Gathering Grounds

A 1920s-era house in Greenwich is updated and expanded into a multigenerational retreat.

From the outside, the 1926 Georgian Revival in Greenwich looked promising to a Manhattan couple who was searching for a country house retreat for themselves, their adult children, and grandchildren. Overlooking a harbor off the Long Island Sound, the property’s waterside setting besotted them, as did the classical exterior and fieldstone cladding. The interior, however, was less appealing. The layout was cramped and congested, with space monopolized by a maze of hallways, while the rooms felt staid, dark and not particularly family-friendly.

Recognizing an immense potential, the couple purchased the property then promptly engaged the trusted firms behind their primary Upper East Side residence—Cullman & Kravis and John B. Murray Architect—to update the house. In contrast to their city home, which boasts a serious mix of antiques and blue-chip art, the couple wished for their Connecticut abode to be casual and comfortable. More specifically, “they wanted open space, clean lines and nothing fussy or cluttered,” says designer Lee Cavanaugh. Before those wishes could be granted, the interior first had to be gutted, affording the opportunity to collaborate with the skillful team of general contractor Mark SanAngelo.

“Everything was done with an eye toward simplicity, airiness and being pared back.”

–JOHN B. MURRAY

Notable changes to the structure include the addition of both a breakfast room and library, providing the family with more living space without compromising the historical character. “Each of the additions we did seamlessly matches the original 1926 exterior,” says John B. Murray, who collaborated with fellow architects Tim Middleton and Adam Platt on the project. The interiors are similarly reverential—but with a few twists and turns. Newly introduced architectural details, such as the three-story entry hall’s elliptical staircase and the library’s pilasters and rotunda ceiling, speak to the house’s classical style while updated finishes (see: travertine flooring at the entry and light anigre wood paneling in the library and adjacent scotch bar) impart a more contemporary sensibility. “Everything was done with an eye toward simplicity, airiness and being pared back,” Murray adds.

Merging past with present similarly guided the decoration. Rooms are endowed with clean-lined, modern-leaning furnishings set against elegant flourishes like the living room’s dramatic glass chandelier and Venetian plaster walls, both of which elevate the tone of the house. (“This is not a starter home in any way,” quips designer Ellie Cullman.) The team also specified numerous bespoke pieces from a stone-and-ebonized-wood console in the living room to a statement circular rug for the library. A healthy dose of antique finds, many of which are Art Deco to play to the age of the home, round out the characterful milieu. “If you go all contemporary, there is no soul,” Cullman surmises.

Views notwithstanding, the joyful-yet-sophisticated color palette is a focal point of the house. In the ground-floor rooms, serene neutral hues are enlivened by a range of blues that echo the water, plus coral accents for an element of surprise. In the once-gloomy lower level, the colors are even brighter and more layered as a nod to that level’s recreational program, which encompasses a grandchildren’s playroom, gym and game room. But the most vibrant notes of all come courtesy of the homeowners’ art collection. Exclusively featuring the work of up-and-coming artists, its lighthearted presence matches the relaxed tone of the overall design. “The art really spoke to the whole project. It’s bright, cheery and not too serious,” says Cavanaugh.

“The art really spoke to the whole project. It’s bright, cheery and not too serious.”

–LEE CAVANAUGH

Naturally, one such grand transformation extends to the grounds as well, where landscape architect Janice Parker devised a series of graceful terraces with areas for lounging, dining, entertaining and swimming. Echoing the graphic, colorful mood of the interiors, Parker opted for a saturated and structured botanical palette. With dahlias, geraniums and pink-purple Summer Crush hydrangeas, “we created bold color strokes that don’t look hodgepodge,” she notes.

Uplifting in every facet, the home—for which John B. Murray Architect received a McKim, Mead & White Award—will be featured as a chapter in Cullman & Kravis: Interiors (Rizzoli), the designers’ monograph coming out this September. “It was great to get the team back together again,” says Cavanaugh. “The first project worked out so well, and we had the best time with this one.”