Designer Robert McKinley’s portfolio reads like a roster of New York hot spots: Sant Ambroeus, Ruschmeyer’s, the Surf Lodge. But for him, Montauk, on the furthest reaches of Long Island, is personal: It’s where he met his now wife, Kate Nauta, many years back (“She was 18 fresh from Oregon and he was a city boy and surfing regular who grew up retreating to its sandy shores,” they say.) Four years ago, they were married at Montauk’s lighthouse. Now, the couple has rehabbed a 1970s bungalow in town, newly opened and available for rent. Everything at McKinley Bungalow—down to the cabinet fronts by Reform, ceramics by East Fork, and natural lime-based paints from Domingue—is for sale, including the house itself. Take a look inside (and maybe book it for a weekend).
“After” photography by Nicole Franzen, courtesy of McKinley Bungalow.
![the four bedroom, three bathroom ranch house was originally built in \197 17](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/exterior-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x489.jpg)
![the kitchen is fitted with reform cabinet fronts. (for more, see ikea kitc 18](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/kitchen-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x489.jpg)
![the bungalow is complete with an updated take on the \1970s breakfast nook. 19](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/dining-niche-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x1099.jpg)
![in the main room, newly exposed high ceilings are painted white. adding to the 20](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/living-room-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x489.jpg)
![mckinley\2\17;s trademark playful style is on display throughout. 21](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/living-room-fireplace-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x489.jpg)
![the dining room, with bar behind. 22](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/dining-room-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x1099.jpg)
![one of the bedrooms, with a woven mat, long summer curtains, a simple platform 23](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bedroom-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-1-733x1100.jpg)
![the bathroom, with a compact marble sink and tiles from cle tile. 24](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bathroom-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x1100.jpg)
![the house is on offer for vacation rentals via airbnb, starting at \$695 per ni 25](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/side-table-at-mckinley-bungalow-montauk-733x1100.jpg)
![nauta and mckinley on the steps of the bungalow. 26](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mckinley-bungalow-portraits-733x1099.jpg)
Before
![pre renovation, the house was dated, low ceilinged, and dark, with a break 27](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mckinley-bungalow-montauk-before-4-733x567.jpg)
![drop ceilings were removed and exposed beams painted white. 28](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bungalow-montauk-before-3-733x550.jpg)
![the bungalow, in process. 29](https://media.remodelista.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/bungalow-montauk-before-2-733x550.jpg)
More of our favorite projects in Montauk:
- Hotels & Lodging: Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk
- The Simple Life: A Montauk Beach House for a Creative Couple
- A Sixties-Era ‘Builder’s Special’ Reimagined in Montauk
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