Image via The New York Times
It’s quite refreshing to see that Christie Brinkley has a pretty normal life during the summer. She’ll wake up early in Bridgehampton, stroll downstairs for coffee, water her plants, and read the newspaper with her parrot on her shoulder. Okay, well normal till that last little fact. From there it’s onto pancakes for breakfast and fishing for dinner, as the day ends with a bonfire and to-do lists for the rest of the week.
Hidden in the middle of her Sunday schedule is the news that she’ll be moving into a new form of creativity, as the supermodel plans to extend her already full design plate (eco-friendly fabrics, jewelry, and sunglasses) to furniture. Another way to bring supermodel style into the home? Perfect.
BEAT THE CLOCK I wake up early every day, around 6:30 or 7, and even if I set my alarm, I’ll wake up a few minutes before it goes off: I have fear of alarm-clock noise. What’s different about a Sunday is that it’s a “pressure is off” day; it’s like eating potato chips on Super Bowl day. You know everyone else is doing it, too. I’ll try and sneak downstairs in my pajamas without waking anybody else up—the kids always have friends over on weekends, and once they’re awake, forget it.
MORNING SERENADE First thing, I open the door to the patio so I can hear the birds; just outside the kitchen I have a bird feeder on this gigantic tree we call the kitchen tree, and early in the morning when the birds are all out there singing, you sort of feel like a Disney character. I make myself a cup of hazelnut coffee in the biggest mug known to mankind, with a vanilla creamer that I heat up first: All of a sudden I make the best cup of coffee ever! If it’s not raining, I’ll go outside with my coffee with my parrot on my shoulder and wander around pinching the petunias. Then I read the newspaper.
KITCHEN DUTY By 9, the kids are downstairs making pancakes; all you hear are pots and pans banging. My role is mopping up whatever batter spills and making sure nothing burns up. If my daughter Alexa and her band are staying here, there’s breakfast all over again when they straggle in around 11.
CATCH OF THE DAY My son is a big fisherman, so we’ll take off on the Riff-Raft and hit a couple of our hot fishing spots; we catch whatever’s running—bluefish, fluke, porgies—and bring it home for lunch or dinner. I broil the fish; I’m afraid of the gas grill. Which sounds strange, because I love my fire pit.
UNDER SAIL To me, the epitome of luxury is going someplace by boat; we keep two Sunfish at my house in Sag Harbor, so if it’s windy, we’ll go over there, maybe sail around and visit my parents or go to Three Mile Harbor. The weather has been so horrible, but as long as there’s no lightning, we’re outdoors.
BONFIRE, SUNSET My favorite way to finish off the day is with a bonfire at the beach, or here at the house, watch the sunset, and savor the calm before Monday.
LISTS, THEN LIGHTS OUT I make lists of what I need to get done during the week. No TV; my pre-Sunday ritual is staying up late and watching Saturday Night Live
