Architect Preston Phillips

Bridgehampton architect Preston T. Phillips has never been afraid to GO BOLD when he goes home! With a discerning roster of tastemaker clients including fashion designer Regina Kravitz, whom he designed a summer home in Southampton for, and painter Lowell Nesbitt, for whom he created the ultimate upstate New York country house. “Modernist Design has always interested me,” says Preston. “I moved to NYC to work with Paul Rudolph as his apprentice, so that pretty much says it all. I do however love old buildings, particularly houses. As in people, one can, and should, learn a great deal from older homes.”

HRES: What inspired you to build your extraordinarily unique home?

Preston: I have always been fascinated by The De Stijl movement in Art & Architecture from the early 20th Century, and am very much drawn to the use of primary color and pure geometry in design. When I moved here I specifically looked for property where the house would not be visible until arrival.

HRES: Where did you acquire you love of gardening and green thumb skills?

Preston: Through visiting my grandparents farm in Alabama as a child. “Swapping” is less prevalent now, but in my grandparents’ day that was the only way to add something new to your garden, especially from other regions and climates. When friends and relatives would travel to visit each other, they would bring along a special plant, flower, or seed to share with their hostess. Many of the varieties of flowers that grow in my garden came to me in this fashion. I still give plants to interested friends.

HRES: Describe the interior design of your home? Which room is your favorite?

Preston: It is a Modern home, but every visitor remarks how warm and inviting it “feels”. I love the sky room. Regardless of the season or time of day, or night, it stands out. There is really nothing else quite like it, and “Marilyn” holding forth above the fireplace is always a showstopper.

 HRES: What made you decide to plant bamboo on your property?

Preston: Actually, Jack Larsen gave us eight stalks of his Golden Bamboo from Round House to plant as an entrance gate to our property. We dug it up put it in the back of a pickup truck and planted it the same day. It is now a giant tunnel of bamboo that you pass through as you approach the house.

www.prestontphillips.com