Dan’s Papers March 2, 2012 home improvement guide danshamptons.com Page 29
John Laffey: Hometown Architect By Kelly Laffey As of last week, Dan’s has officially moved into its new digs in the Ocean Electric building on County Road 39 in Southampton, and we love the new space and extra room. John Laffey of John Laffey Architects in Water Mill designed the building – yes, he’s my dad – and he took a unique approach that blends his background in traditional, colonial architecture with the needs of a commercial office. “I designed the building as a complex with the front building – where Dan’s is located – being a more residential type of design,� said Laffey. The exterior has more curb appeal on a stretch of road that serves as the gateway to the Hamptons. Laffey has been practicing on the East End of Long Island for 20 years. Though he has also kept busy “designing� three kids and ensuring that
Hamptons homes more than just for the weekends during the summer season. “When designing, you have to consider how, down the road, your home may grow,� said Laffey. “People invest in homes for the long run, so you have to try to prepare so the house can expand to your future needs.� With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for Dan’s to move and affirm that we will remain a Hamptons institution for years to come.
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his clients’ houses fit with trending tastes and technologies, he maintains his style as a mix of old world craftsmanship and modern thinking. Specializing in residential homes, Laffey enjoys the architect-to-homeowner interaction. In both his personal and professional designs, Laffey works closely with each client to determine how to fit their needs and aspirations within the scope of the job site. “I enjoy designing homes that are reminiscent of the summer colony of the Hamptons, very much shingle-style architecture,� said Laffey. “I like to do work that blends into the landscape. For example, the Dan’s building could have been an older, renovated house.� Which, ironically, is exactly the kind of office that we just left. Only that one had far fewer amenities. Laffey acknowledged that recent advances in technology have revolutionized home design. The instances of green building are skyrocketing, with something as simple as better insulation helping to make homes more energy efficient. “I work to maximize the potential of every lot for each client,� said Laffey, who probably didn’t envision that his daughter would work in one of his buildings a few years later. But such is life in a small town, even one that Laffey increasingly sees as becoming more of a year-round community. As evidence of this, he explained that people are asking for more entertainment spaces in their homes. In the current economic climate, which Laffey noted with optimism is on the upswing, people are coming out to their
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