Go Inside a Revitalized Architectural Marvel in Southampton

Paola Singer
·9 min read

Interior designers often find inspiration in the architectural style of the properties they are renovating. But in the case of this oceanfront home in Southampton, the architecture was so distinctive that it would have been impossible not to acquiesce to it. “I let the house tell me what it needed,” says Manhattan-based designer Wesley Moon. “There were a lot of really strange details, like windows that lean forward, off-center skylights, and also a play on heights that was really interesting.”

Built in the early 1980s by Norman Jaffe, an architect who achieved renown through a series of sculptural Hamptons residences, the home looks like a jagged companion to the sand dunes surrounding it, and was cleverly named Xanadune. Its walls are made of cut boulders and glass panes, many of them steeply slanted to follow the angle of the monumental shingled roof. Its owners, a couple with four grown kids, wanted to update the home and create an easeful atmosphere reflecting the colors of the seaside landscape. “We bought the house because we fell in love with Jaffe’s architecture,” says the husband. “The interior combines multiple levels with a wide array of geometric shapes throughout. The living room is dramatic with its soaring ceiling, while the lower bedrooms are cozy and inviting.”

In the sunken living room, which is part of a vast open space with ceilings that rise up to 30 feet, Moon created a set of side-by-side parlors. “It’s a very angular house, and I felt it needed a softer edge,” says the designer about the soothing color palette, largely inspired by the surrounding seascape. Right next to the fireplace, he placed two oyster-hued loveseats with wraparound ebonized legs. The Jean de Merry coffee table between them has bronze legs and a shagreen leather top. In the foreground we see a curvaceous armchair by Georgis & Mirgorodsky for Maison Gerard.
The colors of the sand and seashells on the beach, as well as the stones on the wall, informed the dining room’s decor. Moon designed this cast-resin table with an inset glass top. “I wanted a table that would feel architectural, but not heavy,” he says. “I settled on this amber resin with a smoky effect. It reminded me of the waves washing up on the beach.” The Vladimir Kagan “sculpted sling” chairs were upholstered in an ivory acrylic yarn from Link and a handwoven ikat from Bermingham & Co.

One of the most significant changes Moon made, in addition to renovating the kitchen and bathrooms, was refinishing 12,000 square feet of oak panels that cover many of the walls and ceilings of the home. After a monthslong process that involved stripping, bleaching, wire-brushing, and refinishing the formerly tawny wood with a flaxen stain, the property acquired a breezier and more modern feel. “I wanted a contemporary space, not an ’80s revival,” says the designer. “The house was so contemporary when it was built, I thought I’d continue in that spirit.” 

For Moon, who studied architecture at Georgia Tech and worked at two major interiors studios in New York City before starting his own practice in 2008, choosing the furniture for this unusual dwelling was not as arduous as one might think. “Each space is very unique, so there were not that many options in terms of layout,” he says. “I did have to be careful about making sure the proportions were right.” The master bedroom, for example, isn’t rectangular and has only one uninterrupted wall to place the bed against. But the main living area, an extensive space with ceilings that rise up to 30 feet, offered myriad possibilities. To create a sense of intimacy amid such vast volume, Moon designed cozy side-by-side parlors, taking advantage of a sunken section next to the fireplace. One has a set of oyster-hued loveseats with wraparound wooden legs; the other has a thickly structured pillowed sofa upholstered in nude leather and a velvety sand-hued fabric. 

“We usually have a full house of family and friends during the summer and wanted to create a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere,” says the wife, adding that it was important for guests to feel they could “flow” through the common areas of the house. This outdoor deck just outside the dining room is furnished with a pair of Franck sofas by Sutherland Furniture in weathered teak.

“I picked pieces that were either architectural or had a detail that you may not notice at first,” says Moon. “As for the colors, I looked to the beach and brought that palette inside.” References to the sand and the seashells that surround the property are seen throughout the home, especially in the dining room, where an elongated cast-resin table shimmers like a conch, as does the crystal and molten-glass chandelier above it. Right outside is a deck with a fire pit and light teak armchairs. “We usually have a full house of family and friends during the summer and wanted to create a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere,” says the wife, adding that it was important for guests to feel they could “flow” through the common areas of the house. “The overall design is very cohesive—it encourages social interaction and maximum fun.”

