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Philip Johnson’s ‘Little Jewel’ In New Canaan

Find The Perfect Bed For Bedtime Stories

A Design Tutor Teaches The ‘Business’ Of Creativity

‘Maison de Printemps’ French Normandy Manor

Home of the Month Elegant Home, Scenic Setting Wilton

The Darien Times The Ridgefield Press The Weston Forum The Lewisboro Ledger

Eric Roth Photography

Greenwich Post New Canaan Advertiser The Wilton Bulletin The Redding Pilot

Vol. XIII, Number 3

A Hersam Acorn Special Section

THE ALICE BALL HOUSE

Philip Johnson’s ‘Little Jewel’ by Janis Gibson To the casual passerby, the low rectangular house at 523 Oenoke Ridge Road in New Canaan is easily missed. If noticed, it might seem a likely candidate for a teardown because of its small size and simple design. Those knowledgeable about architecture, however, or familiar with New Canaan’s history as a hotbed of innovative design in the mid-1940s through the 1960s, know the house is a Midcentury Modern by the legendary architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005). Mr. Johnson built the house for his friend Alice Ball in 1953. It was his first commission after completing his landmark Glass House, and he called it his “little jewel.” The Harvard Five Eric Roth Photography

Following the end of World War II, several architects from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design began making their way to New Canaan. The first was Elliot Noyes, followed by Philip Johnson and Landis Gores, then John Johansen and one of their instructors, Bauhaus luminary Marcel Breuer. They were labeled “The Harvard Five.” See Alice Ball House page 4

The artful simplicity of this Midcentury Modern is complemented by Matthias Alfen’s ‘Seated Nude.’

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March 2009

HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

Alice Ball House continued from page 2 Walking the town’s flatlands and ridges, they sought just the right locations to build their homes, which would serve as showcases for their design concepts and talents. They bounced ideas off each other and developed a deep camaraderie. Some 90 Moderns were built in New Canaan by the “Five” and their disciples, and their influence has been felt around the world ever since, whether in homes or office buildings, public or private spaces or houses of worship. The Modernists stressed simplicity and function in their design, as well as bringing the outside indoors. Natural materials and glass were their main building components, and the interiors reflected the exterior landscaping. Unfortunately, as tastes changed and housing requirements increased, many of New Canaan’s single-story, flat-roofed Moderns were altered. Some with care, as is the case with the two-car garage/guesthouse addition to the Oenoke Ridge home,

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which reflected Johnson’s style and was given the architect’s blessing. Others, however, were changed beyond recognition. Beginning in the late 1990s, as land costs and real-estate values soared, some were torn down to make way for much larger and grander homes. At the same time, those who valued these homes for their historic value and everyday beauty began efforts to save and restore these irreplaceable gems. The Alice Ball House

Prior to the 2005 acquisition by architect/developer Cristina Ross, AIA, the home had only three owners, and each left reluctantly, telling the successor how much the home was loved and enjoyed. The owner prior to Ms. Ross had lived there the longest, and the home was showing its age. “The house was sad when I first saw it,” she recalled, “but even though I am a traditionalist at heart, I was trained as a Modernist at Cooper Union, and I understood the house when I saw it. I also saw the opportunity to save the house for an alternate use while constructing a home more fitting to today’s market demands on the 2.2-acre property.” (The house is currently for sale.) She believes the best way to save the Midcentury Moderns is to approach them much the same way as people approach outdated barns: “Find a way to give them a new meaning, such as a guesthouse, pool house or home office.” She describes the restoration of the property as “intense, total and faithful,” while noting, “the house was solid; there were a lot of good bones to work with.” The flooring in Mr. Johnson’s design is rectangular slate, which extends under the door jambs to create patios outside every door. It also ascends the walls in the bathroom, albeit in smaller-size rectangles. For the renovation, Ms. Ross chose natural materials that “Johnson would have used.” She complemented his blue-gray slate floors with golden-beige travertine

March 2009

in the finished basement and new full master bath, which replaced the previously added powder room and closet. The home has 11-foot ceilings and is dominated by the front-to-back living room, 26 by 23 feet, which features floor-to-ceiling windows punctuated with a double door in the east and west walls. The south wall has a double door with window above that extends to the ceiling and a large “floating” fireplace. The semigalley-style kitchen, which has surprisingly abundant storage and a triangular-shaped eating bar, is behind the three-quarter-high north wall, and is accessible from either side of the living room. A row of square skylights runs the length of the kitchen, bringing in natural light. There are also spotlights within the skylight recesses to provide illumination at night. A short hallway off the kitchen, which has an exterior wall of glass, leads to the original full bath and two small bedrooms, each of which has a door that leads to a manicured enclosed courtyard, offering both openness and privacy. Ms. Ross observes that Mr. Johnson was grounded in classical architecture, but he was also filled with playfulness. “He was experimental, but like most designers, when he found something he liked, he used it over and over again. The hardware in this house, for example, is the same as the hardware in the Seagram Building (in New York City).” When the renovations were complete and all the permits were in place for the construction of a second house at the rear of the property, Ms. Ross brought in Victoria Lyon of Victoria Lyon Interiors of Old Greenwich to stage the house for a series of industry and public events held last November. Ms. Lyon specializes in See Alice Ball House page 31

Eric Roth Photography

Midcentury Modern Comes Alive

Indoors moves outdoors and vice versa in a private courtyard, accented with Conron Shop vases.

