Neutrals Reign in a Home Designed by Becca Casey

Designer Becca Casey honed the color palette by pulling hues from the landscape and leaning into her own favorite shades. For example, the front door is painted in Benjamin Moore Britannia Blue.

Natural materials abound throughout, including in this entry vignette where a Made Goods mirror crafted from woven buri palm hangs over a console table with a whitewashed wood top.

In the kitchen, Casey installed a quartz countertop for durability and then added artisanal touches, including zellige tiles from Clé and weathered oak stools by Eastburn, for warmth.

Sun streams into the breakfast room, highlighting the tactile quality of the furnishings, from the salvaged-wood farmhouse table to the HatiHome leather side chairs and Palecek armchairs made from rattan and seagrass.

Casey turned an unneeded full bath located in the middle of the first floor into a jewel-like powder room that opens nearer the entry.

In the sunroom, painted cement floor tiles by Walker Zanger replaced dated terra-cotta ones, while a custom bench swing by Southern Komfort channels the homeowner’s roots.

A modern white crib is a crisp juxtaposition to the basket pendant made from natural fibers as well as the Serena & Lily Kalahari wallpaper with its metallic accents.

An oversized statement pendant by Ay Illuminate tempers the more traditional four-poster bed and handmade bench in the couple’s bedroom.

Sydney and Brian Williams wanted their first home to be a refuge. The couple, who lived in a 900-square-foot apartment in Manhattan’s West Village with their then six-month-old son (he’s now three and his brother is one), purchased a charming colonial farmhouse on a quiet cove in Old Greenwich at the end of 2018. “We were both still commuting, so we wanted to walk into a place of serenity when we returned from the craziness of the city,” Sydney Williams says.

The 1940s Shingle-style five-bedroom, with its covered front porch and cobblestone path, was welcoming from the outside. The interior, however, felt stiff. Drawn to local designer Becca Casey’s timeless English country sensibilities and at-home-on-the-sea aesthetic, the couple hired her firm, Becca Interiors, to transform their new space into a mellow haven.

The first priority was to open up the middle and back of the house. “We took an informal approach, creating cased openings between spaces for an easy flow,” Casey says. The resulting airy kitchen and sun-drenched breakfast room serve as the heart of the home.“I come from a big, loud Southern family that hangs out in the kitchen all day long,” Williams says. “I wanted our kitchen to play that role.”

Casey carried a neutral-with-hints-of-blue color scheme and natural-materials palette throughout. In the adjacent family room, a crisp-but-comfortable sectional (oversized seating was a must-have for Brian, who is six-foot-four-inches tall) hugs a rustic wood coffee table with clean lines. The pieces sit atop a jute rug, while a minimalist seascape adds quiet interest to the walls. “We use this room for everything,” Williams says, noting that the built-ins nicely hide the toys. “We open the French doors in the fall and spring so we can see the water and hear the birds.”

Upstairs, the couple’s bedroom is a peaceful aerie with a cathedral ceiling lined in white planks. A custom canopy bed melds Shaker and industrial flavor, while a Belgian-linen-upholstered armchair coupled with a midcentury rattan ottoman lend European flair. Casey infused the nursery with similar notes of playful sophistication using tone-on-tone wallpaper with finely drawn elephants, a contemporary crib, and a statement pendant light.

From top to bottom, Casey’s ensembles epitomize her concept: bright, classic New England that feels youthful, livable, and not too beachy. “Becca was wonderful at teasing out what was in my head,” Williams says. “She translated it into something we’re happy to call home.” 

Project Team
Interior design: Becca Casey, Becca Interiors
Architecture and builder: Lee Development Company