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Feb 01, 2024

Timothy Godbold turns his Hamptons home into a "villain's hideout"

Interior designer Timothy Godbold has overhauled his own home in the Hamptons, painting the exterior black and renovating the inside to resemble a lair from a James Bond movie. Timothy Godbold's

Interior designer Timothy Godbold has overhauled his own home in the Hamptons, painting the exterior black and renovating the inside to resemble a lair from a James Bond movie.

Timothy Godbold's 1,700-square-foot (158-square-metre) Southampton home was built in 1973 by architect Eugene L Futterman, who designed many notable residences in the area during the mid-20th century.

The building required extensive renovation work, so the Australian designer looked to the modernist icons he remembered from his youth: those that featured in the James Bond movies.

"Hailing from Perth, Australia, Godbold sought to blend his childhood home with the feel of a villain's hideout straight out of a James Bond movie," said his studio.

Leaning into this idea, Godbold painted the building's cedar-clad exterior entirely black, which helped to hide imperfections in the siding.

The building comprises two connected trapezoidal volumes that angle upwards away from one another, creating a dynamic roofline, and a staircase along the join provides access to the split levels on either side.

Large picture windows frame views of the surrounding woodlands and multiple skylights with timber louvres bring in additional light from above.

In the slightly shorter half of the building is a split-level living space, which benefits from the height of the monopitched roof and the natural light that pours in from overhead.

Downstairs, the furniture includes sofas that are part of a vintage Lara sectional by Roberto Pamio, Noti Massari and Renato Toso, and a coffee table by Lella and Massimo Vignelli.

Warm-toned grey plaster covers the walls, and ceiling – a sculptural chimney breast and fireplace are flanked by stepped sides.

"Mayan ziggurat temples served as the basis for the living room fireplace, and the hanging garden was inspired by the work of Paul Rudolph – specifically, his angled walls," Godbold's team said.

Hidden from view behind the angled planter, the TV room on the upper level features more seating and a vintage coffee table with a glass top, and a travertine and brass base.

The primary suite occupies the top level of the taller volume, where the walls were removed to open the bathroom to the sleeping area.

The carpeted floor area under the bed is raised to create a floating appearance, and a tall linen curtain can be drawn around this area for privacy as desired.

Both the bathroom and a closet are tucked under the angled roof, the former lined with dark grey fibre-cement panels scored with vertical grooves.

Two guest bedrooms are located on the lowest level, connected by a wood-lined corridor with large windows that face onto a terrace.

One is furnished with a stainless steel bed with a travertine headboard and a built-in desk at its foot, while the same materials continue in a guest bathroom.

"Much like Goldfinger's lair, stainless steel is utilised throughout — from the furniture to the hardware," said the team.

Set on a sloped plot, the home has access to the garden at different levels from front to back. Square "lily pad" steps lead up from the street to the front terrace, while a steeper staircase links to the raised patio at the back.

Deeper into the trees, a minimalist firepit sits on a circular mosaic platform that mimics the nuclear symbol.

Godbold is also involved in the local nonprofit organisation Hamptons 20th Century Modern, which offers annual home tours of the area's architectural gems in the summer.

Other midcentury properties in this part of Long Island that have been renovated include a stone-clad beach house by Norman Jaffe that was revived by Neil Logan Architect, and a cedar-clad dwelling by Charles Gwathmey that was sensitively refreshed by Worrell Yeung.

The photography is by David Mitchell.

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