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For the longest time, designer Montana Labelle couldn’t figure out why no one used her second-floor living room. The long space had a large fireplace and 10-and-a-half-foot-tall ceilings. By all accounts, it was brighter and bigger than the sitting room downstairs. “We were like, ‘What is wrong with this room?’ It can seat 30 people, but no one ever hangs out here,” says Labelle, who is the founder of Montana Labelle Design and lifestyle brand Montana Labelle Lifestyle. The white slipcovered furniture and silk rug were apparently not welcoming enough, so she and her husband Russell Gozlan, the owner of construction management firm Gozlan Group, briefly transformed it into a home office. No dice. They even tried it out as a playroom for their toddler, but that was a flop, too. Six iterations later, Labelle was furniture shopping in Toronto with a client when it finally clicked: what the room needed was a 20-foot-long, wall-to-wall sofa and to be color-drenched in a cozy shade of burgundy. “Now it’s the room we hang out in all the time!” says the designer.
The space is an unusual sight to see, especially on Long Island’s North Shore where Labelle and her family live full time. Their home in Wading River is a moody departure from the typical coastal Hamptons aesthetic. Nearly every room is swathed in Color Atelier’s mineral-based limewash, a monumental bust by Belgian artist Florian Tomballe is a focal point of the galley kitchen, and a perforated Dutch door doubles as a baby gate. “We treat our home as an experiment for future projects,” Labelle states.
Over the last two years, they’ve gutted the ground floor, overhauled the landscaping, and reimagined how to use rooms countless times. Ahead, Labelle, along with Gozlan and Color Atelier co-founder Burcu Garnier, walk us through the highlights.
Labelle: The house had been on the market for a year. It was probably the ugliest exterior I’ve ever seen: the shutters were painted black and red with psychedelic swirls. It was pretty scary. The landscaping was awful. But we saw a lot of potential. Gozlan: The first thing we did was expand the driveway so we could accommodate company on the weekends. We probably planted over 400 plants. We have a big lavender garden with about one hundred lavender plants and lots of native, drought-resistant species. It all goes with the vibe of the house: low-maintenance. Labelle: We originally planned for an open kitchen with an island and a formal dining room, but as we lived here during the renovation, we realized we didn’t need a formal dining room. Instead, we turned it into a cozy sitting/TV area. Labelle: This room was originally paneled in dark wood. We wanted to lighten it up and make the layout family-friendly so you can cook in the kitchen while watching the baby in the family room. Labelle: When vintage shopping, I typically end up looking for mid-century and eclectic pieces; my husband looks for the classics. He discovered this Belgian sculptor Florian Tomballe before we were married. It’s the perfect combination of our styles. Labelle: The kitchen backsplash is actually a mural! Labelle: We found the burgundy marble fireplace mantle at an antique shop about 10 minutes from our house called Lumber and Salt. It was one of the first things we bought for the house. We found it for $100 and it sprung into an entire burgundy room. Labelle: The sofa is 6-and-a-half feet deep. Our daughter uses it as a jungle gym, and my husband and I curl up to watch movies—it’s basically a bed for 20 people. Labelle: The door is actually a custom baby gate for our daughter so we didn’t have to use an ugly plastic one. The tile was a labor of love. My husband installed it himself, but every time we ordered boxes, it barely covered any area, leading to long shipping delays and leaving the fireplace unfinished for months. Once he reached the rounded bookcase, he was covered in tile dust and declared he was done, so we hired someone to finish it. Labelle: This little sink services the outdoor pizza area but it’s also part of my dressing room. I’ll blow dry my hair out here sometimes. It’s its own vanity situation, but it’s not tied to a bathroom. Labelle: There’s an off-center window behind our bed. To handle it without major construction, we took a massive tapestry from my previous house and motorized it into a Roman shade. The headboard is a plastered half-wall my husband built out of 2x4s. The drapery is from Amazon but it looks more high-end than it is because you can’t see the full length. Labelle: I take a bath every night, and our bathroom only had room for a shower. When we were renovating, we stayed at a few different hotels that had a tub in the bedroom, and we were like, why doesn’t anyone do this in their houses? Typically I’m in the bath and I’ll talk to my husband while he’s lying in bed. Garnier: They wanted to use this beautiful waterproof plaster treatment in one of their bathrooms in the color Wabi. People often associate limewash with a rustic or heavily textured look, but it can feel very refined and contemporary, especially with lighter shades. Labelle: Almost all of the lighting in the house is a custom product from my lifestyle shop. Vintage is a huge influence. I’m really into plaster lighting that can be finished in the same paint or limewash as the walls to create an integrated look. Labelle: In my daughter’s room, I had ordered a canopy for over the crib, but it didn’t work with the curved ceiling. And without anything behind her bed or art on the walls, it didn’t feel like a nursery. So we MacGyvered a tapestry behind the crib. Labelle: Another budget-friendly design tip? I love using coverlets on beds. Labelle: Everyone talks about limewash as a budget-friendly alternative to Venetian plaster. I had never experimented with it, so we tried it first on the main floor in the room with the white sofa. It’s significantly cheaper than Venetian plaster, and after using it, we realized it looks just as good for a fraction of the price. Gozlan: It is a really fun thing when we’re entertaining to say, ‘Hey, do you want to make some pizzas?’ It usually turns into a disaster. Turns out, it’s very difficult!