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HOME I MOANER ■

Beaus and eros by Ben Guerrero My in-laws live in a wonderful, solid old house built by real carpenters back in the twenties. The house has three bedrooms, two full baths and two half baths. It came to my attention the other day, that only one of the commodes was working properly; three out of four had been shut off due to endless running of water in the tank. This is usually a sign of bad innards, that the daily repeated flushing over the years has finally taken its toll on the mechanism that keeps things running efficiently. They feared, as most of us do, the inherent, astronomical cost of today’s plumbing contractors. So they’d just shut down the toilets, one by one, and moved on to the next. When I got there, I pulled off the top of the tanks and peered into the dark, damp recesses. I was hoping that with my very limited knowledge of porcelain engineering, I’d be able to make a diagnosis. And with the help of one of Conroy’s fabulous, ancient wrenches, hanging on the wall of his tidy basement workshop, I’d be able to fix the problem. I couldn’t. I could, if I wanted, replace the wonderful, vintage pastel-colored toilets with brand new white, boring units from Home Depot, but there is something about these old, sturdy workhorses and their wasteful six-gallon-per-flush American industriousness that, once removed, is gone forever, and would be missed for their grand scale and unimpeachable efficiency. During our own recent bathroom redo, we became acquainted with a charming

Ben Guerrero

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journeyman plumber named Harmon, who demonstrated both skill and imagination. He told me he could give us a day, and last Saturday, we met in my in-laws’ driveway. One by one we went over the toilets. It had been some time since the eye of a knowledgeable, honest plumber had inspected their workings. My mother-in-law, Helen, filled us in on her version of what went wrong with each unit while Harmon replaced various valves and washers, and I passed him tools and held parts in a Tupperware dish. “I remember we had a problem with this one when one of the kids flushed a washcloth,” Helen remembered. Every corner of the house had a memory of the almost 40 years, four children and many memorable cats that had populated the property. When all four toilets were as good as they could be, Helen asked us to have a look at a sink in the back bathroom. “Lately, It�� hasn’t been draining very well,” she told us.

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In a perfect world, most sink clogs occur in the elbow trap, located directly below the drain. Harmon approached the sink with an eye toward removing the elbow, which proved a bit tricky given the sturdy brass and chrome components in common use in the early 60s, when we theorized these bathrooms had last been remodeled. “I like to wash up at this sink at night,” Helen told Harmon, who was flat on his back looking up at a strange rubber cork that had been used to seal access to the elbow. The sink was very clogged. It would empty eventually but it took a good long while to do it. Harmon came up from the floor and wiped his hands on an old white towel Helen had retrieved from her rag supply in the kitchen broom closet. “How long has this sink been backed up?” He asked her. “Three or four years,” Helen said.

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HOMEBODIES ■

Nice guys finish first by G. Lisa Sullivan By all accounts, my brother and I have always maintained a good relationship. Nearly three and a half years older, David was always considerate, somewhat protective and more than willing to share his chemistry set, toy rockets and Erector sets. Of course, I had little interest in his toys, but nonetheless, those rare times I wanted to make rock candy or build the Brooklyn Bridge, I had ample opportunity. Not surprisingly, Dave, with his naturally sunny disposition, wit and affable nature, was referred to by most of our family and friends as “a good kid,” while I, on the other hand, was not. Unlike my brother, whose mere presence brought a smile to even the dourest of faces, I tended toward sullenness, with a little bit of whining mixed in. There was never any sibling rivalry on my part – no jealousy, no sour grapes – my brother truly, honestly, was a good kid. It was simply a fact of life. He was even voted King of Woodmont one summer when he was a kid, but that’s another story.