Go Inside a Revitalized Architectural Marvel in Southampton

Xanadune, a residence built in the early 1980s by Norman Jaffe, looks like an angular counterpart to the beach dunes of Southampton. Its owners, a couple with four grown kids, were drawn to the unusual architecture of the house, which includes a variety of sharp angles, multiple levels, and offbeat geometric shapes. Manhattan-based designer Wesley Moon updated the interiors without compromising their original style. In the family room, Moon paired a sectional sofa by Egg Collective with a Hellman-Chang swivel chair. Both were upholstered in textured sand-hued fabrics. The sculptural table lamp is a Nacho Carbonell Green Cocoon light, made of steel branches covered in a steel mesh shaped with the artist’s custom plaster mix of sand and textile hardener; the lamp was purchased at Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
To complement the metal pool table, which came with the house, Moon commissioned a suspended lamp in darkened brass and marble from Liaigre, and designed a built-in banquette with leather armrests and cerused oak wooden trays.
In the sunken living room, which is part of a vast open space with ceilings that rise up to 30 feet, Moon created a set of side-by-side parlors. “It’s a very angular house, and I felt it needed a softer edge,” says the designer about the soothing color palette, largely inspired by the seascape surrounding the house. Right next to the fireplace, he placed two oyster-hued loveseats with wraparound ebonized legs. The Jean de Merry coffee table between them has bronze legs and a shagreen leather top. In the forefront we see a curvaceous armchair by Georgis & Mirgorodsky for Maison Gerard.
The fully renovated kitchen features custom cabinets covered in Kinon panels sanded to a matte finish. The barstool is an Ingrid Donat design from Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
The colors of the sand and seashells on the beach, as well as the stones on the wall, informed the dining room’s decor. Moon designed this cast-resin table with an inset glass top. “I wanted a table that would feel architectural, but not heavy,” he says. “I settled on this amber resin with a smoky effect. It reminded me of the waves washing up on the beach.” The Vladimir Kagan “sculpted sling” chairs were upholstered in an ivory acrylic yarn from Link and a handwoven ikat from Bermingham & Co.
“We usually have a full house of family and friends during the summer and wanted to create a welcoming, relaxing atmosphere,” says the wife, adding that it was important for guests to feel they could “flow” through the common areas of the house. This outdoor deck just outside the dining room is furnished with a pair of Franck sofas by Sutherland Furniture in weathered teak.
“Each space is very unique, so there were not that many options in terms of layout,” says the designer. “I did have to be careful about making sure the proportions were right.” The master bedroom, for example, isn’t rectangular and has only one uninterrupted wall to place the bed against. The custom bed, upholstered in a handmade striped fabric from Chapas Textiles, was fabricated by Jonas Workroom.
The walls of the renovated master bathroom feature Waterworks’ Claypaper handmade tiles in pewter glossy wash. Gascogne mosaics, also from Waterworks, cover the floor.
An office with a view: When duty calls, Moon’s clients work at this walnut-and-leather desk from Troscan. The low quilted sectional is from Michel Ducaroy’s Togo line, a Ligne Roset classic, and the ceramic coffee table is a vintage piece by Roger Capron.
Norman Jaffe’s unusual architectural details, such as the use of slanted windows, is seen in the attic, where Moon placed two Verner Panton rocking chairs from 1974. “It was a collaboration between me, the client, and the house,” says the designer about the look of the home. “I didn’t tend to do something typical or expected, just like the architect didn’t intend to do that.”
Next to the main five-bedroom house is an annex for guests with three bedrooms and a lounge. The custom banquette under the window, built by Jonas Workroom, is upholstered in a cotton-linen-mohair blend from Chapas Textiles. The pudgy club chairs were designed by Pierre Paulin and produced by Ralph Pucci.
In this unevenly shaped guest bedroom, Patricia Urquiola’s Biknit chaise fits nicely into a windowside nook and harmonizes with the shapely look of the wood-framed bed from Skram. Above the bed is a wall sculpture by Lea Nordstrom made of hand-built porcelain bits, from Cocobolo Gallery.
This powder room got a light makeover: An existing vanity was refinished by La Polla Designs and topped with a Kohler Antilia Wading Pool glass sink. The pendants are from Hersh Design.
This bedroom, used by one of the couple’s kids, has a new sleeping loft conceived by the designer to accommodate overnight guests. The downstairs bed, with its wraparound headboard, is part of the Dubois system by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada.
Like the rest of the house, the shape of the pool is anything but standard. Architect Norman Jaffe, who lived in the ’70s and ’80s in Bridgehampton, achieved fame through a series of sculptural beachfront residences.
Like the rest of the house, the shape of the pool is anything but standard. Architect Norman Jaffe, who lived in the ’70s and ’80s in Bridgehampton, achieved fame through a series of sculptural beachfront residences.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest