Explore Greenport: The Silver Sands Motel

After an extensive renovation, the Silver Sands Motel is ready to welcome guests with open arms, promising an unforgettable seaside getaway on Long Island’s North Fork. Nestled along the picturesque coastline, the Silver Sands Motel has been a beloved landmark since its establishment in the 1960s. The recent renovation has breathed new life into its storied existence. Every aspect of the motel has been carefully revitalized while preserving its authentic coastal charm.

The newly refurbished motel combines vintage aesthetics with modern amenities, offering guests the best of both worlds. We are pleased to partner with the Silver Sands Motel to provide bedding and beach towels to guests.

We sat down with co-owner Alexander Perros to discuss the recent grand opening of the hotel. We talked design inspo and Alexander gave us his best North Fork recs for a perfect day exploring Greenport. Read on for our full conversation:

Kassatex: What was the design inspiration for the motel renovation?
Alexander Perros: I drew inspiration from a few places, but most especially it was the spirit of this place, the aspirations and values of travelers in the 1950s and 1960s, the surrounding nature, and the stories of the longtime guests. I came into the project with more ideas from the outside about how to shape the property, but then something changed and the property began shaping me.

Silver Sands has been a meaningful place to generations of families and visitors, and there is something magnetic and powerful about the land and the water it’s situated on; what became apparent is that most of the answers to our design questions were all around us – in peoples’ stories, old photographs, original colors and materials, the color of bird eggs we found around the property, etc.

People come to the beach to escape, to relax, to be transported into a world away from their own. They come to the North Fork to be relaxed and unfussy. To be with their families and friends. To listen to the water and the birds, to sit under trees. To revel in idleness. Silver Sands also has this great history of quirk and flair, which allowed us to be playful with some of the design.

This process has been a study and discovery in the art of attraction; how can we create an authentic space that is modern and nostalgic at the same time, without becoming kitschy or cliched. Something that is sophisticated, yet casual and not too done; chic without being self-conscious.

Truthfully, there is not a single design element that makes the place special. It is flipped: it is the place that is special in and of itself. We were not looking for the knockout “statement piece” or the “Instagrammable moment”. In fact, we are after the opposite of that. The whole is more than the sum of its individual parts. I don’t want someone to walk into the room and say “I love that chair”; I want them to feel drawn to this place, to say “I love this place”.

Kassatex: How much of the original design elements did you preserve?
AP: Unfortunately, there wasn’t much we could physically preserve. We were able to save a bunch of the original floor tiles and some things like the old room numbers, but everything else had fallen into a state of deep disrepair. What we did preserve are things like the spirit of the place. We took what we could from the old elements – like the room numbers, colors, materials, or even bird houses – and reinvented them with a modern twist. The details can be found throughout the property and hopefully part of the fun will be people discovering them on their own and connecting the dots.

Kassatex: What is your favorite restaurant in Greenport?
AP: My favorite restaurant– Kontiki– closed last year unfortunately. It was the best. But there are so many other restaurants I love in Greenport that it’s hard (and unfair!) to choose just one. Little Creek Oysters, First & South, Stirling Sake, and Bruce & Son are all great and in the rotation.

Kassatex: Describe your ideal day in Greenport:
AP: It really depends on the day and the season. In the summer, I’m outside as much as possible– riding a bike, taking a stroll, going for a swim, or having a beer with friends.

Kassatex: North Fork vs South Fork: why go North?
AP: It’s kind of an unfair comparison because they are so different. The best parts of the North Fork are unfussy and laid back. I think the people who enjoy it most here are looking for that. They revel in being more connected to the land and their senses whether it’s by visiting all the working farms and markets, vineyards, beaches, or locally-owned business.

Kassatex: What is your perfect meal on the North Fork?
AP: Grabbing a bag of Pipes Cove oysters and shucking them with my wife and friends; a cold beer; and then a perfectly grilled whole fish with whatever fresh vegetables are in season.