Someone To Watch Over Me

Pleasing others has always come naturally to Dave. When I was 5, for example, I fell out of bed, breaking my shoulder on the hardwood floor. I recall lying in my bed after returning from the hospital, my arm in a sling, and my brother reading to me and bringing me my favorite games to play to help pass the time. During the summers spent at our Milford cottage, when Dave wasn’t playing ball or tennis with his neighborhood friends, we’d get up early and ride our bikes to buy bait, sandworms, for saltwater fishing, which was and continues to be one of my brother’s greatest loves. We’d bike over to the rocks at Anchor Beach, and he’d help me bait the hooks with worms, otherwise known as “bloodsuckers.” I always feared the slimy creatures, and Dave would make sure I’d never feel their pinch. Like most other kids, however, David managed to get into a little trouble, too. Once, my mother’s friend Harriet caught him hitchhiking near our home, and

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March 2009

promptly reported the incident to my parents. Then, in high school, Dave and his friends smeared an ice cream cake all over the car of another boy (who retaliated with a lawn job, much to my mother’s dismay). And there’s plenty more where that came from. Sister Act

As a kid, I couldn’t help but try to get under Dave’s skin, and I played the proverbial bratty sister to the hilt. My friends and I would chase him out to his friends’ cars ringing bells from my mother’s bell collection around his head, and when 17-year-old Dave substituted beer for ginger ale in some soda bottles he was taking to a party, I

tattled (has he ever truly forgiven me for causing his beloved fishing to be taken away as punishment for one entire summer?). As I got older, I found there were several perks to having an older brother. When Dave was in high school, he’d hold Friday night poker games at our house, and my friends and I would parade around in our baby doll pajamas, confident his cute friends would find us more entertaining than the cards. No dice, as the boys ignored us, appearing completely unaffected by our adolescent charms. It was during my senior year in high school that I visited Dave, a junior, at Brown University. Wanting to show his sister how much fun college could be, Dave planned See Homebodies page 21

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BEYOND SUPERB

French Normandy

‘Maison de Printemps’ by Lois Alcosser

DGA Marketing

Seeing it is not quite believing it. From the outset, it feels as though you’ve stepped through time and space into a French Normandy manor house, one that is steeped in tradition and beautifully situated in a park-like domain. Spring House Road, in the Greenfield Hills section of Fairfield, is a private community with about half a dozen superlative homes. Number 145, affectionately named Maison de Printemps, is beyond superlative. It started as the main house of a 35-acre estate, whose owner was Frank Blossom, one of the prestigious group who engineered the construction of the Empire State Building. Clearly, a man of grand inclination and monumental vision, he hired European Frank Blossom, the creator of this house, was one of a prestigious group who engineered the construction of the Empire State Building.

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March 2009

artisans to handcarve fireplaces, create masonry, paneling, floors, and cabinetry. The current owner Melissa Rakowski, a sensitive and sophisticated interior designer, wanted to capture the authentic French feeling and romantic sensibility of the original. She has done it in the best way possible, by living there with her family for the past two years – absorbing the ambiance, sensing the space and discovering exactly what was needed to bring the house into the 21st Century: a superb kitchen, master bedroom suite, expanded family room, new children’s playroom, and more. Ms. Rakowski’s vision was to emphasize and reinforce the elegance, See French Normandy page 26

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Bedtime stories by G. Lisa Sullivan

Jeff Jenkins is going to have a great story to tell his grandchildren someday. The owner of Leonards – a 75-year-old fine quality antiques shop and homefurnishings manufacturer and retailer based in Westport, Conn., and Seekonk, Mass., – boasts a long list of celebrity clients: Bill Cosby, Tom Cruise, Joanne Woodward, Martha Stewart, Rudy Giuliani, and Ralph Lauren are just a few of the famous names that top the company’s customer list. However, Jeff added a new name to his list recently, one with which most every American and much of the rest of the world is familiar. Does the name Barack Obama ring a bell?

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Sweet Dreams

It all began when Michael Smith, the California-based interior designer that the Obamas are said to have chosen to decorate their private residence in the White House, made a phone call to Jeff, looking for a 19th-Century American bed for his clients, who, he said, would soon be moving to Washington, D.C. “While I don’t remember his exact words, Michael asked for something elegant and understated, but impressive,” Jeff recalled. “He wanted an American bed with tall posts and provisions for a canopy frame ... nothing too elaborate.”

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March 2009

After reviewing Leonards comprehensive Web site, the well-known interior designer, who also has a celebrity following, requested that photos of several beds be sent to him. “We have the largest collection of pre-Civil War beds available anywhere, and consequently, we are considered the ‘go-to’ source for beds,” Jeff said. “We have been working with Michael Smith’s firm for five years, and they buy from us when they have a call for something unique and of particularly fine quality.” Since antique beds are typically smaller than contemporary beds, they are often altered to accommodate today’s bedding. At Leonards’ Seekonk workshop, the bed chosen for the Obamas was adapted to king-size, using antique tiger maple 86-inch-high posts topped with acorn finials – a symbol of new ideas, according to Jeff. “The original bedposts were fashioned from tiger maple in New Jersey or Pennsylvania in the early See Bedtime stories page 24

Known for its fine antiques, Leonards recently shipped a bed similar to this one to the White House.

