Story by Emily Andren
Photos by Ivy D. Photography, Inc.
Before putting this lovely house on the market, the owners realized that buyers looking at an empty house often have difficulty visualizing it as home, so they turned to Rosalba Campitiello and William Johnson, founder and partner of East End Interiors in St. James. The owners had worked with them before and were familiar with the firm's extensive portfolio of projects and its track record of meeting short deadlines without compromising on excellence. In less than seven months, Campitiello and Johnson designed and completed the most important rooms beautifully in a way that would appeal to buyers.
The design was finished in two months, but the execution was challenging, Johnson says.
"Every time we found something we loved, we had to negotiate with the owners of the company to have it immediately. Sometimes we succeeded, and sometimes we didn't."
Unable to get a magnificent pair of one-of-a-kind urns they saw in an antique show room, the designers located similar ones imported from Spain. Because of their longtime relationships with manufacturers, they were able to get introductory showroom pieces for upcoming collections. East End Interiors also has its own showroom and a large inventory to draw on.
"When we started, we could have chosen from a wide array of color palettes, but we felt that neutral colors would be best for the resale value," Johnson comments. "Rather than colors that some buyers wouldn't like."
Every room was designed to be elegant and comfortable, which the designers accomplished with an artful combination of contemporary and traditional elements where neither predominates.
Throughout the house, the flooring is African bloodwood, a luxurious wood with tantalizing deep red hues. It is warm and has a lovely sheen.
In the great room, a contemporary painting entitled "Sublime" was the starting point for the rest of the décor.
"The great room is elegant, but has touches of warmth that make it open to whoever would buy the house," Campitiello says. "Every piece is interesting to contemplate,
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