Home Designers Will Sign Their Books In Wainscott

Aug 5, 2014 9:44 AM

At least 13 home design authors will sign books at a “Sign, Sip and See” event at Serena & Lily’s breezy showroom in Wainscott on Saturday, August 9.

Among them are Barclay Butera, who’s known for using colors and patterns to create cheerful and elegant spaces with a beachy vibe; David Scott, known for comfortable living spaces, with a touch of urban sophistication; Gary McBournie, who’s recently published his first book, “Living Color: A Designer Works Magic With Traditional Interiors”; and Amy Lau of Amy Lau Design, who co-founded the Design Miami fair, which runs in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach.

The beach seems to beckon Mr. Butera in both his personal life and professional life. He said recently by email that although he’s a born and bred Californian, he has always been partial to the East End on the other coast as well, even releasing a portfolio collection called “Hamptons House & Garden” and a fabric line called “Hamptons Collection.”

“The Hamptons is the perfect location to soak in all that nautical-chic inspiration,” he said. “How could it not be on my all-time top favorite places to re-energize and dream up fabulous design ideas?

Mr. Butera will be signing copies of his book at a trunk show at Hildreth’s Home Goods in Southampton from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, the day before he joins the other designers at Serena & Lily.

David Scott developed a passion for interiors after a “designer midlife crisis” in which he left the legendary Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, where, he said, “the standards of a five-star hotel prepared me for meeting the needs of demanding clients.” He went on to study at the New York School of Interior Design, where he now serves on the Board of Trustees, and started David Scott Interiors just after graduating.

“I don’t think I slept a full night for the first three years!” Mr. Scott reminisced. “I kept a pen and notepad on my nightstand and woke up all night long to jot down notes.”

“Outside the Box” is his first book, “It was a great opportunity to reflect on the past decade,” he said.

Gary McBournie, who has yet to experience designing for homes in the Hamptons, instead gets his coastal fix by living part time in Nantucket. He said his start in design arose from struggling with dyslexia. “The major value of my story is that my parents fostered what I could do rather than focusing on what I couldn’t and that has made a major difference in my life,” he said.

Within the colorful pages of his book, he opens up about these details with personal photos and paintings. “Although my own life has been about design, I am hoping that some parent wondering how to deal with a struggling child or perhaps even the struggling child will find some guidance or comfort in the pages,” he said in an email. “I have always been a bit shy and reserved and felt that I need a stronger ‘invitation,’ if you will, to encourage people to review my work.”

Amy Lau has roots in the Southwest, and she said spending time in the desert alerted her to “the simple beauty in the subtleties of nature.” “Growing up in Arizona was such an incredible learning experience for me in terms of developing my eye and understanding the impact of surroundings on a space,” she said by email.

She learned painting from her grandmother, art collecting from her father and picked up a unique attention to detail from her mother. Ms. Lau founded her design firm in Manhattan in 2001, going on to inspire and design collections with Kyle Bunting, Doris Leslie Blau and Maya Romanoff. “I also am constantly drawing inspiration from my travels—I try to learn as much as I can from different cultures and artisans and artists I’ve come across throughout the world,” she said.

After she took part in the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, Bravo approached her to do a reality show based on her design firm, and other spot TV opportunities followed. Ms. Lau went on to say that she believes in TV as an educational medium and as a way to teach the history of design.

Alexa Hampton and Nathan Turner are among the other design authors who’ll be signing copies of their books from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday. Reservations can be made by emailing events@serenaandlily.com.