A couple asked us to design a new home that blended transitional style with lots of bold details and warm woods. Having bought a prominent property overlooking a bustling town, they wanted to capitalize on the townscape views while maintaining their privacy. We landed on a “stylized” shingle home with large paned windows, heavy, detailed white crown moldings, casings and brackets and two front entrances! One front entrance is on the street and the second is on a quiet cobblestoned access drive. Inside we designed a show stopper stair using walnut dowels threaded through white square lattice capped with a walnut railing and a glass ball newel. The entire stair hall space was paneled in a crisp white painted paneling with a large stepped crown molding at the ceiling. The first floor is open and flexible with a dining room that can accommodate large family gatherings, family room and study with a wrap around porch for outdoor sitting and dining. Grilling happens off of the side terrace next to the kitchen and facing the street.

The couple’s children are grown so they decided they wanted the master suite on the first floor with one bedroom suite for each grown child along with their shared home office. When the house is full, it is just the right size. Yet, when it is just the two of them, it feels cozy and comfortable, too.

Project Designer: Laura Kaehler

Project Architect: David Reilly

Team Architect: Tom Papp

Interior Decorator: Stacey Gendleman Designs

Landscape Architect: Craig Studer of Studer Design Associates

Builder: West Builders

Durson Saylor: Photographer

Jason Borner of Amgine Builders: Contractor

Our clients' house had too many different levels on the first floor which cut up the spaces so that they were unusable. There were always going to be two levels on each side of the house but they asked us to redesign the middle of the house to be on one level. We kept the foundation and part of the main section of roof but everything else was removed and rebuilt. Because the house was right on the beach with amazing views of the Long Island Sound, we designed the main rooms of the house on the water side using wide and tall sliding doors and expanses of glass. The kitchen, dining and living areas open up to each other and out to the new deck and pool. We designed a "bridge" across the dining/living areas to access one side of the second floor to the other side. Glass railings were used in many locations to allow more light and views. Bronze horizontal railings were used for the stairs to add detail and warmth in materials.

A large stone chimney was built with an indoor and outdoor fireplace. 

Interior Decorator: Robin Liotta of HB Home, Westport

Landscape Architect: Susan Cohen

Builder: Desmond Builders

Photographer: Keith Scott Morton

Our clients asked us to design a two story wing to the home we designed for them a few years before. Their two children were now young teenagers and the parents wanted to build them space for their friends and them to hang out. They also wanted a proper Study for the parents. Our solution was to create a square "U" shaped floor plan by adding a wing to the existing "L" plan and making the new wing of the same materials; stone, mahogany and clapboard but "contemporizing" it using more glass on the outside and more open spaces and contemporary materials on the inside. Where the wing attaches to the existing house, we designed a flat roofed circulation connection with a new hallway and stair. The hallway has floor to ceiling mahogany framed glass doors and windows with a stainless and mahogany stair leading down to the lower game room level.

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Interior Decorator: Timothy Macdonald

Builder: Amgine Builders

Photographer: Durston Saylor

A young musician/artist couple asked us to design a new look for the exterior of their new house. In addition, they wanted to incorporate a large central gathering space for family and friends. We designed the space to have the kitchen at one end, a built in breakfast banquette in the center and a family room with fireplace at the other end. We used light wood as the framework of the space which provided a neutral backdrop to the couple's colorful decorating. Everything about the space begs one to relax, enjoy and be comfortable!

Project Architect: Matt Arnott

Project Decorators: Millwright Interiors and Laura Kaehler Architects

Builder: Desmond Builders

Our clients owned a beautiful old stone cow barn from the turn of the last century. They wanted to update it to use it for a gathering space for family and friends and a guest house for visiting family. With the exterior's architecture of river rock, slate and a barn-like shape, we wanted the interiors to be more sleek and contemporary to really highlight the difference between the centuries.

We chose to open up the interior by taking out quite a bit of the second floor to allow a tall ceilinged great room with a fireplace at one end and a kitchen at the other end. We brought in as much light as we could to really make the interiors "float". 
We designed the kitchen using a dark espresso stained oak cabinetry, white stone counters and multi-colored glass tile backsplashes. Island seating was incorporated.

A built in breakfast banquette was designed next to new larger windows facing the yard and the sunlight. 
Upstairs there is one bedroom and full bathroom with a stackable washer/dryer in a closet. 

Interior Decorator: Eric Roseff Interiors

Builder: Koushouris Builders

Our clients wanted a new home that would blend in with the traditional shore style of the Old Greenwich coast with an open and contemporary interior allowing views from all rooms. The property is in a flood zone and is tight and narrow. So our scheme was to design a home that was narrow and deep with the garage in the front, foyer and stair and kitchen, family room and dining closest to the water side.

Photographer: Tim Lee

Builder: Gallo Construction

Our clients purchased a property next door to their house to build a sport barn for their three teenage children. The program was to design a half court basketball court, squash court, batting cages and a gym along with a chef's kitchen and family room with a luxurious master suite above. Outside is a large swimming pool and spa set in a stone circular wall with outdoor porches and balconies. There are spaces for everyone!

The exterior was designed to respect the architecture of our clients' home next door using the same volumes and materials along with increasing the amount of glass, adding more modern details and changing the color of the windows and exterior doors to a black finish. This "modern barn" style blends in with the neighborhood while looking more transitional in style.

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Builder: Sound Beach Partners

Interior Decorator: Eric Roseff Interiors

Our clients purchased a home next door to their existing vacation home looking to renovate the new home for their grown children's use. They wanted the new home to have the same materials and style as their home which lead us to our design. In addition, there were strict height restrictions on what could be built on this site which directed us to build new dormers for the new second floor rooms within the existing roof volume. The guest house was designed for comfortable family living with a new kitchen, dining and living areas open to each other. Private suites were designed at the ends of the house for each family. 

Project Architect: Dave Reiliy

Interior Decorating: Timothy Macdonald Interiors

Builder: BD Remodeling

Photographer: Tim Lee

Our client bought this house and asked us to renovate it completely to maximize views, adding a spacious master bedroom suite, 

Project Architect: Dave Reilly

Interior Decorator: Tim Macdonald Interiors, NY, NY.

Builder: D. Reis Contractors, Long Island, NY.

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Our client asked us to design a simple and compact vacation home. The property has great views of the water and they wanted to capitalize on those views. We decided to design the first floor of the home as one large open space with kitchen, dining, living and stair. Along the long wall to the north, we positioned sliding doors and windows out to the terrace facing the water. Each bedroom on the second floor has sliding doors out to a continuous deck. A cantilevered sculptural outdoor stair takes you up to the roof deck and spa.

Photography by: Alex Miller

Our clients lived in a European style brick and slate home on a lake in Greenwich but longed for a more contemporary interior with walls of glass. The style of the exterior didn't lend itself to big expanses of glass so we introduced wide dormers filled with windows that matched the house's. These dormers provided more sunlight to enter from all sides and allowed the ceilings to be taller also reflecting more sunlight throughout. To keep the house light and airy, interior cabinetry, stone and other finishes were kept light in color along with natural bluestone flooring to bring the outside in.

Project Architect: Neil Bouknight

Interior Decorator: Laura Kaehler Architects with the Owner

Landscape Architect: Devore Associates

Builder: Gallo Builders

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Builder: Amgine Builders: Jason Borner

Our clients purchased a rather plain house on a pretty corner in Westchester. They wanted to update the entire exterior along with replace all interior finishes. For the exterior, they wanted to use a neutral palette of light brown with dark bronze windows. We replaced all the siding with new cedar clapboard and replaced and moved various windows and sliding doors. For the front entry, we designed a custom natural wood door with sidelights with large windows to the left and right that we covered in cedar slats for privacy and interesting shadow play. 
In the back, we added a two level ipe and cedar deck with slats and stainless steel cables for a fresh and contemporary look. To separate the two level deck area, we designed a built in planter to soften the large wooden area and offer greenery view from the interior. The two level deck allows for gracious movement down to the pool,  terrace and yard.

Interior Designer: B Interior, NYC

Builder: Jeflyn Construction

Project Architect: Matt Arnott

Interior Decorator: Tim Macdonald Interiors, NYC

Builder: John Desmond Builders

Finalist in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens IDA: 2016

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Builder: Jeflyn Construction: Jeff Jutras

Project Architect: Dave Reilly

Interior Decorator: Homeowner

Photographer: Tim Lee

Photographer: Durston Saylor

We had designed several areas of our clients stately 1920's tudor when they asked us to design an addition for their growing contemporary art collection. We discussed the need to blend the addition to the architecture of the home yet provide tall spaces with very few windows. The more long and tall walls the better to show off their paintings.

We decided to design the footprint to follow the curve of the driveway in keeping with the opposite side of the home. The exterior elevations were kept lower than the main center volume of the house using the same brick, stone and stucco with tudor boards for the walls. Because we needed as much wall space as possible inside, we placed our windows higher in the walls within the stucco upper band. This allowed us to the best of both worlds: daylight and wall space. The gallery is set on ledge so we designed a two level space that worked with the topography.

Project Architect: Cedric Araica

Our client purchased a small vacation home and wanted to update it to make it feel larger, brighter and more of an open floor plan. As one walked in the front door, there was a large roughly built stair that was unattractive and seemed to take up so much valuable room.  Since there was no other location to build a stair, we designed a lighter looking, "floating" type stair of maple and stainless steel cables that became sculptural art. This set the direction for the rest of the space.

Photographer: Durston Saylor

Builder: John Barrows

Our clients purchased a 1970's contemporary which was in need of renovating. They liked the basic bones of the house; the exterior volumes and the possibility of wonderful indoor/outdoor living.

We created a glassed front entry sandwiched between the two classic contemporary volumes and heightened the entry with two levels of glass. The middle level is open to the front foyer while the upper level is set back into the roofline and brings sunlight into the middle of the house. 
We removed walls and created a see through open space into a new dining room and living room and out to the pretty back yard. 

We created drama in the front entry with the new stair and its mahogany,  glass and metal "Mondrian-like" screen wall that acts as full height art and provides privacy to the second floor. Glass railings and open volumes in the entry and the living room add spaciousness and light throughout the house.

Project Architect: Richard Basic

Our clients asked us to design a new home for their working horse farm. They wanted the home to have a classic design as though built in the 1920's down in Maryland. We researched the area and found that many of our favorite homes had a brick central volume with cedar clapboard wings that would have been added over time. All homes had large covered porches to provide shade to the interior spaces and to allow outdoor entertaining in the hot mid-Atlantic summers. We designed the floor plan in a "boomerang" shape to help funnel the air along the porches and into the home for natural ventilation.

We designed a "floating" curved stair with traditional turned spindles which greets you as you walk in the front foyer. The stair is visible from the dining room and the living room and becomes the focal point of the main body of the house. The plan is simple, with all rooms opening to other rooms on two sides. This allows easy flow for guests and family. It also allows good air flow throughout the house which is so important.

We designed a separate two car garage with a guest house at the back and above the garage. This cottage has its own outdoor porch and is attached to the main house with an open porch walkway. 

