Color. It contributes to the mood in a space, its total feeling. Turquoise might be my favorite color. It is aquatic and tropical without being hot. In fact, it’s cool, reminiscent of sea breezes and shimmering sunlight on water. It makes for vibrant stones and summer skies.
On the East End, turquoise shows itself in the cool surf-inspired hangouts of Montauk, in Swedish-run inns and Mexican restaurants. We’re drawn to its energy like we are to the ocean, drawn to that from which we came in an effervescent glow. Here are a few solid examples of odes to turquoise:
c/o Maidstone
c/o Maidstone was originally constructed just before the Civil War by early settlers. In the mid-1920s, the family home began service as a full-time inn becoming known as The Maidstone Arms, named after the old town name of East Hampton, “Maidstone.” Fact: East Hampton had originally been named after Maidstone in Kent, England. The area was considered a settlement of Connecticut until Long Island was formally declared part of New York and the name was eventually changed to Easthampton until 1885 when The East Hampton Star (our local newspaper) was founded and used two words: East Hampton. In 2008 the inn was purchased by Swedish hotelier Jenny Ljungberg.
Ljungberg gave new life to the inn with clean Swedish style and bursts of color. Red toile in the dining area, large prints of Africa and India, a gold ladies’ washroom dedicated to old Hollywood and a splash wall of turquoise in the shared living room, also the namesake of the inn’s fabulous restaurant with Swedish menu, The Living Room.
Black and white furniture, thick furry rugs and throws to cozy up in the colder seasons, and turquoise brings an energy that is arctic cool.
La Brisa
Anything can be ordered extra spicy at La Brisa at Tacombi Montauk, especially delicious for cocktails.
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The exterior bodes several turquoise picnic tables holding deep red Tabasco and chili sauces. The inside floor and tables are also painted turquoise. Shadowed coral block lettering on the wall reads “La Brisa.” Pineapples and exotic cervesas line the shelves while hip-shaking salsa tunes fill the room. Turquoise here is energy and vibrancy.
Surf Lodge
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The main entrance of The Surf Lodge has turquoise floors. When you walk in there is a giant piece of driftwood, a clip from Step Into Liquid or some other GoPro experience playing on the large projector screen and ahead, a view of Fort Pond. The open-air bar is reclaimed wood and the large outside deck is spacious and simple, aware the focus is the glistening water view. The blues and greens, sands and woods in the design are the colors and textures of beach living. Turquoise is the way it makes us feel in those mid-Springtime months as we begin to shed wintry hibernation and await the light summer season.
The Bus
Last, but not least, even the bus that gets folks without cars, with too much to drink, or even just up for a free ride around town, is turquoise. Riders, meet the Hamptons Hopper.
