Photo: Eric Boman
For its September "style" issue, Architectural Digest sent Andrew Bevan to Wainscott, Long Island to take a tour of Grace Coddington's three-bedroom ranch house, which she purchased in 1988 with her partner of 35 years, French hairstylist Didier Malige. Being that she's renowned for her imaginative fashion stories and infatuation with felines, it's no surprise that the sunny 77-year-old's weekend retreat is filled with an inordinate amount of stuff — and has an entire wall dedicated to cats.
The space also boasts beautiful natural light, artsy gems and punchy ceramics, but we'd expect nothing less from the former Vogue creative director who's always seemed like a flame-haired anomaly to the front row fashion set: She has a gentile, warm demeanor and doesn't appear to have a behind-the-scenes team of hair, makeup and wardrobe experts making her look impossibly put together at all times. Her East Hampton home is no different.
Photo: Eric Boman
"It's just full of stuff because my life is full of stuff — I can't help myself," she explains to Bevan. To clarify, the "stuff" she's referring to a vast collection of prints by almost every legendary photographer — all of whom she's worked with — that messily overlap with one another on rows of floating shelves, as well as an ever-expanding collection of cat paraphernalia. And in case a house guest isn't fully aware of her obsession with cats, she's made a proper shrine to the four-legged furry friends in the master bedroom, in which a white wall is covered in portraits of cats past and present, all photographed by Malige.
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Photo: Eric Boman
Aside from sprinklings of cat memorabilia, the cottage contains numerous charming touches, such as cheeky drawings and notes that decorate every nook, from the hallway to the bedrooms. Over the years, they couple has also enlisted friends to add small customizations, such as a bookshelf supported by a raw tree trunk, a screened-in eating house built with reclaimed wood and columns on the front porch made from railroad ties.
The house was originally purchased as a place to live while they looked for their "dream home," but instead of moving on, they've continued to settle in. "Throughout her long, peripatetic career, this quaint, homey cottage has always served as a tonic and an escape, a far cry from the haute couture world she's immersed in professionally," writes Bevan. And when she's out here, she's says living the life of a "very lazy country lady."
Check out more images of Coddington's cottage and read the full feature over on AD's website.
Michael Kors on the cover of the September 'Architectural Digest' issue. Photo: Architectural Digest
