Design in Depth: Courting Connecticut

June 12, 2013

By Stacy Kunstel

For the past three years I’ve been dividing my time between New England and Connecticut. Since when is New England not part of Connecticut you’re wondering? When New England Home was launched in 2005 the magazine covered basically all of New England except for one county in Connecticut. Our original editor and publisher jokingly would say that the people who lived in Fairfield County rooted for the Yankees and that we needed to preserve Red Sox nation. So we dutifully worked with architects and interior designers from all parts of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont, but only lightly tread in Connecticut and we certainly didn’t step toe in Derek Jeter’s backyard.

That all changed when we launched New England Home Connecticut in 2010, a magazine completely devoted to design in Connecticut and particularly Fairfield County.

As I met yesterday with architects and designers in Westport and Wilton, it occurred to me how much my Boston friends were missing out by not seeing this magazine. I’ve selected a projects to show you here, but I encourage you to pick up a copy or subscribe so you can see what your southern neighbors have been up to.

While the houses still feel like New England,

Photo by Michael Partenio

they tend to be a bit glam sometimes. These two rooms are by interior designer Michelle Morgan Harrison.

Above photos by John Bessler

Or this room by Tiffany Eastman.

Photo by John Bessler

The houses or the designs aren’t necessarily better, but they do have a different feel to them for one reason or another. Like the vastness of this living room by the design team Roch & Chase (who have no website) or this bedroom by architect Robert Dean and interior designer Anne Miller (who also has no website).

Photo by Tria Giovan

Photo by Michael Partenio

Many of the houses I see in Connecticut have a more contemporary feel, but I’m also seeing that in Boston and on the Cape and Islands. This is a family room by Mar Silver.

Photo by Bjorn Wallander

Of course traditional will always have a place in the Connecticut issue such as this beautiful sunroom by Cindy Rinfret or this master bath in a house designed by Alex Kaali-Nagy.