KDHamptons

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons and why do you love the East End so much?
Lynn Blumenfeld: My uncle Harry has always had a home in East Hampton, so I think I’ve been coming here since I was 2 or 3 years old. [I wouldn’t dare say how many years that is!]

KDH: Describe your company for KDHamptons readers?
LB: b+f is the leading marketing/advertising/design firm on the East End. Jill Fleming, the designer/art director, and I have been working together for 10 years. We both left Madison Avenue for the beauty of the Hamptons~ you could say we’re Type A’s who wanted a Type B lifestyle! We love working with small businesses out here & start-ups, helping them develop their identity and strategy. We just launched a new website and tag line for Group for the East End [www.groupforeastend.org],  created new print campaigns for Landscape Details and MCC, created the Green Logic Logo, Race Lane’s logo, Harvest Restaurant & more. We also work with Suffolk Bank and Southampton Hospital, two anchors in our community. We believe creativity gets you noticed and gets you results. We ALSO believe in beach walks!  During the summer, we try to organize our days around low tide so we can sneak out – and if there’s surf, Jill surfs. We both had careers on Madison Avenue – living and working out here is a gift and we’re grateful every day.

KDH: So you worked in Manhattan for many years, what made you make the shift to being based out East?
LB: I loved working at Y&R and Wells Rich Greene, traveling to LA, Africa and Europe making TV Commercials. But…if nothing changes, nothing changes. I didn’t want the jobs/lifestyle of any of the people I was working for had, I needed to be near the ocean [even though I rarely swim in it].

KDH: Do you have an exciting project that you are working on now? What inspires your creativity?
LB: Yes, I’m writing a Young Adult novel set in Montauk! I’m a long-time member of Marijane Meaker’s Ashawagh Hall Writing Workshop [a group that’s helped many local authors get published]. What inspires me? Authenticity. Nature. And the inherent goodness in people – especially the beautiful tight-knit community that is Montauk. I’m inspired by my friends: Sam Christie who founded Karma Kids, Matthew Badger who has created the Lily Grace Sarah Fund in honor of his daughters who perished on Christmas Day, I’m inspired by everyone who works at Group for East End, Project Most and The Retreat. I’m also inspired by the local musicians and artists who donate their works, time and talent to support so many worthy causes out here.

KDH: Please describe your Hamptons home and decorating style? Do you have a favorite item in your home?
LB: My home is an eclectic beach cottage [pictured left] with beautiful sunset views across the Fort Pond Bay. Design elements include: cream colored couches, blue and sand accents, a few amazing Hamptons yard sale steals! Love my vintage Deco lamps from Grandma, and my favorite item would be two amazing mid-century chairs with groovy new upholstery that I found on EBAY.

KDH: Do you have a favorite room in your home, and why?
LB: I adore my garden. My husband is an Englishman and is a bit obsessed. I love my honed slate kitchen, but my master bathroom, vintage claw foot tub, blue and white room makes me really, really happy.

KDH: Personal style: do you have a Hamptons “uniform”? Which designer do you wear the most out East?
LB: Ha! – actually my ‘uniform’ is seasonal. In the summer, 50% of the time I’m in board shorts and tee shirts. I love Calypso because it feminine, sophisticated and festive. Their dresses and skirts are wonderful. I love Henry Lehr, James Perse, Lifestyle and of course, J.Crew is a great “go-to” brand for staples.

KDH: What is your favorite Hamptons restaurant, got a favorite dish & drink you get every time?
LB: Oh for a foodie like me picking one is impossible! I adore the lobster salad and tuna tabbouleh at Race Lane. ENE has the best desert: Creme Brulee 7 ways. Harvest calamari salad and corn crusted bay scallops in fall. Dave, the new chef at Gosman’s cooks absolutely perfect scallops. Robert’s crab cakes are out of this world, and fish-n-chips at Rowdy Hall are as good as any across the pond. I can’t wait to see what Tony is doing with tuna at The Coast – he was genius at West Lake Clam & Chowder House.

KDH: Got a little secret about the Hamptons you will share?
LB: The Hideaway for Mexican in Montauk is a great little secret [and yes my friends will be furious I’ve told you]. Lunch or dinner at Gosman’s Topside overlooking the boats is a little slice of heaven.

KDH: Describe your perfect Hamptons day?
LB: Summer: Beach walk, paddle, read at the beach, make dinner with friends, or beach pot-luck/sunset gathering at Navy Beach [below left]. In the off-season: remove the paddle, add in a hike or “seal walk,” [this time of year ticks are too prevalent].

KDH: Do you like to entertain? What is your “home-run” dinner party menu that you always serve?
LB: My husband, Simon Sheridan [with Lynn below] owns Exquisite Food a wonderful catering company out here. So I pretty much cajole him into cooking my favorites! He makes amazing “gourmet fish tacos” with fresh guacamole and salsa, fluke and seared scallops and shrimp, sauteed mushrooms and blanched napa cabbage. He also makes incredible roasted corn and tomato ragu that he serves in portobello mushroom caps, and wooed me with Vietnamese summer rolls. Yum! My version of “cooking”? I boil corn, cut up tomatoes basil and mozzarella and pick up fresh lobster salad.

KDH: Who would you invite to your “dream” dinner party [dead or alive]?
LB: Diana Vreeland, Truman Capote, Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Dylan, and Elvis Costello!

*For more information about Lynn’s company please go to: www.blumenfeldandfleming.com