Studio Notes: On Site in the Hamptons

A week on the East End, documenting the parts of the work that never appear in the final photographs.

Monday and Tuesday were substrate. Beach houses fight salt air, and the existing walls carried a chalky residue that had to be washed, neutralised and primed before any mineral finish could bond. Skipping that step is how a finish fails at year three rather than year thirty.

Wednesday was mixing and sampling in the garage, boards propped against the doors to dry in ocean light rather than under work lamps. Two greiges were rejected for going green against the reclaimed oak floors.

Thursday and Friday were application — three coats of limewash across the main living volume, worked in long vertical passes with the windows open and a fan running to manage humidity.

What stays with you from a week like this is the pace. The finish takes two days; making the wall ready to receive it takes three. That ratio is the craft.