A Weekend Retreat Designed for a Busy Manhattan Family

A Serena & Lily mirror hangs above a console from Mainly Baskets Home in the entry.

The sunroom is both a laid-back gathering space for the family and a playroom for the kids; a fern wallpaper from Wallshoppe embellishes the ceiling, the sectional is from Lee Industries, and the light fixture is from Arteriors.

It’s all about layers in the dining room with its Phillip Jeffries grasscloth, custom Dunes and Duchess table, chairs from Villa & House, light fixture from Coleen & Company, and artwork by Amy Vischio.

Wallpaper from Thibaut lends interest to the powder room; the vanity is custom.

The kitchen cabinetry, which is painted Farrow & Ball Mizzle, is paired with marble backsplash tile from StoneImpressions. A walnut countertop for the island seating area adds warmth.

The living room features a Thayer Coggin sofa upholstered in a pink velvet from Kravet, CR Laine swivel chairs covered in a Schumacher fabric, and a cocktail table from Mr. Brown London; the art is from Betsy Biscone Art Advisory.

A son’s love of outer space is reflected in wallpaper from Spoonflower; the bunk bed is from Pottery Barn Kids, and the chair is from Modholic.

The laundry room showcases a whimsical paper from Voutsa.

The primary bedroom is enveloped in a soothing blush grasscloth from Phillip Jeffries; bedside tables from Modern History and lamps from Made Goods flank a bed from Palecek, and the chair is from Schwartz Design Showrooms.

A vanity area between the primary bedroom and bath features a table from Villa & House and a chair from Scout Design Studio.

The ideal weekend retreat is a place to unwind, embrace family time, and let your hair down. So when this Manhattan-based family of five tapped Moss Design to decorate their Fairfield getaway, the goal was to embrace fun and create a home that’s the antithesis of formal city living. “This is an active household, with frequent guests and three rough-and-tumble boys,”says designer Courtney Yanni, who worked on the house with her partner, Meghan De Maria. “We wanted to focus on durability and comfort.”

The roughly 5,000-square-foot five-bedroom structure—which was built in 1985—was in good shape, having been renovated in 2016. However, there were a few additional changes that needed to happen to satisfy the family’s wish list. Specifically, the kitchen, laundry room, and powder room had to be updated. Working within the existing footprint, Moss Design collaborated with builder Garrett Wilson to tweak these central spaces to fit the family’s lifestyle and aesthetic.

The most dramatic transformation occurred in the kitchen, which was opened up by removing the wall separating it from the family room. “The previous kitchen was a very vanilla, standard colonial kitchen,” recalls Wilson. “The clients wanted a place for the family to congregate that’s not only functional but looks great as well. Courtney and Meghan incorporated color and tone in a cool way.”

In fact, the room’s color scheme was inspired by a pillow fabric elsewhere in the home. “We painted the cabinetry in Farrow & Ball’s Mizzle Green, which has a hint of blue in it,” says Yanni. “It’s fun to do a stronger shade since the family isn’t here every day.” It’s paired with a patterned marble backsplash tile, marble countertops, and an oversize L-shape island with a walnut extension that doubles as a kitchen table.

The soft, soothing palette—dominated by greens and blues—is carried throughout the home, from the dining room sheathed in blue grasscloth to the powder room enveloped in a blue patterned paper to the tranquil blush-tone grasscloth in the primary suite. “We wanted to give these clients a calming space away from the city,” explains De Maria. But the house isn’t without its more unexpected moments.

In the sunroom, a popular family hangout spot complete with a game table, a fern-patterned wallpaper adorning the ceiling references the greenery beyond in a whimsical way. Meanwhile, a pink velvet sofa and patterned chairs anchor the living room, whose scheme is inspired by a beloved framed quilt that the couple purchased on a trip.

Pink also appears in the expanded laundry room in the form of a zebra-patterned wallpaper. “Doing laundry is such drudgery, so why not make it fun?” says Yanni. “The clients have a good sense of humor, so the paper is also a nod to living in a jungle with three boys. Hence, there are performance fabrics throughout the home and nothing is too fragile. The couple asked for a place to relax and let their kids roam free. This isn’t a house where you feel the need to tiptoe around.”

Project Team 
Interior design: Moss Design
Builder: Garrett Wilson Builders