[Our occasional series of five people, places or things that every Southforker should know.]
You’ve got the house but do you have what it takes to make it a home? Whether you’re furnishing a new purchase, spiffying up the old place or needing to personalize your seasonal rental, here are some tried and true home-decor places that are South Fork by design.
Fishers Home Furnishings, 144 Main St., Sag Harbor, 631-725-0006
This storefront tucked into the village’s iconic Main Street for over 40 years is a go-to for comfy upholstered furniture, classics in a range of styles from cottage to country and more exotic conversation pieces. Don’t like what you see in the showroom? Just ask for a creation you can call your own with their in-house custom design and drafting services (check out the gorgeous live-edge slab tables if that’s your thing.) Have something you and maybe your kids and/or dog loved a little too much? Bring it in for pro refinishing. Then, once you have your new or refurbished anchor pieces, come back for the accents—coffee and side tables, lighting, wall mirrors, accessories and textiles.
Fredric Bernstein, 71 Menantic Road, Shelter Island, 917-318-1239
If Bernstein’s store looks like an art gallery with pieces you can’t resist, it’s with good reason: the proprietor once worked as a visual merchandiser at Macy’s and Bergdorf Goodman, so he knows a thing or two about creating tableaus that tell a story and maybe even tug at the heart. His personal passion for mid-century mod resulted in a large personal furniture collection, leading him to open shop on the island and becoming a top 1st Dibs dealer. Come here for your Mad Men-era fix, designer chairs (Thonet, Le Corbusier, for example), decorative objects, atomic chandeliers and other groovy lighting, art and art glass, and pro design advice. As a stylist for numerous features in international magazines, Bernstein brings a keen and refined curator’s eye to his shop—and your home. Even kids’ rooms get the designer’s touch.
Hildreth’s Home Goods, 51 Main St., Southampton, 631-283-2300
Since 1842, this is the emporium Southforkers have turned to for adorning their homes inside and out. Family owned from the beginning, this is the place to come for outfitting all the creature comforts for your own family—from baby cribs to a variety of traditional and contemporary bedroom furniture, all the linens and trimmings. It’s truly a whole-house store with furniture for every room and a stylish mix of accent pieces (coffee and side tables, ottomans and benches). An experienced design and décor staff is on hand to help mix and match or accessorize to your tastes. The line of spa products include brands such as Molton Brown, Nest, Southampton Soap Company, and from the UK, Fikkerts, another century-plus family-owned business specializing in natural skincare.
Ram Design, 181 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island, 631-749-5067
Newly re-opened is this highly curated home boutique with an artisanal eye on well-crafted furniture, gallery-quality photographs, custom art pieces and textiles, including a lush range of beach towels. With a focus on unique pieces from producers around the world and as a showcase for New York artists (Shelter Island is represented by ceramics artists Lora Lomuscio and Alice Klaris, fiber artist Nancy Winarick, and photographer Adam Bundy), the boutique mashes up super high end, artistry and a lot of fun. Designer collections include dramatic contemporary furniture from Ralph Lauren alum Alfredo Paredes, lighting by Natan Moss Design and a limited but fun collection of bright Lucite accessories. Interspersed among the goods are one-of-a-kind finds such as a vintage teak tabletop “objet” set or an African carved bowl.
Rumrunner, 62 Hampton Road, Southampton (631) 287-0583; 330 Montauk Highway, Wainscott, 631-725-1379
With two locations, this half-century-old purveyor of home furnishings and finishes offers a range of styles from coastal chic to country cottage. While it’s not quote A to Z, it comes pretty close: There are beds, benches and bookcases and desks, dining sets and dressers. Also sofas, stools and sidebars. Outside, you can go old school upstate with Adirondack chairs or more contemporary with eco-mindedness with brands such as Cavendish Watson Fine Teak, which works with Indonesia’s Perum Perhutani, a state-owned forest conservancy that manages teak forests now and for the future; and CR Plastics, which uses recycled plastics in an effort to divert plastics from landfills and to help conserve forests otherwise harvested
