Landscape architect Michael Derrig is transforming Hamptons properties with his fine home construction and landscape architecture firms.
The Landscape Details and Building Details office, located in East Hampton
For Michael Derrig, the owner and founder of two premier Hamptons-based firms, Landscape Details (landscapedetails.com) and Building Details (buildingdetails.com), the details make all the difference when it comes to realizing each client’s vision.
After earning his degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University, Derrig kicked off his career working for Manhattan-based landscape architecture firm Kelly Varnell.
Today, Derrig has more than 20 years of luxury construction experience under his belt and is the proud owner of two thriving businesses.
“I was drawn to the beauty of the East End, and I knew this was the kind of place where I wanted to raise my kids,” says Derrig.
Landscape Details and Building Details projects Village Barn
“About 25 years ago, I built a house for my family. Over time, clients and friends began to ask me to build their homes, too, and, out of that, Building Details evolved organically.”
Derrig founded Landscape Details in 2000, with the mission to make his clients’ dreams become a reality with an unwavering dedication to excellence and a precise attention to detail. As one of the leading full-service landscape design and construction companies in the Hamptons area, Landscape Details provides its clients with highly sought-after services including masonry, design, large tree installation, irrigation, lighting and year-round maintenance.
After Derrig opened his second company, Building Details, in 2018, his luxury building firm quickly gained a reputation in the Hamptons community for its unparalleled level of craftsmanship and timeless aesthetic. The company provides interior and exterior fine woodworking services with the highest-quality cabinetry and meticulously sourced materials, while collaborating with architects and interior designers from around the world.
“Renovating and building my own homes has made me very aware of the most important questions to ask people about the way they live and, more essentially, the way they want to live,” says Derrig. “Listening to them is the best way to plan and construct a home that can provide them the sanctuary they’ve always wanted.”
Southampton residence.
Derrig takes pride in working with the natural beauty of each property to cultivate construction and landscaping projects that embrace the preexisting topography. He specifically chose the Hamptons as his home and place of work due to the immense diversity of the area’s environmental scenery, which spans ocean, rural and historic settings.
“Each property is unique, and each home is different, but the process has a lot to do with listening to the homeowners, looking at what’s there and what’s best for the site,” says Derrig.
“If it’s a waterfront, we have to consider salt and wind. If it’s a modern home, we may want to reflect that with a symmetrical conversation between the pool, landscape and property.”
When asked about his personal trademark and signature style, with regard to both construction and landscape architecture, Derrig says he takes a practical, modern approach to the traditional.
“I love green, white and blue and shy away from bold color palettes,” says Derrig. “I definitely tend more toward simple landscapes that organize a property and incorporate large trees, which can give a new property a sense of history and place.”
As an avid hiker, skier and outdoorsman, Derrig draws inspiration from his lifelong love of and passion for nature. One of Derrig’s favorite aspects of his job is creating and personalizing outdoor spaces for his clients that can be enjoyed by the whole family, for decades to come.
“Creating outdoor spaces for people to enjoy with family and friends was an obvious choice for me,” says Derrig. “As a landscape architect, working in nature and cultivating visually beautiful landscapes that grow over time for my clients is a really rewarding part of my job.”
Photography by: PHOTO BY VICKY JAURON, MAX BURKHALTER, VICKY JAURON
