HOME & DESIGN:

For years the go-to metal tone of choice was silver. Think polished chrome, as de rigueur in a Hamptons kitchen as a Braun coffee maker. But the modern kitchens and bathrooms so prevalent here now beg for a measure of warmth.

Autumn is upon us, and here on the East End we get to enjoy some of the finest weather of the year, with cloudless blue skies above a landscape suffused in mellow golden light. Other days are gray, dramatically blustery and cloudswept.

Have you ever dreamed of a landscape that’s less work to maintain, that doesn’t need lots of watering, or fertilizing or primping? Native plants can be the answer. As the East End becomes more populated and developed, and we face continued problems with nitrogen in our bays and pollution in our wetlands, native plants have become an integral part of an increasing number of local landscapes.

“We kind of fell into the furniture business purely by accident,” says Debra Gildersleeve, owner and designer of Renee’s in Mattituck concerning her and her husband, William. What started as a small boutique in 1978...

We East Enders, whether we are here year round or just for the summer, love our gardens. The rich blue flowers of hydrangeas are summer icons, their lovely blossoms echoing the sky above. And fall brings masses of Montauk daisies.

Unless you’re a landscape designer or an architect or a committed gardener, you may not have heard of Siebert & Rice, but chances are you’ve seen their elegant terracotta pots from Tuscany. On the East End of Long Island, one need look no further than Meadow Lane, in Southampton, where they are a standard feature of the loveliest gardens.

Colorful flowers in a summer garden are pure delight and for many of us, an essential part of the joy of the season. Consider the rich blue hydrangeas and the multitudes of roses in shades of red, pink, orange, yellow and white that are blooming across the East End now. Adding fragrance to the garden palette deepens and enriches our appreciation of flowers. Of our five senses, smell delivers the richest and most enduring experience.

Perennial flowers are favorites of so many gardeners and landscape designers for good reason. Unlike annuals like impatiens and geraniums, perennials come back year after year to bring their lovely colors to the garden.

Surrounding your home with a beautiful landscape not only integrates your home into its setting and enhances the view from your windows; studies have shown repeatedly that good landscaping also enhances property values.

When ex-Brooklyn residents Alane Kelly and Daniel King set out to find a new home on Long Island’s North Fork, they thought a small, low-maintenance weekend place would do. But after a six month search, they hadn’t seen anything that made their hearts race.