Design: The Fursts' Creative Nest

The homes of many creative people have appeared on these pages and it is always interesting to see how the sensibilities and thought processes that aid homeowners in their professions are reflected in the way they live.

There are the practical aspects: A fine artist will have a studio while a chef will focus on the kitchen. And there are the more subtle requirements of atmosphere and ambiance.

On Hampton Street in Sag Harbor, Karen and Alan Furst have collaborated on a simple house that far transcends their basic need for work space and provides an inviting haven, a quiet retreat for creative thinking, and a comfortable gathering place for colleagues and friends.

Detail And Clarity

Mr. Furst is a writer, the author of spy novels set in Europe. The latest, "The World at Night," takes place in Paris during World War II and is filled with fine descriptions of la vie francaise.

Five years of living in France has tuned his ear and eye, and, not least, his taste. Personal interactions, spicy conversation, architectural details, and, indeed, flavors and aromas are avidly collected for his mental archives and affect his daily decisions, whether it be the scene in the next chapter of his latest book or buying an antique throw for the living room.

Mrs. Furst is a landscape designer with clients in the U.S. and Europe. Her clarity of vision, essential in dealing with vast landscapes, also plays within the confines of her house, a spareness and regard for space that makes the small house seem larger. An earlier career in fashion has also contributed an appreciation of textiles, colors, and patterns.

Creams, Tans, Red

Their home is a gable-ended, clapboard house with a porch out front facing the busiest thoroughfare in Sag Harbor Village. A tall hedge at the street and plain muslin curtains on the living room windows muffle the sound of traffic and filter the light to create a quiet and intimate atmosphere.

The furnishings have been gathered here and there, at yard sales, from parents, and from Sage Street Antiques just down the road. The patchwork throw on the sofa is made of squares of 19th-century cut velvet, probably leftovers from someone's bygone draperies. The larger pieces of upholstery are in neutral natural colors, cream and tans, and there are rattan chairs and darker wood tables. The warmth in the room comes from red, the cushions on the chairs and in the Oriental rugs on the floor.

One end of the room is wrapped with bookshelves and functions as a library with two comfortable chairs for reading.

Wainscoting Preserved

The dining room is very light with white painted chairs and a show-stopping sideboard, a painted piece from Mr. Hurst's mother's New York apartment, purchased from a decorator in the '30s. The pair of lamps on the buffet was found at a flea market in Paris. Mrs. Furst spent days hunting for new shades and ended up recovering the old frames with silk she sewed by hand.

Beyond the dining room is the kitchen, the only room completely renovated by the Fursts and by Anthony Hagen, a cabinetmaker. And even that was accomplished without gutting the original wainscoted walls.

All the new appliances with the exception of the refrigerator are located in the center island. Only one wall is taken up by storage and that consists of glass-doored cabinets over an old-fashioned counter on a set of drawers and tall pantry doors made of wainscoting to match the old walls.

Serendipity Helps

The island is configured to provide ample counter space; the sink is opposite the cook top and the dishwasher is opposite the oven, below the counter. Above it all hangs a large wooden pot rack with all the bulky pots and pans that would normally take up lots of storage space. The countertop itself is polished wild cherry wood in random widths, a beautiful backdrop for large party buffets.

The Fursts each have an office upstairs in two of the three bedrooms. All the rooms are uncluttered and simple. Mrs. Furst's desk chair is dressed in a slipcover of her own design and fashion tailoring, with two long slits in the back tied with bows to accommodate its round back shape.

The master bedroom is all white with sponge-painted nightstands and white marble lamps. Another lamp, a handsome silver oil lamp, is topped with a beautiful linen damask shade that smacks of a custom job.

"Not so," says Mrs. Furst, "it's just a lucky find at Hildreth's in Southampton!"

Which just proves that a good eye, careful thought, and some serendipity can work wonders along with a good dose of joie de vivre.