Background

Located on Long Island, conveniently close to New York City, Seawane interviewed a number of design firms for its renovation, most of them notable firms from the city. However, it was the Chambers approach — enduring and beautiful design, practicality, functionality — that won the project.

Our Approach

Seawane lacked a comfortable, inviting gathering place for members, a "club living room". In addition, the club was designed so that many of the rooms could be opened to each other to form a vast single space, so the furniture in each of the rooms, while needing to be right for that area, had to work in other, contiguous spaces. Chambers first added a distinctive circular gathering room to the clubhouse to give members a beautiful space to visit with each other, meet before meals or sports activities, or to simply relax. Furnishings throughout the club were designed to be distinctive and practical, but to be able to "migrate" from room to room without being visually jarring so that when the doors were opened, room to room, a beautiful vista was created inside the club. And, Chambers evaluated existing antiques and reproductions to determine those to maintain, how to appropriately restore them, and how to best use them.

Results

While the interiors have been maintained as designed, Chambers has been asked back periodically to update and create, both inside the clubhouse and out. One major program was to help the club create outdoor spaces just as beautiful and functional as the interiors, which Chambers has accomplished with covered areas, outdoor fireplaces, and comfortable, practical seating. Currently a new, full-service outdoor kitchen has been planned for future construction, which will add to the indoor/outdoor functionality of Seawane for years to come.