Modern Classic Water Mill Home: Cozy Year-Round Design

The most transformative space inside this Water Mill residence is not a grand living room or a sweeping outdoor terrace. It is an octagonal passageway washed in shifting blue-gray light—a space once destined to remain an ordinary hallway until Libarikian Interiors and Lichten Architects reimagined it as the emotional center of the home.

From the study, the eye moves effortlessly through the rotunda and into the kitchen before landing on the greenery of the backyard beyond. Morning light softens the paneled walls while subtle nautical references—rope detailing in the millwork and a compass-inspired floor motif—quietly nod to the nearby shoreline. Nothing overtly announces itself as “coastal,” yet every detail feels connected to place. That re- straint was intentional.

For a client returning to the East Coast after years in Cal- ifornia, the goal was never to recreate the expected Hamptons formula of crisp whites, blue accents and overt beach-house tropes. Instead, founder and principal designer Luba Libarikian envisioned something softer, quieter and more enduring: a home designed equally for winter mornings, summer gatherings, workdays and weekends by the pool.

The entry combines sculptural lighting, vintage furnishings and artisanal accents, including a Hopscotch chandelier by Currey & Company, a Four Hands Figueroa table and a vintage settee upholstered in Holly Hunt Alpaca Velvet.

“When I think of a typical Hamptons beach house, it’s very coastal,” Libarikian says. “A lot of blues and whites, very modern furniture and very clean architectural lines. But this was going to be a primary residence, not just a summer house. We wanted it to feel cozy through all four seasons.”

Originally built in the early 2000s, the house lacked both warmth and flow. Though generously scaled, many of its interiors felt disconnected from the surrounding landscape. Narrow hallways interrupted circulation, while undersized rear windows prevented natural light from fully entering the space. Together with Kevin Lichten of Lichten Architects, Libarikian approached the home not as a cosmetic refresh but as a fundamental rethinking of how it should feel to live there.

“The house had some planning issues we needed to solve,” Lichten explains. “It really wasn’t designed appropriately to begin with. We design renovations so they look like they were done properly the first time around.”

“We wanted feminine energy in the home but also wanted to celebrate the Hamptons in a very understated way. The coastal references are there, but they’re quiet.” –LUBA LIBARIKIAN

That philosophy led to one of the project’s defining interventions: replacing a cramped back hallway with the octagonal rotunda that now anchors the home’s circulation. Positioned between the kitchen, foyer, mudroom and study, the space resolves multiple pathways at once while creating what Libarikian describes as “moments of delight.”

“Rotundas feel special because they create a moment to pause,” she says. “I wanted her office to feel inspiring, so now she looks through this beautiful blue octagon into the kitchen and then into the backyard. It creates layers of pretty things.”

A custom rug by Libarikian Interiors grounds the living room, where a Kravet Claes sofa, vintage seating and artwork by Mara De Luca create an inviting gathering space.

Lichten describes the structure as both practical and poetic. “It resolved traffic from many different directions,” he says, “but it also gave grandeur and specialness to a part of the house that had previously just been treated as a back hall.”

Throughout the home, architecture and interiors work in conversation with one another. Traditional detailing—crown molding, paneled walls and arches—is balanced by a lighter, more contemporary sensibility. The result is what Libarikian calls a “modern classic” aesthetic: refined yet relaxed, polished yet deeply livable.

The dining room centers on the client’s vintage table, flanked by Paulo Antunes chairs with Lithos Cendre by Métaphores upholstery, a custom Erik de Bree commission and a Cyprus lamp by Danny Kaplan Studio atop a Melbourne sideboard from RH.

Materiality became one of the project’s most powerful storytelling tools. Rather than relying on literal coastal motifs, the design team referenced the surrounding environment through texture, craftsmanship and color. In the mudroom, hand-applied Gregorius Pineo plaster wallcovering recalls pebbles along the shoreline, while twisted rope moldings subtly evoke nautical detailing without veering into cliche.

“We wanted feminine energy in the home but also wanted to celebrate the Hamptons in a very understated way,” Libarikian says. “The coastal references are there, but they’re quiet.”

That balance between beauty and practicality shaped every design decision. Though undeniably luxurious, the home was designed to accommodate real life: sandy feet, wet swimsuits, pets, guests and the rhythms of year-round living.

“We always think functionality first,” Libarikian explains. “I knew there would be bathing suits on the sofas, sandy feet on the rugs and people coming in from the pool. I still want- ed it to feel elevated, but never precious.”

Articolo’s Moni XL triple pendant casts a soft glow over Cristallo Roots quartzite by BAS Stone and a Water Glass Antique Silver backsplash by Artistic Tile, paired with Classic Home counter stools upholstered in Holland & Sherry’s Tempest Brut Silver.

Durable wool rugs and solution-dyed acrylic upholstery were selected for high-traffic spaces, while more delicate textiles were reserved for drapery and decorative accents. Even the smallest rooms received careful consideration. The mud- room—the homeowner’s true daily entrance—became one of the project’s most layered spaces despite its modest footprint.

“That’s the doorway she uses seven times a day,” Libarikian says. “I wanted her first experience entering the house to feel beautiful.

The same attention to emotional experience shaped the home gym, a space that transforms what could have been a utilitarian basement room into a serene wellness retreat. Inspired in part by New York Pilates in Bridgehampton, Libarikian de- signed a glowing architectural environment using concealed lighting, sculptural arches and softly illuminated mirrors.

The breakfast area pairs a custom Libarikian Interiors banquette upholstered in Osborne & Little’s Allegro Petal with a travertine Aero table from RH, accented by Avaline chairs in Dedar’s Summertime and the client’s artwork.

“Many luxury gyms in the Hamptons have incredible ocean views, but we were in the basement with no natural light,” she says. “So I thought: How do we create that same emotional feeling through lighting?”

The result feels less like a basement gym and more like a calming meditation studio. Hidden illumination allows the room to glow softly without the harshness of recessed ceiling lights, while pale materials and warm wood detailing maintain continuity with the rest of the home.

“I wanted her to actually want to be down there,” Libarikian says. “When a space feels good, you’re more likely to use it.”

That emotional intuition—the idea that design should shape not only how a home looks but how it supports daily rituals— is central to Libarikian’s work. Before founding her studio, the designer worked in fine-art film photography, an influence that continues to inform her approach to interiors today.

In the primary bedroom, a custom bed by Libarikian Interiors, upholstered in Holly Hunt’s Cloud Nine Velvet, stands against Dedar’s Alter Ego wallcovering and coordinating drapery. Vintage furnishings add character, while pillows in Métaphores’ Escale Rosée fabric and a bench upholstered in Dedar’s Per Inciso complete the layered retreat.

“Film photography has always felt very romantic to me,” she says. “It relies on light, composition and trust. You can’t preview the final image.”

The parallels between photography and interior design be- come evident throughout the residence. Light shifts dramatically throughout the day across cerused oak cabinetry, textured plaster walls and the blue-gray surfaces of the rotunda. Each room feels carefully composed yet never overly controlled.

“There’s a tactile quality to both,” Libarikian says. “You’re crafting an experience through materials, light and emotion.”

Layered with artwork by Mara De Luca, Erik de Bree and John Sheppard, alongside ceramics by Marea Hildebrand and furnishings from Holly Hunt, Gregorius Pineo and Dedar, the home ultimately resists the performative perfection often associated with luxury design. Instead, it feels person- al—deeply connected to the client’s lifestyle while remaining timeless in its architectural language.

As Lichten puts it, “We took what was really a very ordi nary house and made it special.”