When Tim Godbold first pulled up to a sprawling traditional East Hampton home to meet a pair of clients, the designer was unexpectedly struck by a wave of nostalgia.

“In the [late] ’90s, I’d park on the home’s front lawn and walk down to Two Mile Hollow Beach,” he recalls. “A friend of mine was staying at the house [as a guest of the previous owners] and, because I didn’t have a pass, he’d let me leave my car there. I had to call him because I couldn’t believe it!”

Originally built in 1998 by fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon and his then-wife, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, the home, located on the sought-after Further Lane, changed hands in 2012, when Killoren Bensimon—a model, author, and former Real Housewives of New York cast member—sold the highly publicized property to Godbold’s clients, an art-collecting couple who happily split their time between New York City and the Hamptons. “They’ve owned the home now for 10 years, but apart from adding a poolhouse and a few other things, they didn’t really address the interiors,” says the Hamptons-based designer.

timothy godbold hamptons
David Mitchell
The soaring living room.

Godbold’s first order of business was conducting an aesthetic edit. “When someone builds their own house, they usually add a bit of everything,” he explains. “There were a lot of mixed messages within the design, so our goal was to make it more cohesive.” From removing “random” weathervanes to gut renovations of the primary bathroom and kitchen, the designer stripped things back to a more relevant state that showcases the homeowner’s thoughtfully curated assemblage of contemporary art and pottery. “When designing spaces in the Hamptons, I try to stay away from cliché beachy palettes and nautical themes,” notes Godbold. “I prefer to gravitate more toward West Coast aesthetics.”

timothy godbold hamptons
David Mitchell
A view into the game room and library.

At 7,300-square-feet (poolhouse included), the shingle-clad, six-bedroom, six-bathroom manse now provides plenty of space for entertaining and is finally a true reflection of its occupants. “Traditional exteriors never inhibit me from doing modern interiors,” Godbold says. “I don’t design spaces that are going to be out of fashion in five years.”

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timothy godbold hamptons