Family First
July 11, 2011
Text by Megan Fulweiler   Photography by Michael Partenio   Produced by Stacy Kunstel
A stylish and colorful revamping of a gracious Greenwich home gives a happy couple just the environment they imagined for raising their three youngsters.
If, as they say, a beautiful woman lights up a room, the reverse is true as wellâa beautiful room lights up those lucky enough to stand within its walls. Down through the ages, savvy women have used their surroundings to enhance their own charms. Still, when told that her designer describes her as a lovely blonde and says, âThese settings complement her coloring,â the owner of this Greenwich home simply laughs. She and her husband have a far more compelling reason for adoring their Greenwich house. Itâs the home theyâd always envisioned for raising their three young children.
âFamily is important to us,â says the homeowner. âItâs a pretty house, but itâs not showcase-y. Itâs a home where people feel comfortable. Rather than have our kids go visit elsewhere, we want their friends to come here. Thatâs really why we bought this place.â
Two hundred and fifty acres of breathtaking land owned by the Boy Scouts of America couldnât be a more perfect neighbor. The wealth of green provides a sense of privacy and gives the property a bucolic, âweâre removed from everythingâ feeling. Curtainsâexcept in the kidsâ roomsâare unnecessary. Itâs a good thing, too, because even the cremone bolts on the casement windows deserve highlighting.
Fortunately, by the time the owners took possession, the house had already undergone an extensive renovation led by Greenwich architect Douglas VanderHorn of Hilton + VanderHorn Architects. âThe house was built in the 1950s in a fairly modest French style,â VanderHorn explains. âOur client considered it a tear-down. But there was enough house to save and so, staying in the French vein, we did a complete gut, renovated, replanned and added the third floor.
Almost nothing you see today is original. The old brick exterior was stripped and new brick installed, along with a distinctive slate roof. The original front door was nixed for an Indiana limestone surround and a glass door dressed with an ornate iron grille designed by VanderHorn. At night, lit from within, the entry glows like a lantern.
To elevate the interior, the architect added beautiful details, including moldings, trim and delicate transoms above the doorways. It was a glorious rebirth, but the owner at that time had a penchant for all-white rooms, with one notable exceptionâa plum sitting room! Such a noncommittal palette, as pleasing as it was, downplayed the homeâs character. The current owners engaged Greenwich designer Cindy Rinfret to enliven the architecture with colorful new interiors.
âCindy has an amazing way with color,â says the happy wife. And if proof of that is needed, she has only to initiate a tour. The sun-drenched roomsâall dreamy blues and beigesâunfold one after another in an appealing scheme that underscores the homeâs attributes. Teamed with a barely-blue Kravet wallcovering, for instance, the entryâs creamy paneling gains prominence. And a shimmery Donghia grasscloth catapults the living roomâs moldings and fluted mantel to the forefront. Accents of red and coralâlike a sweep of rouge on the cheeksâgive it all a lively kick.
âThatâs the great thing about this house,â says Rinfret. âItâs elegant but not stuffy. With children and dogs all about, my clients craved rooms that were also practical.â
Rinfretâs take on family living means mixing old but not overly precious pieces with newer items. Many of the furnishings were transferred from the ownersâ last home (also a Rinfret project) and revamped. About 75 percent of the accessories, Rinfret estimates, were culled from her own Greenwich shop. Custom rugs made in Nepal cozy up wood floors for kids who sometimes prefer to shed their shoes.
As user-friendly as they are, the interiors are also chic. If mom and dad don formal attire for dinner, they wonât look out of step in the dining room, resplendent with a custom-colored Gracie wallcovering. An antique gilded chandelier dripping crystal prisms is the kind of fixture that inspires toasts. And while guests are admiring its silhouette, theyâll notice the blue-as-sky ceiling. âItâs one-sixth of the room,â says Rinfret. âNever leave a ceiling white.â A set of cheery pagodasâa bit of whimsical chinoiserieâsit atop the marble mantel.
The stunning library, paneled in butternut and sporting a gold ceiling, would do as well for cocktails as it does for reading. Through an open door, a lick of purple appears. âIt was such a cool color, we kept it,â says the wife of the sitting room. Rinfret piled on more color, wallpapering the ceiling and designing a luscious sorbet-hued sofa.
The kitchenâthe family hubâexhibits the same delicious balance of functionality and sophistication. VanderHorn had seen to the kitchen in his renovation, and then Rinfret gave it her fabulous stamp, lightening the dark cabinets and cleverly swapping out their doors for new models with bamboo trim. She also tucked the fridge behind mirrored doorsâjust another of the designerâs ingenious, why-didnât-we-think-of-that moves.
An adjacent breakfast room, one of two casual dining areas, is frequently commandeered by the children for projects. Rinfret devised a corner cabinet, also with mirrored doors, just for arts and crafts supplies. Steel chairsââa link to the kitchenâs stainless appliances,â says Rinfretâwith leopard seats are reminders that itâs good to think outside the box.
The parentsâ Rinfret-designed canopy bed came along from their old home, as did the sweet heirloom settee at its foot. Tiptoe into the wifeâs dressing room and the feminine ambience escalates with a pretty wallcovering and a dainty blue chaise. Her bath (the husband has his own across the way) holds a bowfront tub and an antique Venetian mirror.
As soon as fair weather arrives, of course, the family zips outdoors to make good use of the pool and tennis court. Twin pool pavilions with romantic bell-shaped roofs contain a kitchenette and bath, respectively. The propertyâs little pond is amazing, too, claims the wife. âThe children get to watch tadpoles grow into frogs,â she says. No doubt theyâll remember that miraculous eventâand all their days in this welcoming houseâforever.
Architecture: Douglas VanderHorn, Douglas VanderHorn Architects
Interior design: Cindy Rinfret, Rinfret, Ltd.
Landscape architecture: Peter Cummin, Cummin Associates
Builder: Wright Brothers Builders
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