Tour a Revived Tudor Home

The living room blends comfort with understated style. Designer Linda Hoffman chose low-slung chairs and coordinating ottomans. The Roche Bobois armchair at left is her favorite: “It’s beyond comfortable, everyone always wants to sit in it. And when you do, you don’t want to get up.” An André Monet portrait of Kate Moss hangs on an accent wall clad in black-and-gold Venetian plaster.

The Tudor details were left intact, but the exterior stucco and trim were lightened up to showcase the newly painted black windows.

In order to highlight an old-world element, the existing balustrade was retained but polished to give it a refresh.

Hoffman artfully mixes textures in the dining room, from a deco-inspired mirrored sideboard to the oversize chairs covered in a plush white boucle. The pendant fixture is from Visual Comfort & Co.

There’s a lovely symmetry to the kitchen with its imposing island and brass-accented stools from Interlude Home. The island’s surface is Tropical Storm granite from Everest Marble, while the perimeter counters are made from an engineered stone called Bianco Vittoria.

In the family room, Hoffman replaced the original overpowering fieldstone fireplace with a minimalist surround in Venetian plaster. The Minotti sofa is covered in a Holly Hunt fabric; the Chime sconce is from Studio Endo, and the Lucite coffee table is custom.

The adjacent bath’s custom vanity is by Prestige Cabinetry & Design.

The primary bedroom is in the midst of a refresh, says the designer. The custom headboard is upholstered in a faux snakeskin fabric. BELOW: The adjacent bath’s custom vanity is by Prestige Cabinetry & Design.

Located off the living room, the casual media room is designed for kicking back. The operative word here is comfort. The Cloud sectional is from RH and the Splash sconce is from Justice Design.

A Riverfront Greenwich Tudor Gets a Bold New Beginning

The six-bedroom riverfront Tudor in Greenwich had been on the market for a while. Designer Linda Hoffman wasn’t really house hunting, but she wanted more space, and she liked that the home was in her neighborhood, so she asked a realtor friend if she could take a look inside.

“At first glance it felt boxy and compartmentalized, but I loved the scale and proportions of the rooms. I saw the space as warm and inviting,” remembers Hoffman. “I was ready for something new, it checked all the boxes, and I wanted a project,” she says. “I wanted to take some risks.”

Hoffman closed on the house in 2021 and promptly took down doors, walls, and closets, opening up the spacious first floor. All the rooms had big windows and lots of light, but she wanted to “experience them differently,” so she had the window mullions painted black. It made them appear to disappear, enhancing the views beyond. There isn’t a window treatment to be found.

Reimagining Layout and Flow for Modern Living

The layout changes speak to how Hoffman likes to live in her home. The design aesthetic “provides a warm, comfortable, and inviting experience without feeling deliberate,” she says. “I wanted it to be beautifully designed but not ‘decorated.’ ” She replaced the walls and doors to the living room with a central eight-foot-wide freestanding “column” that has a full bar on one side. It’s finished in black-and-gold Venetian plaster.

The palette is consistently neutral throughout. Hoffman had the dark wood floors refinished to light oak, painted the trim white, and incorporated black accents everywhere. Down came all the crown molding, and she opted for a lightly textured, minimalist wallcovering from Holly Hunt throughout the first floor “to unify the main spaces and give them depth.”

All the rugs in the primary entertaining rooms (foyer, living, dining, and family rooms) are the same, another nod to continuity. Hoffman says her design plan wasn’t overly calculated. “For me, it was more an accumulation of my life,” she says. She repurposed a lot of furniture, reupholstering some pieces but still keeping everything neutral.

Layered Design Creates a Home for Gathering and Return

Once a more uniform background was complete, it was time to add drama, which included unexpected lighting fixtures and powerful, oversize artwork. “It’s all about layers, always. It’s how you put things together,” says Hoffman.

With the home nearing completion (the primary bedroom is still a work in progress), the designer says there really isn’t anything she’d do differently. “At the beginning I admit I wondered why the house hadn’t sold,” she says, “but my friend told me it was because nobody sees things quite the way I do.”

In fact, the designer always saw her new home as a gathering place for her four grown sons (all of whom live in New York City), their partners, and two dogs—hence the four bedrooms with en suite baths. “It’s funny,” she says. “I moved in just as everyone was leaving, but I knew I wanted a place for them to come home to. Thankfully, they all do.”

Project Team
Interior design: Linda Hoffman Interiors
Builder: Dibico

Styled by Anna Molvik