I’ve traveled the world but one of my favorite destinations happens to be just an hour’s drive away in the sleepy, seaside village of Bayhead, New Jersey. My family and I have been coming here for 5 years and I can honestly say it’s one of my favorite places on earth.

We own a house there and I recently had the pleasure of opening its doors to one of my favorite European glossies, Spanish Elle. I believe they got a good taste of why I love it so much. Perhaps after reading the article, you will too.

xo, Bobbi

MADE IN USA

(translated from the original Spanish)

Bobbi Brown, iconic makeup artist, opens the doors to her refuge in Bay Head to Elle Spain. 100% American.

While most New Yorkers run away to the super famous Hamptons for some time away from the Big Apple, the renowned makeup artist Bobbi Brown (Chicago, 1957) prefers to go against the tide. Her favorite destination? Bay Head, New Jersey, a small seaside town, 113 km south away from New York. There she has found her refuge literally in front of the sea. In fact, you can get to the seashore through a wooden path. An outdoor terrace and a shower complete the “backside patio” with an Atlantic flavor. That summer house is faithful to its simple spirit, where the functionality and comfort are the key.

In 1991, Bobbi Brown revolutionized the beauty industry when she presented in the exclusive Bergdorf Goodman in New York, a practical line of ten lip colors, brown based, that when mixed could create a great variety of natural and wearable shades. From then on, her cosmetic empire, with makeup products, fragrances and skincare, has acquired a planet dimension – it is present in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa –

“the secret of beauty is simple: be who you are” Bobbi says.

A motto that she seems to have applied to all the aspects of her life, from her successful brand to the decoration of this house that was made by her and her husband. “We both have a discreet and classic taste. Most of the furniture has been bought in the stores of the area, as Create and Barrel and Pottery Barn”. Also, along the years we have added new items that we bought in our trips, “like the bedspreads that we bought in Morocco when we when to celebrate our anniversary, or the tablecloths that we brought from the Provence when we went for a bicycle tour. I love to see these pieces at home, because they remind me those wonderful moments I have spent with my friends and family” says the makeup artist, who knows Bay Head since a long time ago.

“We have always wanted to have a house here, but it took us four years to find the perfect one. It is the smallest of all the area”, she adds. Her husband, Steven Plofker, a property developer whom she is married for over twenty years, it took him nine months to rebuild it. “There was a fitted carpet everywhere, it was terrible” remembers Bobbi, that preferred a warm wooden floor and changed the closet of her bedroom into two separated bathrooms, one for her and another for Steven. The range of colors is as neutral and functional as most of her makeup, cream and blue shades are everywhere, from indigo to pastel.

Apart from this, Bobbi has another house in the ski resort of Telluride (Colorado) and in Montclair (New Jersey), where she lives most part of the year.

“I like the relatively calm places”.

The makeup artist goes to her Bay Head house in the summer with her husband and her three children (10, 16 and 18 years old). Her favorite place?

“The backside terrace, because I see the ocean just in the front. I love to seat there at night with all my family. It is very relaxing”.

As a good hostess, Bobbi enjoys organizing from big parties at the beach to private and informal dinners. “I wanted to create a warm and enjoyable environment at the same time, because this is the house where I spend more time with my friends and family”, friends like the photographer Bruce Weber, the cyclist Lance Armstrong and the multifaceted Oprah Winfrey.

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