Knocking Down Walls Transformed This Westhampton Home

When top designer Vicente Wolf started reimagining this space for a family that had vacationed here for years, he took the time to focus on what was working and what wasn't to completely alter the living space.

June 21, 2021

By: Kassondra Cloos

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Photo By: Vicente Wolf

How Opening Up The Floor Plan Totally Changed This House

When some of New York designer Vicente Wolf’s long-time clients wanted to refresh the look of their Westhampton home, he looked at the space and decided to start with the basics. He saw potential in not just giving the home’s decor a facelift, but in opening up the space to completely change the way they lived in it. He took down a wall in the main first floor living area so the family could cook, dine and entertain all in the same big room, and he chose a super-neutral color palette to keep the focus on the stunning views from the home. We asked Vicente how you can use his principles in your own mission to refresh your space.

The Understated Design Draws the Eye to the Stunning Views Outdoors

Vicente went with a neutral palette here to really emphasize the views from the home’s large windows. Located in Westhampton, on Long Island, the house has views of wetlands just outside, with towering grasses. Just beyond, you can watch boats sailing, and at sunset, the whole house gets a beautiful pink glow. “I wanted, when you came in, to not have anything distract from the outside,” Vicente says. “By keeping it neutral, it sort of focuses your eye to the exterior.”

Vicente Removed These Walls by the Stairs to Open Up the Space

Vicente took down the wall to the right and the one covering part of the stairs as part of the redesign of this home. “There were a lot of walls,” he says. “All these different rooms — dining rooms, living rooms, hallways — so opening it up was my way of dealing with making it feel more contemporary and less '50s [or] '60s.” He also painted the ceiling in a semi-gloss to give the space an even more open and reflective feel. Now, the dining room opens into the kitchen, so when the family is entertaining guests, it’s all happening in one large room and everyone stays connected.

Before: Prior to Vicente Taking Down Walls, This Space Felt Closed Off

In this before picture, you can get a better sense of the coastal views Vicente wanted to emphasize by creating minimal visual distractions on the inside of the house. You can also see the original terra-cotta floors of the home, which he had sanded to remove the glaze, then stained black to completely change their look.

Before: In a Redesign, Focus on What Works, and What Doesn't, Vicente Advises

If you’re at the early stages of figuring out a redesign, spend some time thinking about what works about your space and what doesn’t. In this home, Vicente’s first move was to remove the wall behind the stairs to the bedrooms, which you can see in this before image. Whenever he takes on a new job, his first challenge is to figure out what the underlying problems are, he says. “If there are problems in a room, putting a new sofa is not going to change it,” he says. “It is better to focus on what works and what doesn’t work. Try to open it up to have the most amount of light, especially if it’s a smaller space. See what walls can be taken down to give you a sense of a larger room.”

Measure Everything and Make a Furniture Plan Before You Get Started

Before you start thinking about what kind of furniture you want to buy, measure your space and make a furniture plan that works for your needs and for your space. “You don’t buy furniture without having a plan — it’s like starting cooking without knowing what you’re going to cook,” Vicente says. “It’s pennywise and pound foolish to buy just by your eye.”

Semi-Gloss Paint Helps Light Reflect More Naturally

Vicente also wanted to put a visual emphasis on the fireplace in the living room, so the artwork and decor in this room are minimal. The stark white, semi-gloss paint he used gives the space almost a museum-like feel. Vicente opted against statement fixtures that would distract from the outdoor views and instead used track lighting for a diffused light source. The gray swivel chairs are from B&B Italia.

Vicente Designed the Furniture in the Living Room to Perfectly Fit the Space

Vicente designed the furniture in the living area specifically for his clients, including the sofa and coffee table, which has a polished silver base and Pelle Grigio marble top. Knowing what you want can be hard if you’re not working with a professional who can help you figure out solutions to the issues you have with your space. But Vicente says it’s important to sit down and figure out the big picture. “You should zero in on what look you’re going after, so you don’t end up with a disconnected situation,” Vicente says. “I think the mistakes most people make is they don’t think about the total picture. You have to think of how do all of these work together, not just, 'I like this, I like that.' It has to have a cohesive sense, it has to balance at scale, shape and form.”

