A Sea Change
July 1, 2013
Accustomed to cruising the world on a yacht, an adventurous couple decides to drop anchor in a cozy, urbane Newport home.Â
Text by Maria LaPiana   Photography by Sam Gray
Feeling a bit like ducks out of water, Lara and Craig Wilson were apprehensive when they decided to make a home together on land. After all, the couple, who met on the yacht on which they workâshe as chief stewardess and he as chief engineerâhad lived at sea, traveling the world for close to a decade. âWeâd never had a home before, so we needed a lot of guidance,â remembers Lara, a New Zealand native.
They found a historic property in Newport that had been completely renovated with a modern (but not too modern) sensibility. They loved the homeâs location, intrinsic character and curb appeal, so they bought itâbut then found themselves adrift. âWe didnât even know what we wanted until he put it out there,â says Lara.
âHeâ is Boston interior designer Dennis Duffy, who was commissioned to finish the interiors. He won the coupleâs confidence, says Lara, because his âoffices are beautifulâ and because âhe got us straight away. We didnât interview anyone else; we just went with our gut instinct.â
For his part, Duffy was intrigued by the project. âItâs a modest home with three floors, sitting right off the sidewalk, in a neighborhood of similarly plain, wooden structures,â he says. âIt was newly renovated, but had no personality.
âFor inspiration, they showed me photos of very cool, edgy, chic hotel rooms theyâd stayed in,â he adds. âThey wanted the home to be sophisticated, but comfortable. Contemporary but not austere.â
At forty and thirty-five, respectively, Craig and Lara say theyâre not quite through with their nomadic existence, so they wanted to be sure the house wouldnât be outdated by the time they are ready to move in for good.
Life aboard a yacht definitely informed the coupleâs decisions. Says Lara: âThe yachtâs owners have a beautiful concept of interior design. Everything is always meticulously clean, with fine lines and no clutter. We wanted that, but also wanted color and patterns that invited people to relax.â
The challenge for Duffy, who typically designs larger homes, was starting from scratch. âThey didnât have anything at all, and these were small, irregular spaces,â he says.
The renovation was well done, Duffy notes, with architectural details suited to the look the couple was after. They opted for an overall neutral palette with a few colorful surprises and mostly custom furnishings.
The open-plan first floor features wainscoting and wide-plank pine floors; Duffy covered the walls with a textural hemp grasscloth. The living area in front is anchored by a custom sofa, built to fit the snug space and covered in natural linen. The case goods, including a media cabinet designed specifically for Craigâs electronic equipment, are a mix of modern lines and polished woods. Most of the carpets throughout the home are custom, and all of the lighting is new. Duffy kept treatments on the large windows simple with shades installed within the frames.
The designer served up a little whimsy in the dining area by lighting a zinc-topped table with a fixture made of hanging silverware. The dining chairs sport a print fabric on the back for a bit of added dash.
For the L-shaped second-floor master bedroom, Duffy painted two walls a deep shade of purple then introduced lavender and green accents and a silk-and-wool rug to soften the space. Narrow tiered tables of walnut with nickel-finished stanchions, designed by Duffy, fit perfectly in the limited space to each side of the coupleâs queen-size bed.
In summing up the homeâs vibe, the designer says, âWe started with a very vanilla box. I think we gave it personality and individuality, based on who the homeowners are. Thereâs an urban edge to it, but I donât think it conflicts with the architectural envelope.â
Lara and Craig agree, emphatically. Lara says theyâre pleased the decor is neither a hodgepodge nor too matchy-matchy.
The couple still spends most of their time traveling. âFor now,â Lara says, âitâs our holiday home.â
In the meantime, the couple can sail smoothly, knowing their stateside home awaits. â˘
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