WashingtoN I
Connecticut
LOCATION
Washington, Connecticut
TYPE
Country Home
Our relationship with these clients began on the Upper West Side when we designed their boutique condo. There, they wanted to replicate the characterful environment of this house, which they had purchased as a country retreat.
While the condo came together, the retreat very much took a back seat. The clients initially undertook the interiors themselves, investing in key pieces, but after a pair of young children and a pandemic, they asked us to come in and make it a home. Over three years, working room by room, we collaborated to create a comfortable, elegant space, perfectly suited to their way of life.
Photography by Joshua McHugh.
The living room is large, spanning 24 feet by 24 feet and 24 feet high, and it was important that the various seating groups, anchored by three substantial sofas, felt connected. An eclectic yet similar set of silhouettes and styles was employed to create cohesion.
A whiskey to unwind is a favorite pastime of the clients. Here, in the bar room, the earthy warmth of a French oak table, leather sling chairs and the client’s collection of spirits, are complemented by the cool calmness of the postman blue walls and millwork.
Not every piece needs to be new, existing pieces can be reinvigorated by a subtle update to their surroundings. In the dining room, a solid walnut table and J.L. Mollers chairs that the clients had purchased when they moved in are showcased by a ceiling papered in ochre linen, patterned slipcovers, and a linear Elizabeth Ekins flatweave rug.
Cozy contrast was the brief for the primary bedroom, where bitter-chocolate limewashed walls envelop a palette of ivory and caramel tones. Wool drapery with a chocolate brown fleck wrap the three walls of French doors.
The primary bathroom underwent a full gut renovation. The clean lines of the white oak cladding, tumble Belgian Blue stone floor tiles contrast the ovular bath and curved fireplace to create a sophisticated, graphic setting for one’s daily ablutions.
The impressive sink was inherited from the house’s previous owners. As no one wanted to part with it (including us), it was paired with a black-stained shaker bench, a vintage Mallayer rug and a Dumais Made ceramic table to bring it into the vernacular of the other spaces.
