Interior Designer Dan Mazzarini and his husband, Andy Grover, had done a project in Greenport, NY for a friend, at a hotel called American Beech. The work brought Mazzarini and Grover out to the east end of Long Island for a weekend. Grover said, “This is a great little town. We should live here.” They went online and found a house they liked and called the broker.
Although he wanted to show them a bunch of houses, “I said that this was the only one we needed to see,” said Mazzarini. They bought it right away.
Transforming History at a 120-Year-Old Greenport Home
They are only the home’s second owners, it having previously been in the same family since it was built. “We liked the history of the house generally, but it was definitely a ‘before’ project,” says Mazzarini. “The house needed a new lease on life.” Mazzarini and Grover were in sync about most aspects of the renovation and decoration.
However, Mazzarini wanted to paint the floors white, and Grover’s diplomatic response was, “What if we don’t paint all the floors?” (They ended up painting some.) The only other disagreement was about the stone for the countertops in the kitchen. Mr. Mazzarini prevailed.
According to Mazzarini, designers are fancy hoarders, so he had some things in storage that they used in the house, including a pair of twin beds, now in a guest room, that were from his mother’s childhood. A second guest room contains his parents’ former bed.
All in all, the saved inventory made up about half the furnishings, and new items the other half, many sourced locally in Greenport shops.
Additionally, the kitchen features custom cabinets, stone floors, and the aforementioned countertops in Arabescato marble, with a center island he bought on Chairish. Above that is an industrial light fixture from Poland. “We’re big entertainers. Andy likes to cook. I like to shake the cocktails and set a good table.”
Indulging in Modernism
Renovation of the sunroom, originally covered in sheet rock and wallpaper, revealed original bead-board, which he calls “a really fun gift with purchase.” (They also found a baseball card from 1937. Sadly, it wasn’t of Babe Ruth.) They didn’t strip the wood but painted it glossy white. The sofa came from a sample sale and the armchair from a local shop.
Looking in the living room, an abundance of seating gives options depending on the time of day. The two chairs came from flea markets in Paris, the sofa is new, and the table is from Ralph Lauren Home, where Mazzarini used to work.
In the primary bedroom, painted a moody gray, a locally sourced dresser and chair sit on an indoor-outdoor striped rug. Drapes are custom in Holland and Sherry wool. There is no primary bath; rather, the three bedrooms share one, which was gutted during renovation, and now features a custom vanity with a stone top and a pair of Visual Comfort sconces. Downstairs, a second full bath has cabinets made from the same wood as those in the kitchen.
The dining room table is from the Paris flea market, and the black chairs came from a sample sale. The gray chair was found by Mazzarini’s mother in a neighbor’s garbage. He had the legs refinished and the whole thing reupholstered.
While keeping with the providence theme, during the renovation the couple spotted a Mercedes on the side of the road. It turned out to be for sale, and they bought it the next day. “You really can find everything locally that you need on the North Fork,” says Mazzarini.
Story by Stephen Treffinger
Photography by Reid Rolls
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