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Upstairs in a Southampton house, Gil Schafer lives up to his old tricks: exquisite paintings of Colonial Revival mills, precisely proportioned molding profiles, and high-end stair beams much sought after in 18th-century Newport homes. Below, things are upside down: we are set in a world of theatrically lit ebony lacquers and netsuke skulls, stainless metal Louis XVI furniture and meandering suede benches. Welcome to Southampton’s most exclusive invitation, known to connoisseurs as Club Sandwich. Think of Mr. Chow in his own basement or a meditation on François Catroux’s early paintings, circa 1970 (Catroux was a friend of the circle of relatives and built two houses for those clients).
Lenny Kravitz owns a mythical box beneath his Paris mansion where he brings his scale actors after dinner to continue the party, and if a space on Long Island’s East End is big enough and close to the water, there’s a strong possibility of the story taking Prohibition position, there was a speakeasy in the basement. But the roots of this cellar lie in a night spent aboard Atlantis II, the Niarchos family’s 380-foot yacht, a staple of Monaco harbor for decades and rarely sailing unless refueling in Malta. A stop for a drink allowed travelers to appreciate the lacquered 70s atmosphere and motivated them to use their own basement for things other than washing machines and bicycle storage. At the time, they were running with Schafer in a fairly classic space on the surface, however, the plan for what lay beneath had become something quite different.
Schafer (whose third book, Home at Last, will be published this month through Rizzoli) has an occasional book in his office about German architect Cäsar Pinnau, designer of the ship Niarchos, but he’s the first to do so. indeed, a “client’s vision”: a unique collaboration, with a wonderful touch added through the Atelier Mériguet-Carrère, the prominent Parisian painters who provided the lacquer finishes; Le Manach, who made the traditional carpet; and above all the International Observatory, the lighting designer who created the atmosphere. Decorator Virginia Tupker, who was already on the paintings upstairs, assembled the pieces.
“There’s something about a basement that lets you throw out the rules,” the owner says. “Having grown up loving Pink Panther movies and Trader Vic’s, I wanted that kind of fun somewhere in our house. And how else was I going to challenge Gil? It wasn’t going to happen in the flower room. This was our big chance to loosen him up.”
Schafer admits that he takes limited pleasure in frequenting nightclubs, let alone designing one. So how did he manage to do that?Can you even get in? I’m a guy who goes to bed at 9:30 a. m. m. ,” he says. It’s smart for me. It’s one of my favorite spaces in the house. , because it’s glamorous in a way that the colonial revival can never be. And I think it works because it’s absolutely different from what’s above. Were you told anything? This darkness can be as vital as light. “
Speaking of which, it’s past 10 p. m. On a July afternoon and dinner ends in the garden. The couple who live here are very sociable and well-liked, and they love to entertain other people of all ages, especially outdoors. Amid whispers, champagne and stars, visitors come and go. in its blue gardens designed by Miranda Brooks. Everyone passes from home happy, but many have no idea of the real party that is about to start under their feet.
This story appears in the February 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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