Explore a Modern Farmhouse Full of Character

January 15, 2025

Camden Grace Interiors puts a youthful spin on a modern farmhouse in record time.

Text by Fred Albert Photography by Jared Kuzia Produced by Matthew Gleason

Entryway featuring a rustic wooden console table with decorative curved details, a large round mirror, sconces with cream shades, a ceramic vase with green foliage, and a woven basket for accents, complemented by a herringbone wood floor and a patterned rug.

A rustic Hooker Furniture console table provides a drop zone for keys and mail in the entry hall, whose wall battens echo the muntins in an opposing window.

Stylish console vignette featuring a black geometric console table with gold hardware, adorned with a neutral vase holding green branches, ceramic decor pieces, and stacked books, set against a stone accent wall and framed artwork of a butterfly with soft lighting.

A playful console table from Noir and a photograph by Sandi Fellman nestle next to the living room fireplace.

Modern dining room featuring a round dark wood table surrounded by woven cane-back chairs with upholstered cushions, illuminated by an elegant multi-tiered chandelier with white shades. The space includes a sideboard with brass accents, abstract wall art, tall candlesticks, and a large window framed by neutral curtains, creating a sophisticated and airy atmosphere."

An Arteriors chandelier illuminates an Old Biscayne Designs table in the dining area. The space is open to the kitchen but distinguished by subtle grasscloth wallpaper.

Bright and inviting living room featuring a stone fireplace with a mounted landscape TV, a black coffee table styled with books and vases, and a mix of neutral-toned seating, including a gray sofa and cream armchairs. The space is enhanced by layered textures, thoughtful decor, and a modern open layout with a staircase and a view of adjoining rooms.

In the living room, contemporary furnishings in neutral colors contrast with the traditional architecture without conflicting with it. A picture-frame TV hangs from the dolomitic limestone fireplace, which soars twenty feet and had to be supported by an I-beam underneath.

Charming scullery featuring custom teal cabinetry with brass hardware, a wood countertop, and integrated wine storage. The space is accented with a farmhouse-style sink, wall-mounted brass sconces, a colorful vintage rug, and modern artwork, creating a blend of functionality and timeless design.

Guests can bypass the kitchen and help themselves to beverages in the neighboring scullery, which is equipped with a sink, dishwasher, wine storage, and a coffeemaker.

Elegant butler's pantry featuring a mix of warm wood cabinetry with fluted glass doors and light sage green drawers with brass hardware. The space is complemented by a black-and-white checkered marble floor, a black-framed window letting in natural light, and a vintage-style pendant light, blending classic and modern design elements.

The butler’s pantry is concealed behind nine-foot steel-and-glass doors and has a checkerboard marble floor and ample storage

Spacious modern kitchen featuring a large wooden island with white quartz countertops, black pendant lighting, and upholstered barstools. The space includes white cabinetry with brass hardware, a custom range hood with brass detailing, glossy subway tile backsplash, and commercial-grade appliances. A cozy dining nook and built-in cabinetry complete the open and inviting design.

Hinkley pendants illuminate a quartz composite countertop in the kitchen, which features custom cabinets by Zel Woodworking and a custom nickel vent hood accented with brass.

Serene primary bedroom featuring a plush upholstered bed with soft white linens, accentuated by blush and neutral throw pillows. The room includes matching wood nightstands with modern lamps, an elegant cream settee at the foot of the bed, and large windows dressed in light, flowing curtains.

“We wanted this room to be very serene,” says interior designer Jeanne Barber of the primary bedroom.

Luxurious walk-in closet featuring built-in white cabinetry, open shelving for shoes and accessories, and a central tufted velvet ottoman in a warm brown hue. The space is enhanced by a floral wallpapered ceiling, an elegant tiered chandelier, and a window providing natural light, creating a stylish and organized dressing area.

Given the home’s open floor plan, playful touches were confined to enclosed spaces like Stacey’s closet, where a banana-leaf pendant illuminates a ceiling covered in exuberant Sanderson wallpaper.

Home office and game room featuring a cozy seating area with a leather sofa and upholstered armchair, a glass coffee table, and a modern poker table with patterned chairs. The room is accented by deep blue wainscoting, abstract wall art, a brass chandelier, and natural light streaming through large windows.

“I wanted a spot I could call my little cave,” jokes husband Ron, whose expansive home office includes a poker table, bar, and TV viewing area.

Designing a Modern Farmhouse with Character and Warmth

When Jeanne Barber was asked to decorate a house that was under construction in Simsbury, she looked her clients square in the eyes and said, “Can you make decisions?”

With move-in just six months away, the owner of Camden Grace Interiors figured she had just ninety days to order every fabric, wallcovering, furnishing, and accessory in the 6,100-square-foot house. And since owners Ron and Stacey Mairano didn’t want to use any
of their existing furniture, a lot of decisions needed to be made—and fast.

“We wanted to make a fresh start,” Ron says of the couple’s choice to trade their colonial on the outskirts of Simsbury for a new modern farmhouse near downtown. “We wanted a larger home and a more open floor plan,” he adds, “but we wanted it to feel very homey.”

Balancing Style and Function for a Busy Family

With three teenage wrestlers in residence, “there was a lot of testosterone in the house,” Barber concedes with a laugh. “We didn’t want the interior to be too precious.” At the same time, she acknowledges, “I did not want it to look like every other farmhouse. How could we make this feel special and kind of youthful?”

To add some character, she introduced lots of custom cabinetry and millwork to the home, which was designed by Schadler Selnau Associates. “We used shiplap ceilings in the kitchen and family room, and we did board-and-batten in the entry hall and second-floor hallway,” notes builder Peter Sirois of Zel. Gridded-steel doors punctuate the interior, introducing a fresh, industrial counterpoint to the nostalgic architecture and warm white-oak floors.

Eyeing the living room’s dolomitic limestone fireplace, Sirois and Barber decided to extend the stone veneer an extra fourteen feet to the ceiling’s peak, giving the room a dramatic focal point around which everything else orbits. Furnishing the space proved particularly challenging since all four sides double as passageways to other areas. “Creating a floor plan that felt intimate enough for conversation, but also allowed passage, was actually quite tricky,” Barber says. She pulled all the furniture away from the walls, providing circulation around the room’s perimeter, then anchored the seating area with a massive coffee table that puts distance between the seating pieces, while keeping everything close and cohesive.

Set within a bump-out adjoining the kitchen, the dining area experiences a lot of traffic, too, so Barber opted for a generous round table instead of a rectangular one (fewer bruised hips as people pass) and paired it with curvaceous cane-backed chairs. “I like to do rounded backs when I have rounded tables,” the designer explains. Overhead, frosted-glass shades cascade from an Arteriors chandelier sized to stand up to the table below.

Stacey wanted a white kitchen, but the surrounding walls were already white, so Barber introduced some contrast with an oak island, brass accents, glossy subway tile, and reeded-glass doors. Commercial-grade appliances meet the demands of the three wrestlers and their older sister, as do the double set of washers and dryers in the charming brick-floored laundry room.

With a swimming pool, golf simulator, sauna, and pool table, the Mairanos’ house has become a magnet for their children’s friends. “It’s just a fun place to be around,” says Ron. Building it turned out to be a very good decision, indeed.

Project Team
Architecture: Schadler Selnau Associates
Interior design: Camden Grace Interiors
Builder: Zel
Landscape design: Bahler Brothers, Thrive Earth Products