on to the gate. The lighthouses offer the height they need to keep the four legged critters off the deck. Any engineer or thinking person would wonder about the extra weight on the gate and the ability to use it. These folks have solved that problem also. They have installed small wheels on the bottom of the gate. This assures that the gate will open smoothly and that the excessive weight will not destroy the hinges. Very, very clever. And it works. And it is creative.

Over the years I have gotten many new ideas by touring through our town on the Annual SCAA House and Garden tour. The Saltaire Citizen’s Advisory Association sponsors a number of lovely events in the village. The house and garden tour is my favorite.

As usual, the tour began at the Catholic Church and proceeded on a circuit of homes, selected this year by Dorothy Beardslee. It is no small feat to convince someone to open their home to 100 or so very nosey people. The only compensation to those generous homeowners is the fact that their house will not likely be as clean again for some time.

This year the tour offered a wide assortment of old and new, primitive and contemporary, as well as renovations of two of Saltaire’s most charming cottages.

The Hochman’s on Lighthouse Walk were the first stop on the tour. They afforded us a glimpse in to their gardens which are extensive. The ferns in particular were striking and used throughout in the unfenced areas. We had to ford a small pond to exit. The good news was that no one fell in to the water.

Jen Burns and Jan Stuart have a spectacular newly renovated home also on Lighthouse Walk. Their work was completed just this year. The space is generous and cleverly designed. One of the things that I took away from their house was how they have designed their seating. One living room couch was new and had an exposed wooden frame. The other was fully upholstered and in a contrasting fabric. They do not have a house jammed with furniture. What they do have works well and is beautiful.

The McElhone house on Pacific Walk was the next stop on the tour. I do not know either Pat or Bernard well other than to say “Hello” but I am ready to bet that their background is in design. Their home is one of the original “Coffey” cottages in the Village. It has been restored and updated. Anyone wanting to restore a vintage house should see this cottage. They took the best of what the house offers, the views, the front porch and just made them better. Using vintage wicker and select new pieces, the furnishings throughout were spare but comfortable. This is not easy to achieve. The kitchen, designed by Saltaire resident and architect, Patricia O’Neill, combined a vintage sensibility with modern conveniences.

The Mathias garden was showcased next. This family enjoys a magnificent bay front location with the garden on the side away from the water. This is significant because the house protects the garden from the elements. In addition to having a lawn, the containers and flower beds were over flowing with hydrangea, lythrum and black eyed susan. The pergola on the rear deck was a great idea that anyone with a deck should consider. It adds dimension, height and interest to a space that might other wise be quite bland.

Another Coffey Cottage, this one owned by Jennifer Sage and Nicolas Grabar, was next on the tour. Although this one has not been renovated recently, the space was generous and very comfortable. The compelling thing about this house, other than the architecture, was that every family member seemed to have a space of their own. That is not easy to achieve in most cottages.

In Alexander Bates’ garden, plant material was used in ways not often seen here on the beach. She had some lovely junipers in pots which reside on Fire Island year round. Her gardens were extensive and lush. There were interesting elements scattered throughout the space. The shed, primitive, but interesting boasted a large red “E”. Not sure what the “E” stood for, but the shed looked great. Simple but interesting.

The crown jewel on the tour was the home of Amor and Maggie Towles. Although I have been in this home before I had not seen it since the renovation had been completed. This house is right out of the Gatsby era. It sits bay front, in the large Victorian cedar shingle style more often associated with the grand homes in Point O’ Woods. The renovation was over seen by Patricia O’Neill. Where it made sense to leave the original elements, they remained. The dining room has the original built in cupboard filled with collections of pottery and glasses. The kitchen has been gutted to make way for a more modern one including a full pantry with an extra refrigerator. Every one on Fire Island needs another refrigerator. This pantry was well throughout out and beautiful finished with cabinetry that complemented the kitchen woodwork.