Galleries

The side entry shows the Georgian-style pediments, brackets, and columns architect Michael T. Gray introduced to the design.

An archway defines the sitting area in the primary bedroom; the doorway to the left leads to the en suite bathroom.

The powder room off the side entry, adjacent to the office, has a custom sink and backsplash of Rainforest quartz.

he window above the counter on the right folds open to become a pass-through when serving meals at the outdoor table.

The kitchen cabinetry is traditional, but the room itself is unabashedly modern with a custom brass hood as a focal point. The island sink faces the light-filled living room. To the left, a wood-lined coffee bar can be concealed by pocket doors, much like the spice racks flanking the Lacanche range.

The existing garage was demolished and a new structure built on the footprint.

In the living room, casual, comfortable furnishings complement the classic simplicity of the fireplace surround and bookcases.

Symmetrical stairs on each side of a Georgian portico, stately brass railings, and an oval leaded-glass window above a pediment grace the front facade.

The informal porch provides entrée to the foyer, where an intricate marble-tile floor and Venetian-plaster-lined dome are juxtaposed with the disarming charm of a painted Dutch door.

The dressing room and closet space is a room unto itself.

In the dining room, built-in arched cupboards with leaded-glass doors flank the fireplace; the Fortuny Icaro pendant light is “a statement piece,” says designer Anne T. Alberts.

A kitchenette at the rear of the house acts as a service area for the back porch. The window above the counter on the right folds open to become a pass-through when serving meals at the outdoor table.

A soaking tub and walk-in shower give the primary bathroom its spa-like feeling.

The office off the side entry has a hidden space behind the paneled wall; the inside of the secret door is lined with leather.

The Zen room on the main floor can be used for reading, work, meditation, or yoga. A pocket door closes it off from the hallway beyond.

Evanescent Moooi pendants illuminate the staircase, drawing visitors upstairs; the painted-steel screen behind them enhances safety without compromising transparency.

“We wanted the upper level to be at grade, so the courtyard would be part of daily life,” says Flavin, who splayed one wing to welcome in the surroundings and painted the entire rear gray to give the house a hushed presence in the landscape. Each element—from the specimen trees to the grill—was carefully selected, prompting the owners to refer to this as their “curated courtyard.”

The primary bedroom has views in two directions; there are three other bedrooms to accommodate guests or the owners’ college-age sons.

“The husband loves green,” says designer Lindsay Bentis, who paired Nemo tiles in that color with Pablo pendants and a concrete sink in the powder room.

The upper floor is oriented around an exterior courtyard that’s visible through floor-to-ceiling glass doors.

Lawson-Fenning stools sidle up to a kitchen island covered in Olympian White Danby marble from Vermont and illuminated by a trio of Muuto pendants.

A flight of stairs leads to the main floor where a Croft House credenza resting under a Jeremy Holmes wall sculpture sets a sophisticated scene.

Working with the topography of the land, architect Colin Flavin burrowed the base of this Dover, Massachusetts, house into the hillside, keeping the front fairly solid to enhance the sense of discovery as visitors venture inside. A winglike canopy cantilevers over the entry, providing shelter from the elements. The floor above opens on grade with the backyard and is clad in mahogany slats and painted exterior-grade plywood.

The lower level includes an exercise room with a view of the textured concrete retaining wall holding back the hillside. F

The pivoting front door is tucked in a gap between the angled foundation walls, which were crafted from board-formed concrete. Uplights concealed in the stone-filled troughs highlight the texture at night.

The courtyard’s Kebony deck is sheltered by a brise-soleil whose angled vanes admit light in winter and block it in summer.

he husband is a passionate surfer, and so is architect Ron DiMauro, so the two had fun designing the “surf shop,” with racks to hold eight surfboards and hooks for hanging wetsuits.

A shimmery wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries adorns the headboard wall in a primary bedroom.

The first-floor primary suite’s dressing room holds white-oak built-ins with mirrored closet doors.

In the second-floor primary suite (one of two primary suites in the home), Reider kept furnishings, like the Nathan Anthony lounge chairs and the light-as-air linen-shaded pendants, neutral.

A guest bath has Shaker-style cabinetry with grasscloth insets.

Channels in the soffits of the outdoor room hold screens and, for more protection, Isinglass windows.

The wife loves her office, a peaceful oasis populated with unique pieces such as the cushy swivel chairs and a custom desk by New England Artisan Restoration.

