Homespun in the Hamptons by guest blogger Kelly Kole

I will admit I am a transplanted Yankee living happily in the South since 1986. However, I have spent every summer of my 44 years in Westhampton, NY. They are memories filled with the smell of the bay, the sounds of the purple martins chirping every morning and the water lapping on the bulkhead, the excitement of pulling up the crab traps, sunset cocktail cruises, farm stand veggies and the satisfying feeling of long days spent in the sun with those most dear to us.

(Yes, that’s me in the middle with my sisters—snapper fishing with a cardigan on?!)

It is kind of apropos that I be asked to write this blog for New York Spaces Magazine the year that after 6 generations living on a family compound, my parents have decided to sell their bay side retreat that was built for my great, great grandmother in 1947. (To learn more about the sale of the house, click HERE.

My Mom and Dad have purchased a home in Quogue just two doors down from my Dad’s childhood home (funny how life comes full circle).  Quogue is only a few miles from Westhampton so I spent many afternoons as a kid visiting my Grandma and eating “Chesters” for lunch at the Quogue Beach Club (oh yum!). Quogue is so quaint—I’ve always loved the wide streets, the established homes and the feeling of a “neighborhood”. I don’t think it gets the attention it deserves—everybody is always touting the Hamptons.

Literally 100 yards from our new house is a tiny street of perfection—a market, an ice cream shop, a t-shirt shop, a baker, and my new fave place—Homespun.

You know when you meet someone and you instantly know that if you lived closer to each other, you’d be the best of friends? That’s how I feel about the owner of this fantastic little boutique—Elizabeth Donnarumma. Elizabeth knows every customer that walks into her store by name, is passionate about the products she sells and personally runs Homespun until 7pm every day in the summer months.

Elizabeth must have thought I was a stalker because I went back into Homespun four times to purchase birthday and hostess gifts! As a designer, I shop for a living so honestly, most shops are a snore for me. I appreciate the time and energy Elizabeth puts into finding merchants that sell unique products that have a great story behind them.

I love these whimsical little handbags with hand-stitched details and a signature brooch designed by Sarah Oliver Handbags. Demand for Sarah’s hand knit bags was so great that she turned to her local retirement community and found a talented group of knitters to help her keep up. The Purlette’s have become the backbone of Sarah’s company. Watch this video about their story—it’s wonderful.

I drooled over the jewelry. My sister bought a “morse code” necklace for my daughter for her 16th birthday. It’s says “beach” in morse code. What a great memory piece of our vacation this year!  

I could have purchased every one of these tunics!

How about this book illustrated (there are no words) by Suzy Lee? It’s the story of a sunny day, a curious little girl and a playful wave. Here’s where Elizabeth puts her personal touch on everything she sells—she recommends to her customers that they purchase the book as a guest book. It’s got plenty of white space among the illustrations—I’LL TAKE ONE!

So this summer, as you venture out to the island to vacation, stop by and visit Homespun. Located at 142 Jessup Avenue, Quogue. It’s fun to make new friends!

Kelly Kole participated in Kravet's second annual Blogfest. New York Spaces offered five design bloggers the opportunity to submit a guest blog on our site. We LOVE the post Kelly Kole!
Kelly Kole is the co-founder of Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc.