A Cheerful Midcentury Modern Home in Westport Eschews Colonial Style for Something Different
April 15, 2019
Text by Debra Judge Silber   Photography by Tria Giovan   Produced by Stacy Kunstel
Midcentury modern has become the hula hoop of the current decade.
Look around, and you see everybody doing it. But few embrace the style with the dedication of Denise Davies. The founder and CEO of D2 Interieurs has spent decades collecting art, artifacts, and furniture from the days of Sputnik and Saarinen, Mad Men, and Mies Van der Rohe.
So when New Yorkâbased artist Geoffrey Stein and his wife, attorney Patricia Poglinco, went looking for a designer to restore the midcentury house they bought in Westport, their choice was obvious. They were impressed not only with Daviesâs knowledge and use of vintage pieces, but also her knack for contemporizing the style. âDenise was loyal to the aesthetic but not a slave to the period,â Stein says.
In projects like this one, Davies doesnât stop at referencing the period in the chairs, coffee tables, and lamps she chooses. By taking on the task of landscape and architectural design as well, she envelopes all those selections in a virtual time capsule where past and present coexist. Her work honors the homeâs origins, but doesnât allow its design to become mired there.
The single-level house bears familiar hallmarks of midcentury architecture. A thick fieldstone wall bisects the house, emerging out the back wall. Random slate floors in the entryway course through the center hall and into several rooms. In the slightly sunken living room, an indoor planting bed sprouts tropical foliage in the light of floor-to-ceiling windows. Although it mimics the style of well-known architects working in Fairfield County at the time, the home was designed and built in the early 1950s as a labor of loveâand thriftâby a man named William S. Hinn and his wife. In 1951, House Beautiful magazine published Hinnâs account of his project, in an article titled âHow to Get More House for Your Money.â Ten years later, the same magazine featured a photo of the living room on its cover, this time with a colonial-style wing chair backed against the stone wall.
The current owners discovered the property in 2015. It was exactly the type of house they were seeking as a Connecticut retreatâa style Stein defined simply as ânot Colonial.â They were smitten with the homeâs retro design, especially the way the intersecting stone wall anchored the house to the landscape. âWe loved the way it flowed,â Stein says, adding that the large windows and skylights appealed as well. âThe light was just terrific,â he says. âTo me, it was the classic midcentury modern.â
The structure was in good condition but would need a thorough overhaul, Davies recalls. âThey wanted it to have all the character and the feel of the original, but they wanted it to be modern and comfortable,â she says.
Calling in trusted collaborator Marek Bil of Old World Construction, Davies embarked on a full-scale renovation. The fieldstone walls were sandblasted and repointed, the HVAC and electrical systems were updated, and a new bathroom was installed. A kitchen renovation replaced the European cabinetry with a custom design by Davies that makes more efficient use of the space while opening it up to the dining room.
Outside, Davies updated the pool area, refreshed the vertical siding, installed new windows, and replaced all the doors, except for the main entrance. Charmed by the front entryâs perfectly round brass doorknob, she had it replated and then accentuated it by painting the doorframe around it a vermillion hue. âIt felt amazing,â the designer says, recalling each step taken to reanimate the homeâs period details. âThis is an era of design that I study, that I love, and I knew exactly what had to be done.â
The designer also drew on her experience to maximize comfort in the small rooms so common to vintage houses. In the master bedroom, she designed built-in shelving and nightstands that hang from the walls, visually opening up floor space. In the family room, she boosted the midcentury vibe with a wall of 1950s-style walnut shelves that are just twelve inches deep. The designer called in carpenter Michael Yedowitz to craft the cabinetry, which accommodates a flat-screen TV along with books and vintage curiosities from Daviesâs vast inventory. The retro lines of the shelves and their curated contents make it hard to discern what is old, and what is newâexactly as Davies would want it. âIt feels like it has always been there, because the style winks to the period of the house,â she says.
With an authentic wink here and a custom nod there, the furniture referencesâbut doesnât replicateâthe period as well. Davies describes her selection as âan eclectic midcentury mix,â an approach she favors over stuffing rooms with every vintage piece she can find. A neutral palette, which draws cues from the earthy tones of the stone wall and slate floors, also bridges the decades. âI wanted it to be of this century and feel fresh and new, so I was very careful on my choices of color,â she says. âI did not want it to feel like a decorator was there.â
A decorator, perhaps noâbut an artist, yes. In many rooms, bold paintings and collages by Stein and other artists punch up the style more effectively than any decoratorâs calculated dash of color. âHe had this amazing, amazing artwork. Thatâs what really inspired the design of the house,â says Davies.
Steinâs own portfolio includes portraits of public personalities captured in collages that combine paint and printed matter. Their bold style casually hints at the work of midcentury artists, reinforcing the sense that inside this home, this year could be The New 1950. And thatâs just as Davies envisioned it. âI try to keep it real as a designer,â she says, âand it doesnât get any realer than this.â
Project Team
Interior and architectural design: Denise Davies, D2 Interieurs
Builder: Marek Bil, Old World Construction
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