In the mudroom, a ceiling of tongue-in-groove white oak holds a Brightbound light fixture of handblown glass bulbs hanging from knotted ropes by San Francisco artist Windy Chien.

Designer Rachel Reider says the U-shaped sectional, with a low back to keep water views center stage, is “warm, like a big hug.”

Designed by Venegas and Company, the kitchen holds two islands, one for prepping and one for dining. The second island, with its navy blue fluted base by Erik Rueda, eases the transition from kitchen to dining area, Reider explains.

The bath for one of the home’s three en suite guest rooms wears a Phillip Jeffries wallpaper with a watery look.

The foyer’s wooden table made to look like stacked beach stones sets the home’s intention of honoring its coastal location in subtle ways. The Talisman sconce from Apparatus Studio is made with aged brass, leather, and agates.

DiMauro Architects designed a house with all the classic coastal-cottage features, including gables, dormers, and a wraparound porch, but with clean lines that hint at the more contemporary interior.

The elevator’s interior sports a whimsical wallpaper by Emma Hayes.

At ten feet in diameter, the round oak dining table by Massachusetts woodworker Erik Rueda seats fourteen guests. The brass and etched-glass chandelier from Apparatus Studio has multiple pendants, ensuring light is evenly cast across the large table.

The breakfast table’s resin top with a wavy underside is a distinct nod to the ocean outside the metal-framed windows. Sweenor Builders crafted the floating banquette.

This chef-style kitchen features a bronze perimeter and blackened Manganese Island. All have a protective coatings to control oxidation.

The structure of this fireplace surround was built with MDF then finished in Bronze. Multiple patinas were applied then given a wax finish.

A cooking zone has a bronze insert with a low-sheen that has a subtle orange peel texture.

A contemporary kitchen island has a bronze finish layered with a black patina and a protective clear coat.

The Guest Bedroom in a Brookline Brownstone has a variety of custom elements. Opaline Interiors Studio used the details made possible by the envision and plan phases of its signature process.

Bove reimagined this Hopkington, Masssachusetts, kitchen using 3D modeling.

Gabrielle Bove at work in her Brookline, Massachusetts, studio. Photograph by TK

Between the garage and the cottage is a covered brick walkway where Bo Derrick, the family’s mini Australian shepherd, awaits visitors at the arched opening.

“I painted the walls to highlight the paneling,” says Bikoff.

Concrete chairs sit outside the potting room and lend a contemporary element poolside.

A carefully crafted stone wall forms the backdrop for the dining pergola.

The color scheme for the kitchen began with the purple tile, which interior designer Sasha Bikoff complemented with red lacquered cabinets. An island of reclaimed oak brings a natural element to the room.

The turret, pitched roof, and dormer on the renovated two-bedroom future guesthouse are reminiscent of an English country cottage. Arched doors on the garage open to the courtyard.

An American antique table and chairs set against a built-in banquette is a study in quiet country simplicity.

Upstairs a daybed in the guest room is upholstered in a classic purple-and-white French gingham; the walls are painted sage green to reflect the natural setting outside.

The first-floor primary bedroom is awash in a soothing rose color, inspired by the Colefax and Fowler print curtains that hang in the bay of the turret.

Mar Jennings sits outside his happy place—the former garage he converted into a studio—at his home in Westport. It’s where he works, entertains, and does much of his creative thinking.

Custom latticework under the garden’s pergola lends both visual interest and privacy

Jennings personalized a small fountain with three vintage letters once displayed at the former Westport Bank and Trust Company (the W was flipped to become an M).

Mar Jennings sits outside his happy place—the former garage he converted into a studio—at his home in Westport. It’s where he works, entertains, and does much of his creative thinking.

The studio’s casual furnishings include faux-wicker chairs from Outdoor Design & Living in Fairfield and pillows and accessories from Millie Rae’s in Westport.

The side garden features natural stepping stones, pebbled walkways, and lush plantings. Sourced from Gault Stone in Westport, the pebbles are native to Connecticut.

Casual seating complements a perfectly pruned hemlock from Oliver Nurseries in Fairfield.

A study in color and composition: Manhattan-based Mazy Path’s offerings include wallpapers, fabrics, pillows, and linocut prints.

Audette’s linocut print, Sambucus Canadensis, is shown in front of two sketches for the print and an image of a wood engraving by Thomas Nason, an early twentieth-century printmaker whose work inspires the artist.

Willow Talk wallpaper explores how trees communicate with each other.

Panel of Perception II wallpaper panels explore the mind-altering powers and inherent beauty of psychedelic plants.

