PIET HOUTENBOS
FURNITURE DESIGNER
"An early internship at MoMA taught me that design was incredibly important and great ideas can really change things " says furniture designer Piet Houtenbos (piethoutenbos.com), who lives on a pond in Water Mill and is inspired by the wetlands. "The Hamptons has a vibe that helps me slow down, "he says. "I can focus on getting the scrambled ideas out of my head and onto a piece of paper in a form i can identify and then develop. I try to design very concise furniture, and you need tremendous clarity to find new moments of beauty in objects that are inherently very simple."