Ries Hayes Reimagines a Previous Hamptons Project for the Family’s Next Generation

The homeowners knew what a gem they had in the location of their Hamptons home, which is nestled in a gently rolling stretch between the ocean and Mecox Bay in Water Mill, New York. But with their children grown and starting families of their own, they realized the 6,000-square-foot residence, originally conceived by Thad Hayes in 2007, needed an update to give everyone a little breathing room. So in 2021, the husband and wife reached out to the designer and his business partner, David Ries, for a rethink.

“What started as a renovation to give the daughter and her growing family some space ended up becoming this to-the-studs new construction,” says Ries, who took over full control of the firm Ries Hayes midway through the project. “This thing just evolved and evolved.”

Once committed to a top-to-bottom overhaul, the team decided to transform the residence by moving the kitchen and living and dining areas up to the second floor to maximize the views. Plus, while the parents retained the heart of the home, new wings with separate kitchens, dining, and living areas were added for both the son and the daughter, expanding the L-shaped structure, clad in Brazilian Botucatu hardwood and stucco, to more than 20,000 square feet. “When you’re walking through it feels so cohesive,” says the designer, “but each ‘residence’ can fully function on its own.”

Textured flagstone walls extend from the outdoor areas into the entrance foyer, where a gentle water feature is punctuated by a linear Mario Dal Fabbro sculpture. Japanese modernist design cues such as slatted wood screens, bleached-oak cabinets, and matte tile work link the various spaces together. “Although there is a common thread throughout, there is a change in vibe,” says Ries, who implemented subtle shifts in fabrics and other materials as well as furniture to delineate each family member’s unique taste.

In the parents’ area, Ries introduced a beautiful staircase with floating treads to give the entry an element of architectural panache. He updated the rooms in dulcet earth tones, including plush taupe-colored rugs, beige sheers, and a Calacatta Gold marble that accents the kitchen and primary bath. “There’s definitely more texture and warmth added to the original design,” says Ries of the revamped interior.

Perched atop towering stilts, the couple’s primary suite projects out over a tranquil Zen garden by Warren’s Nursery in Water Mill. Their custom bed is composed of a leather headboard integrated into an oak surround Ries designed with built-in nightstands and cabinets. A pair of dazzling vintage Venini Esprit pendants and a vibrant Alison Manaut painting on the nearby wall lend visual splash. “We love doing these floating beds, and the family embraced it, so two of the primary bedrooms have that element,” says the designer. “Bringing the bed off the wall just pushes you that much closer to the view.”

For the son’s wing, Ries created a funky, casual lounge with unexpected material choices such as chrome Joseph D’Urso tables, nubby wall-to-wall carpeting, and curtains made from denim that matches a playful Rhys Coren wall work. Similar oak cabinetry in the kitchen is contrasted with high-gloss black countertops, while the main bath and powder room feature matte tile in charcoal gray. Inside the daughter’s section—which incorporates a spa-like lower-level gym—Ries embraced her love of color and more ambitious design choices. In addition to staining the paneling a deeper, moodier hue, he installed curtains awash in jewel tones and selected furniture in darker shades and plush seating covered in lively upholsteries such as a kaleidoscopic botanical print.

While much of the home’s architecture is new, the furnishings are mostly an amalgamation of past Ries Hayes collaborations with the owners, including the initial iteration of the Water Mill house and a residence at The Surf Club in Miami that the family sold during the Hamptons renovation. “Because they’re so consistent in their style and palette—and clearly they have phenomenal taste and great art—everything worked,” says Ries.

The artworks on display are a mix of pieces they already owned and new acquisitions, from a towering Jun Kaneko sculpture installed on the pool terrace to an assortment of John Pittman shadow boxes, crafted in striking daffodil yellow, that animate a nook off the main foyer. “These clients are so confident in their aesthetic, nothing was predecided, nothing was scaled out to fit the art,” Ries says.

A number of notable works surround the stairs in the parents’ entry, including an emerald green Jennifer Guidi painting, a misty Pat Steir canvas, and an illuminated fish sculpture by Frank Gehry. There’s also an ethereal Antony Gormley metal figure that casts mesmerizing shadow lines near the staircase landing, which hosts a trio of Toshiko Takaezu vessels.

Planned during the pandemic and completed just last year, the home is as impressive to the designer as it is to its occupants. “To have such an amazing, juicy project, figuring out how the three families were going to live together while making it feel like one home,” says Ries, “it was such a great puzzle to put together.”

1 | 7

Artful Eye

Read MoreRead Less

Since Ries Hayes had previously conceived residences for these homeowners in New York, Hawaii, and Miami, principal David Ries already had insight into their art collection, which includes pieces by Pat Steir, Richard Serra, and Tadashi Sato, whose colorful artwork hangs in the parents’ living room. “Each room is designed with a consistent palette of three or four hues at most. However, the color formula is shaken up with the clients’ art selections,” says Ries of the paintings and sculptures that migrated to the newly revamped address. “They gravitate toward pieces that are bold and intense, which ultimately energize each room.”

Photograph by JOSHUA McHUGH

In the study connected to the parents’ primary bedroom, light floods through the lattice base and reflects off the rivets embedded in the top of a 1970s Basilan table by Afra and Tobia Scarpa, who created this striking wood chair. “Their taste is cleaner, more modern, but in all the homes we’ve done for them, there’s this warmth,” says Ries of his clients’ style. “The dark tones of this Scarpa desk help define its form and truly enhance its sculptural quality.”

Photograph by COURTESY OF NILUFAR

The primary bath in the parents’ wing—complete with a sunny Alison Manaut painting over a tub by MTI Baths—adheres to many of the home’s design cues. “We always knew that the primary bath’s view of the water would be stunning so we designed a window inspired by Marcel Breuer to frame it,” Ries says. “The high-polished tile floor beautifully reflects the natural light, contrasting with the otherwise honed surfaces throughout.”

Photograph by JOSHUA McHUGH

All three wings open onto the pool terrace, where a newly acquired sculpture by Jun Kaneko adds visual interest. “He is a phenomenal Japanese American artist,” says Ries. “I’ve seen his work in smaller-scale sculptures, but this happens to be really big, and really cool.”

Photograph by JOSHUA McHUGH

Los Angeles artist Jennifer Guidi creates vibrant canvases that reverberate with their abstract chromatic patterns such as this 2016 work, Light In Light Out (Painted Yellow Sand SF #1E, Yellow and Orange). An emerald green example anchors a massive wall behind the parents’ main stair. “That canvas is such a knockout; it transformed the whole space,” says Ries. “The stair is very architectural, so the organic movement of the piece is a great juxtaposition.”

Photograph by FLYING STUDIO, COURTESY OF DAVID KORDANSKY GALLERY

The clients looked to pay homage to their Japanese heritage wherever possible, so Ries infused spaces with warm tones derived from Japanese landscapes, customizing panels of vertical wood slats and installing works by artists such as Toshiko Takaezu, whose expressively glazed vessels punctuate the stair in the parents’ quarters. “Any influence throughout all three residences that could have any Japanese inspiration was highly encouraged,” says Ries.

Ries devised this bedroom for the family’s adult daughter, layering a 1950s-era FontanaArte light fixture over wood paneling topped by a triptych that was a family art project. The room embraces her love of “color, color, color,” he says. “Because we know the family members so well, we kept their personalities in mind.”

Photograph by JOSHUA McHUGH

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2025 Fall Issue under teh headline “Extended Family.” Subscribe to the magazine.