The Hummingbird wallpaper “features flowers that gather around a hummingbird like planets orbiting the sun,” says Audette.

Mazy Path’s Guava wallpaper conjures a taste of South Florida nostalgia.

An original sketch for the Pawpaw pattern is pictured with Audette’s go-to tools: charcoal pencils and gouges for carving blocks.

An Andrea Bonfils painting echoes the color of the leather on a B&B Italia daybed in the front study; the white chairs are from Minotti, the light fixture is from 1stDibs.

The front facade offers a modern take on classic New England architecture. Even the garage (at rear) looks inviting and features an office and art studio on the second floor.

The first-floor guest room is the next best thing to sleeping outdoors, with walls of glass wrapping the bed on three sides. The space is so tranquil, visitors claim they’ve never slept better.

Powder rooms are a great place to make a statement, and this Silver Snake Brazilian granite doesn’t disappoint.

The rear of the house reveals the expansive walk-out basement, as well as the pool, which is framed in grass rather than hardscape to be cooler underfoot and blend in better with the country setting.

The living room fireplace was centered on the wall but framed with asymmetrical surrounds of quartzite and oak to give it a more modern look; the furnishings are from Minotti.

Cantoni bar stools sidle up to an island covered in Thunder Bay quartzite; a butler’s pantry behind the range provides additional storage and workspace.

Scenery surrounds the breakfast area and family room, which culminates in a marble-framed gas fireplace shared with the terrace beyond.

Oversized wall dormers illuminate a couple of second-floor bedrooms and contribute to the home’s contemporary character.

An image by Belgian photographer Eric Ceccarini greets guests in the entry hall.

The wife turned an equipment shed into a plein air ceramics studio where she could work while admiring the landscape.

The front entry hall is dominated by a dramatic glass stair tower featuring floating oak steps illuminated by a quartet of Kelly Wearstler pendants. “It’s nice to have that statement of arrival,” observes architect Stuart Disston.

A pair of cedar pergolas spill dappled light onto the dining and lounging areas.

Potted annuals, including petunias and pink mandevilla, join a border of densely planted perennials at a corner of the house.

A honey locust tree provides a lacy canopy off the dining terrace.

Low Connecticut fieldstone walls match the home’s stone veneer and create gentle definition for the various garden spaces. Spreading boxwoods march along the wall by the pool, straddling the line between formal and relaxed. Both pool and spa, which are set off-center in the yard, have motorized covers that open and close in seconds.

Because the property is almost entirely fenced in, Byers was able to forgo a barrier immediately around the swimming pool. Throughout the yard, the landscape architect brought hardscape and plant materials together in a cohesive design with plenty of visual interest, texture, and subtle color.

Beyond the pool, at the edge of the property, landscape architect Renée Byers planted a mix of evergreens, including arborvitae and holly, mixed with deciduous trees and a fragrant southern magnolia. Behind, Byers added rain tolerant shrubs and grasses that draw pollinators.

Byers created visual interest by varying the placement of pavers, setting them close together on the dining and lounging terraces and spacing them out with grass in the area between the pergolas.

Border beds around the lounging terrace sport soft color in dwarf roses, Russian sage, and pots of annuals.

Byers used lots of plantings around the perimeter to conceal fencing and add to the sense of privacy. “We used the concept of borrowed scenery,” she says. “Because we planted in a natural way, with the plants staggered and the species varied, you can’t tell where this property ends and the neighbor’s begins.”

A custom sofa designed by Byers cozies up to a firepit carved from a monolithic block of granite.

The existing Christopher Peacock kitchen flows into the breakfast area and family room for a gathering space that runs the expanse of the house.

The existing Christopher Peacock kitchen flows into the breakfast area and family room for a gathering space that runs the expanse of the house. The designers painted and mirrored the range hood to make it feel more connected to the rest of the redesign.

Millwork frames a panel of Gracie wallpaper in the foyer outside the primary suite; the green-lacquered cabinetry down the hall is part of an upstairs family room.

The French chateau-inspired exterior was at odds with the home’s original Italy-meets-Bel-Air interior decor.

A Missoni for Stark runner softens the foyer’s new staircase, and layered custom Charles Edwards lanterns bring down the ceiling height.

Rinfret and Mattos worked with Gracie creative director (and personal friend) Jennifer Gracie on the first-ever install of the heritage brand’s hand-painted Poppies wallpaper in the formal dining room.

The sitting area in the guest suite opens to the verdant garden.