Richard Christiansen, Founder and Creative Director of Chandelier Creative, Puts a Montauk, New York, Home to Work As a Summer Escape for His Company
Written by Maresa Giovannini Photography by Jeremy Liebman
When the founder of a full-service agency rented a summer house in Montauk, New York, he used it to do what he does best: brand summer.
Richard Christiansen is the founder and creative director of New York City–based Chandelier Creative, a full-service creative agency dedicated to enhancing brand awareness for iconic clients ranging from Barbie to Versace. In lieu of a traditional company retreat and in line with the youthful spirit of his company, Christiansen decided to rent a beach house and make it available to his staff and clients for an entire summer of fun-filled weekend escapes. When his team members weren’t brainstorming and contributing to “Awesomeville,” the company’s digital home, they could jet just a couple of hours from the city to lounge at the Chandelier Surf Shack.
“Surf-inflicted, colorful, and fun” is how Christiansen describes the vibe of the 1950s cedar A-frame. Although the three-bedroom rental house was equipped with furniture and artwork, Christiansen approached the project like a sneaker wave and, in one weekend, removed everything, placed it in storage, and customized the interior decor and exterior landscaping to capture Chandelier’s unique brand of summer.
Surfboards are scattered about the home. Colorful Southwest prints pop on throw pillows, furniture, blankets, and rugs. Collections of framed Hawaiian fabric and vintage ocean-motif oil paintings hang in the living room. Bathroom mirrors are painted with cheeky sayings, such as, “If you were a library book, I’d check you out,” and “I lost my number. Can I have yours?” With only a few subtle nautical references, the playful interior captures a casual retro summer scheme instead of the expected coastal details. Christiansen focused on vintage finds and hand-picked nearly every item in the Surf Shack from his extensive travels. He brought back furniture from the Rose Bowl Flea Market, in Pasadena, California; antique fabric and surf art from Hawaii; and items such as vintage crockery from estate sales and auctions in New York, New Jersey, and Palm Springs.
Equal attention was paid to transforming the outside space into a summer camp scene. The spacious yet protected backyard and waterfront location created a natural canvas for outdoor activities, but even more so after Christiansen lent his green thumb. Inspired by an English country garden, he planted more than sixty varieties of perennials, annuals, herbs, trees, and shrubs to enhance the existing drought-tolerant plants. Flowers such as forget-me-nots, geraniums, and snapdragons add natural color, and rhubarb, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, and kale were grown for home-cooked meals. “Lavender was planted primarily for the bees,” says Christiansen, who maintained several hives and cultivated Surf Shack Honey for his clients.
When not gardening or beekeeping, Christiansen spent his weekends in Montauk fishing, although visitors had countless backyard activities to choose from, including table tennis, cookouts, outdoor movies, and sleeping under the stars in one of the six tepees. Beyond the deck and family-style picnic tables, Christiansen shaped a dramatic and nostalgic landscape. He hung colorful Anthropologie lanterns from the prominent tree and framed the fire pit below with vintage outdoor rattan chairs. Here, guests could roast marshmallows, tell scary stories, or simply stargaze. Across the way, Christiansen created a “no-frills” outdoor theater. With a draped sheet, several lawn chairs, a DVD player, and a projector, the Surf Shack had its very own theater, featuring summer showings of Grey Gardens and marathons of Dynasty. And what would a waterfront home be without access to the water? Although the dock never hosted boats, it was the perfect place to launch giant inflatable swan floats for evening swims.
The summer of 2011 was the inaugural year for the Chandelier Surf Shack, and it was such a hit that Christiansen plans to revamp it this year. He may reinstate the furnishings as they were, or perhaps a new year of traveling, purchases, and experiences will inspire a whole new brand.
[Source: Giovaninni, Maresa. "Long Island Living" Home By Design. June-July 2012. Web. 5 June 2012.]
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