admin The architecture and design found in Montauk are by no means monolithic: across the fisherman and surfer town, modernist manses sit alongside mid-century “Leisurama” houses which are down the rugged coastline from historic McKim, Mead, and White shingled cottages. Its eclecticism is what makes Montauk, well, Montauk: a town with an artistic, unpretentious aura and a rich nautical history.
Yet, if there’s any interior designer that could capture a sliver of its multifaceted soul, it’s Robert McKinley: the principal of Studio McKinley and a Montauk resident himself. He masterminded the interiors of local hotspots The Surf Lodge and Ruschmeyers, as well as several high-profile residential homes. And lately, along with his wife Kate Nauta, he’s been transforming beach houses in the hamlet into “McKinley Bungalows”—or curated, rentable residences where everything inside is both impeccably curated and available to purchase.
GLEN ALLSOP
Just take their latest refurb: a cedar-shingled beauty that sits upon a rocky bluff overlooking Fort Pond Bay; wander outside, and you’ll find a meandering wooden path that takes you to a beach covered in stone. Yet somehow, the insides are even more captivating: a cream wood-paneled living room is adorned with a De Sede Snake sofa and original Hans Wegner folding chairs, whereas a round dining table is flanked with monastic chairs by an unknown maker in Spain from the 1960s. A den has a travertine marble table with a base made of salvaged wood from a Long Island shipyard which McKinley designed himself for his furniture line Monea, as well as bamboo light fixtures that use the same provider as Gucci does for their famous handbags. Upstairs bedrooms feature Noguchi pendant lights and Joe Colombo floor lamps. A master bedroom, meanwhile, has Aeo Armchairs by Paolo Deganello. “They kind of look like they’re for an airplane,” says McKinley.
