2 min readIna Garten might be known for her mouth-watering recipes—and, sure, a really good tablescape—but she also has great taste in interior design. Is anyone surprised? Garten is definitely on the Mount Rushmore of coastal grandmothers, so it’s only fitting that her spaces are imbued with that easy yet refined spirit.
She’s a style icon, but even style icons get the urge to switch things up. Recently, Garten took to Instagram to share her new-and-improved living room in her East Hamptons home, which she’s been eager to renovate since the pandemic.
“It was feeling heavy and dated,” she wrote. “It’s easy to do something simple, but hard to do something simple and interesting.”
To bridge the gap, she leaned into the architecture of her farmhouse. Not only did the Food Network alum opt for a palette of remixed neutrals—starring creams, dark browns, and black accents—but she also decided to color-drench the room to have her low ceilings work in her favor.
Luckily for us, she doesn’t gatekeep. While some homeowners might opt for a custom blend, Garten proves (once again) that store-bought is fine: According to the Barefoot Contessa star, she swathed the space in Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray. Think of this greige as the best of both worlds: the light, barely-there shade is beautiful, but it also has a muted, putty quality that adds extra warmth. Subtle, not stark? We’re sold.
As expected, Garten’s fans are also loving the transformation, paint color included.
“It’s so warm and inviting,” one person wrote. “Great job and wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” “It’s beautiful,” another commented. “Love the wall color and the layered rugs.” A third called the revamp “calming, stylish, and beautiful.”
For the perfect finishing touch, Garten added layered rugs, a black coffee table, and an arrangement of seats. “The most important thing is that the seating area is small and everyone has a comfortable place to sit,” she wrote.
In her own iconic words: How easy is that?
