A Kitchen-Centric Renovation in Ridgefield
February 3, 2017
A kitchen-centric renovation gives an already gracious Ridgefield house a warm, welcoming feeling of home.
Text by Allegra Muzzillo    Photography by Michael Partenio   Produced by Stacy Kunstel
Molly Hirschâs relationship with this Ridgefield couple began when they called on her to help renovate their previous home. Midway through the process, the couple changed tacks.
âThey started looking at other houses when they realized the renovation still wouldnât give them enough space for their three young boys and for visiting friends and family,â Hirsch says.
When the pair finally landed on this 7,000-square-foot Colonial-style home just a few minutesâ walk to Ridgefieldâs Main Street, they again tapped Hirsch to oversee its redesign. âWhat I love about working with Molly is that her first idea is always the best,â says the wife. âI trust her, and she nails it every time.â
Although the couple appreciated the houseâs nine-and-a-half-foot ceilings and lovely millwork, its interiors leaned toward a formality the wife sought to tone down. âShe wanted the whole home to be invitingânot formal and unusable,â says Hirsch.
And inviting it is: in the foyer, Hirsch anchored the space with a large, spherical chandelier and added touches of modern glamor with an inlaid shell-and-bone mirror and glowing mercury-glass lamp. The light on the demilune remains on all day and night, as if to welcome weary travelers no matter the hour.
Off to the left, and overlooking the ample front yard, the formal dining room is a gentle transition between traditional and contemporary elements, and represents the line Hirsch is most comfortable riding. âTheir last home was traditional,â Hirsch explains. âThey wanted a change of pace.â
Fun, large-scale paisley wallpaper offsets the roomâs clean-lined millwork, making a fitting backdrop for an abstract acrylic painting by Rachel Volpone that is just one piece in the coupleâs growing collection of work by local artists. The dining setâa holdover from the previous homeâwas made fresh with stain-resistant faux-snakeskin upholstery: âThe boys can play in and use every room,â says Hirsch. âNothing is crazy-fragile.â
Here (and throughout most of the first floor) windows are left undressed to admit the most natural light, and to show off the pretty New England vistas. âThere are certain times when you need to let the windows sing, and this is one of those times,â the designer says.
âIf we had put up window treatments,â the wife adds, âit would have been too stuffy for the look I wanted.â
The dining room and kitchen are separated by a glass-paned door, which adds intimacy to formal gatherings and keeps the noise of food prep under wraps.
While the rest of the house is, by all standards, quite large, the kitchen was small and its layout ill-suited to a family that enjoys cooking and entertaining. Hirsch faced two big challenges here: repositioning the back staircase and dealing with a super-narrow, somewhat outdated butlerâs pantry.
Hirsch and Stamford-based architect Kristine DâElisa worked together to make the wifeâs concept to unite the family room and kitchen a reality. âClients have great vision,â says DâElisa, âand thatâs usually how we start designing.â
Initially, the back staircase jutted out into the middle of the kitchen. âIt bisected the family room and kitchen, creating a vacuous walk-through the client couldnât use, or even furnish,â DâElisa says. She and Hirsch shifted it for better flow: it now leads into the mudroom. âIt created a new working wall for the kitchen,â Hirsch notes, including a handy beverage center the whole family loves.
The butlerâs pantry was absorbed into the main kitchen area to allow for an ample island and clever peninsula. âMy client wanted a place for her boys to sit that wasnât in the middle of the workspace,â says Hirsch. âWe created the peninsula so theyâre not right in the thick of things.â
Alice Hayes, of the kitchen design company Deane, joined the team to perfect the kitchen plan. âAlice is a great collaborator,â Hirsch says. âWe came to her with the basic plan, and she refined it in terms of the exact placement of appliances, the layout, and sizes of the cabinets, island, and peninsula.â
The Shaker-style cabinetry and fully integrated appliances are handsome, but the polished-nickel pendant lamps are the obvious showstoppers here, owing to their custom-painted teal-blue interiors and powerful presence.
To the right of the foyer is the formal living areaâanother study in seductive glamor. A prominent gas fireplace and ultra-soft wide-wale corduroy sofa invite impromptu snuggles. Hirsch treated the windows to a billowy silk-taffeta treatment that gives the room cocoon-like comfort. Smartly, the capiz-shell chandelier was chosen to complement, rather than overpower, the convex radiant mirror. Champagne-hued grasscloth wallcoverings and the geometric iron-and-mesh fireplace screen add Âtexture.
At the back of the house, the breakfast area acts as the main conduit to the family room (to the right) and kitchen (to the left). A heavy, solid-wood table, leather seating, and the absence of an area rug let the space function as the homeâs proverbial workhorse. Itâs a place where kids can be kids and the whole family can enjoy informal meals together.
In the family room, Hirsch reconfigured the gas fireplace, replacing its millwork with a railroad-tie mantel, fieldstone surround, and bluestone hearth. The custom built-ins got a facelift that gave them a more modern look and increased shelf space. A cushy, chenille sectional is kid-friendly, while abstract pieces by Volpone further complement the roomâs comfortable vibe. âMy kids just want to spend hours in this room,â says the wife. âItâs so warm and inviting.â
The color scheme of the home evolved organically, says Hirsch, with the couple settling on a semi-monochromatic palette of blues and neutral gray tones that jibe nicely with the transitional aesthetic. The sectionalâs collection of cut-velvet throw pillows in bold, modern patterns is another twist on tradition.
A short hallway leads from the family room to the wifeâs home office, a gem of a room that doubles as respite and workspace. Fun, graphic wallpaper offsets a trio of acrylic-and-resin paintings. Two lacquered credenzas and built-in cabinets provide ample storage, and a beloved armchair and ottomanâpassed down from the wifeâs grandfatherâset a welcoming scene. âI wish I had this room in my house,â confesses Hirsch with a smile.
But ask the designer about her favorite room in the house and sheâll tell you itâs that kitchen. âThe home was missing its heart,â she says. âTo see the family gather in there makes me so happy.â â˘
Architecture: Kristine DâElisa, KKD Architecture + Design
Interior design: Molly Hirsch, Molly Hirsch Interiors
Builder: Anthony Cacciola, AJC Contracting
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