It’s Nice to Be Jonathan Adler

Check out the Shelter Island home he shares with longtime partner Simon Doonan

Courtesy of Simon Doonan

Ever wonder what Jonathan Adler‘s summer home might look like? Architectural Digest recently went inside the groovy Shelter Island abode he shares with his longtime partner Simon Doonan, a man famous for his windows at Barney’s New York and his latest book Gay Men Don’t Get Fat. The 1960s A-frame not only sports many of Adler’s playful products, but the colorful, retro-chic interior (plus outdoor space) is airy – making it the perfect getaway for this gay New York super duo … and their adorable Norwich Terrier Liberace.

Doonan tells the story about how he and Adler found the rustic beach home, and how they conceptualized it as a kind of futuristic retirement pad – complete with a “putz-worthy” garden.

“The exact vibe was to be a blend of Big Sur bohemian and rich Ibiza hippie, two of our favorite adopted personas,” writes Doonan. “To achieve it, he mixed furniture and rugs of his own design with diverse vintage finds – from a starburst mirror framed with spindle legs to industrial ceiling lights to suspended rattan lounge chairs. Ever the potter, he devised ceramic tiles for the kitchen, living room and master suite.”

The couple also commissioned original art from a few famous friends.

“Painter and designer John-Paul Philippé created a mural inspired by local birdlife for our kitchen island, while set designer Andy Harman conceived a giant macramé owl, which is now displayed on the indigo brick divider separating the entrance and the telly-watching zone,” Doonan writes. “For my part, I added some photographs taken by a roster of pals and professional collaborators: a candid fashion image backstage at a Dior runway show by Roxanne Lowit; a wicked child-pageant portrait by Susan Anderson; a haunting truck-stop bathroom interior by Henny Garfunkel; and a picture of Jonathan and me leaping off a yacht in the Mediterranean by Jonathan Skow.”

Click here to check out the slideshow.