Interior Decorator: Deborah Lipner Design

Landscape Architect: Devore Associates

Builder: Ilex Builders

Photographer: Durston Saylor

Our clients purchased a great apartment with amazing views of Central Park and NY roof-scapes. However, it was in terrible condition and needed to be gutted down to the exterior walls. That gave us the opportunity to re-design the layout by widening hallways, providing larger openings into rooms, doubling the size of the kitchen and creating copious storage. The exterior of the building was designed in a modern take on an Art Deco design so we took our cues from that for the interior. We used large stepped painted crown moldings, casings and baseboards and thick stained mahogany portals at the entries into the major rooms. Floors were stained dark oak. Walls were painted light cream and beige colors. The kitchen was designed in a dark stained mahogany cabinetry with black granite counters and muted jewel toned glass tile backsplashes. The entire apartment is calm in feeling but striking in its details and materials.

Interior Architecture: Laura Kaehler Architects

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Interior Decorator: Timothy Macdonald Interiors

Photographer: Durston Saylor

Our clients had lived in their apartment with their children for about 15 years and decided it was time to renovate and design a better kitchen, master suite, bathrooms and storage! Built ins were extremely important living in a NYC apartment, so closed and open shelving, built ins around HVAC units and clever closet storage were designed. The clients wanted to use light wood cabinetry and wood flooring and painted finishes and have the home feel like like their home on the shore.

Builder: Black Square Builders, NYC:  Jim Valouch.

A past client had been looking for several years for an apartment with a special view. We had looked at several and nothing made the cut. Then one day, she called and asked for me to look at this apartment listing and tell he what I thought. I saw the balcony and the views in the photos and said "buy it"!!

She and her husband made an offer immediately and bought it. However, It was in terrible condition and had to be gutted. The apartment was a two bedroom with an awkward, small entry, tiny kitchen and narrow living room with wood burning fireplace. Our clients wanted a simple, more modern and warm interior and needed plenty of storage space! 
We chose to use a budget friendly sapele veneer wood for most of the living space cabinetry and built ins. We opened up the side of the kitchen as much as we could to the dining area. The views are amazing so we tried to capitalize on them by building a breakfast bar in the kitchen with a stone counter and base cabinetry and room for two stools. In the dining area, we designed a built in window seat with drawers below and full height cabinetry to each side. The built ins continued into the living room on each side of the fireplace. Behind one set of doors is a television. Since the fireplace is so visible, we used a striped Zebrino stone to highlight it even more. 

Builder: Ken Becker of Aspen Interiors, NYC.

Our client bought a duplex while it was under construction and was able to customize the interior with us. He asked us to design the interior moldings, doors and surfaces and decorate the interior with comfortable transitional style furnishings.

He liked clean, modern architecture within a more traditional framework of crown and dentil moldings. We chose to use moldings with step details and thickly applied dentil details around the perimeter of all rooms. We designed frosted glass and darkly stained mahogany doors along with a dark stained oak floor to set off the cream and soft gray furniture palette.

Project Architect: Tom Papp

Builder: Black Square Builders, NYC: Jim Valouch.

Decorative Painter: Michelle Kole.

Several years ago, our client needed our help to design a discrete but code compliant pool fence for their negative edge pool and stone pool house structure. Our solution was to design a fence that would follow the rectilinear shape of the man made structures and follow the natural undulating topography of the landscape using curves. We decided to use bronze square balusters without any horizontal framing to allow both the geometric and curved shapes. The vertical balusters would allow views through, blend in with the colors on the site and take the curved shape we desired.

Project Architect: Laura Kaehler

Builder: BD Builders

Addition/alteration to a classic 1930’s home. The project consists of a new two story addition with rough hewn oak trusses in the great room with a Virginia cedar paneled game room below. We gutted the existing kitchen, mud room and butler’s pantry and rebuilt a more open, expansive period kitchen and curved breakfast space and separate butler’s pantry. Color was used throughout on the walls and cabinetry. Vintage chestnut floors were installed throughout and the walls and ceilings were all plastered. Outdoor terraces were built on each level including a stone Argentinian bar-b-qua on the main level and an outdoor stone fireplace for entertaining at the lower level.
The project is wrapping up with a guest cottage and tennis court nearing completion.

Builder: Gallo Construction