Supplementing With Catalog Furniture Pieces Helped Vicente Stay On Budget

This home has three bedrooms and a den that can be converted into a guest room, and four and a half baths. Vicente’s focus was on the entertaining areas of the home’s first floor, so he personally designed custom furniture to fit the space. To stay on budget for the project, Vicente chose much of the furniture for the bedrooms, and a few pieces less critical for entertaining — like this chest of drawers from Restoration Hardware — from more affordable sources.

Upstairs, Soft Textiles Stay Consistent With the Living Room Design

Most of the focus of the redesign was on the main living area of the first floor of the house, but the bedrooms got a refresh, as well. Textiles here, like these soft gray window treatments and bed linens from Matouk, offer a cohesive look with the rest of the home. The mirrors Vicente placed here open up the space in this bedroom without distracting from those exterior views. A photograph Vicente took himself hangs opposite.

Before: Keep an Open Mind as You Start Your Own Redesign Process

This is what one of the bedrooms looked like before Vicente refreshed the look with brighter paint, giving it a cooler vibe. If you’re embarking on your own project, keep an open mind. “It was such a pleasure working with people that understood the fact that it wasn’t just about bringing a new sofa in, but about looking at the environment and thinking, what is it that is going to really alter their lifestyle?” he says. “Knowing that when they were living in that space, it wasn’t working well for them, and that it needed something besides just furniture, that it needed to be looked at with a fresh point of view… it was good to have that.”

Vicente Explains How to Analyze Space and Needs

Before Vicente starts designing, he spends a lot of time asking his clients about their lifestyle, their likes and dislikes, their needs. “I try to create the sense of couture, the sense that what you’re creating is created specifically for that client — their height, their weight, how old they are, how they entertain,” he says. He asks people how often they have guests, and if they like to throw parties or just have a few people over at a time. He asks whether they have allergies, what colors they love and hate, whether they like soft or rough fabrics — the list goes on. You can do this, too. Ask yourself, he suggests, if you like light-colored wood or dark-colored wood, for example, and then only spend your time looking at pieces that perfectly match that criteria.

Simple Tips to Refresh Your Own Home on a Budget

Vicente says he’s noticed people spending a lot more time thinking about work-from-home backgrounds — what people see behind them on Zoom calls. As people update their spaces, he’s also noticed them opting more for color themes that offer a sense of lightness, rather than something intense. A fairly easy thing you can do yourself if you’re looking for a low-budget way to improve your space quickly? “Eliminate clutter,” Vicente says. For example, if you have a collection of seashells, keep them all together. “Try to create a cohesive sense of the things you have in your home that you’ve collected.” Swapping out dark-colored walls for a lighter coat of paint can go a long way, he says, and sometimes simply rearranging can, too. “Just consider how you can put furniture together that creates a more conducive [area] for people to sit and talk to each other.”

Knocking Down Walls Transformed This Westhampton Home

Related To:

Shop This Look

How Opening Up The Floor Plan Totally Changed This House

The Understated Design Draws the Eye to the Stunning Views Outdoors

Vicente Removed These Walls by the Stairs to Open Up the Space

Before: Prior to Vicente Taking Down Walls, This Space Felt Closed Off

Before: In a Redesign, Focus on What Works, and What Doesn't, Vicente Advises

Measure Everything and Make a Furniture Plan Before You Get Started

Semi-Gloss Paint Helps Light Reflect More Naturally

Vicente Designed the Furniture in the Living Room to Perfectly Fit the Space

Supplementing With Catalog Furniture Pieces Helped Vicente Stay On Budget

Upstairs, Soft Textiles Stay Consistent With the Living Room Design

Before: Keep an Open Mind as You Start Your Own Redesign Process

Vicente Explains How to Analyze Space and Needs

Simple Tips to Refresh Your Own Home on a Budget

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