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INTO I THE I GARDEN ■

Ready, set ... sow! by Donna Clark

Donna Clark

The hot hues for 2009 have been announced by Ball Horticultural Company. They are rich shades of purple, energetic shades of yellow and bright accents in orange. These colors have been used in English plantings for years. I’m looking forward to spring and another gardening year. This year I’ll grow small white turnips and kohlrabi as spring and fall crops. Last spring I was buying turnips from the farmers’ market, and I think I should be growing them myself. Kohlrabi seedlings need temperatures above 50 degrees and grow best in the cool spring or fall weather. If they don’t stay above that temperature, they will go to seed and not form bulbs. It sounds like I’ll have to depend on Mother Nature to be kind this spring – please no 90 degree weather in May! I’ve had my bay tree (Laurus nobilis) for several years now. In May, I plant it in the garden and then in late October I pot it up and bring it into the living room. It grew to about four feet this summer, so when potting it up, I needed to cut it down to two feet (mature height is 15 feet). I cut off the leaves to dry and used them in a candle display. This brought a question to mind – is it better to use dried bay leaves or fresh ones? The answer is that fresh leaves have the best flavor, but dry leaves are good, too (use one dried in place of two fresh). Yellow aconitum, commonly known as monkshood, is an easy-care plant but not for everyone Horticulture magazine had some tips on planting peas that you might find interbecause it is poisonous. esting. Sow peas in a six-inch-wide drill that is flat and firm. They suggest tamping it down gently with your bare foot. You should plant them about an inch apart, then lightly tap the seed into the ground with that bare foot and cover with crumbly earth. They don’t suggest thinning the seedlings, but I would. Many years ago a perennial was given to me by an old friend who said it was very special. I really didn’t want it because it is very poisonous, but since my dogs don’t seem to eat plants and I don’t have small children here on a regular basis, I planted it. Yellow aconitum (monkshood) is a special plant, and in researching it for this column, I can’t find the actual name or a source to buy it. It grows to a foot tall in full sun to partial shade and is an easy-care plant. I plan to pass it on to my co-workers Pam, Virginia and Linda this spring. If anyone knows the name I’d love to hear WILLIAM F. VERRILL from you. Upright fuchsia is an annual for the partly shady pot or garden. We have FINE WOODWORKING - FROM DESIGN TO INSTALLATION used Gartenmeister and Mrs. J.D. Frederick for years. Mrs. J.D. Frederick 30 YEARS OF LOCAL EXPERIENCE - BY APPOINTMENT - 203-761-9109 has small, light pink blooms and grows

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March 2009

to 15 to 20 inches. Gartenmeister has bright coral pink, long tubular blooms set off by dark foliage, and grows to two feet. I prefer planting them in the border rather than pots, because they can get leggy in a pot, and even though you cut them back, they look top-heavy. This year I will try the new Diva White upright fuchsia. Most gardens have way too many astilbe plants, probably because they are sold in full bloom and there are varieties that bloom at different times throughout the summer. The first thing you should do is transplant any that are more than three years old. They love to be transplanted and will reward you with more blooms. You can probably cut your existing plant into three sections and replant them in the same area, creating more of a statement than that single plant. You should always have with you a list of plants (annuals and perennials) that you want to buy. Many of the best border plants are not in flower when they are for sale. You have to use your imagination to picture the plant in bloom at the mature height. If it is blooming in a pot, it will be shorter, so you will be tempted to put it in the wrong place in the garden. When entering a place that sells plants, beware of the Midas Touch. Researchers have found a correlation

between touching an item prior to purchasing it, and how much the purchaser was willing to pay for it. Hold a plant longer than a few seconds, and you will begin to feel you own it. I’ve been reading that there is a grassroots movement to have a big vegetable garden installed at the White House. The first family would benefit from fresh foods and it might inspire the rest of us to grow our own food. Instead of an exercise program, people could get a good workout in the garden and relieve stress at the same time. An adult burns approximately 325 calories per hour spading in the garden. The donkeys have survived the winter without too much trouble ... not so the barn. Their worst problem was boredom. We had so much ice this year, they were confined to just a small area outside the barn. So they tore off the framing at the edge of the doorway and are now eating their way through other parts of the barn. Questions or comments: donnaclark@ix.netcom.com. ■

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HOME Vol.XIII, Number 3 is a special section to: Greenwich Post, The Darien Times, New Canaan Advertiser, The Ridgefield Press, The Wilton Bulletin, The Redding Pilot and The Weston Forum in Connecticut, and The Lewisboro Ledger in New York • 47,000 copies published monthly • Jackie Perry, editor Jessica Perlinski, designer • Thomas B. Nash, publisher • For advertising information, call 203-438-6544 • For information on editorial submissions, call 203-894-3380 E-mail: home@acorn-online.com • Extra copies are available free at the Hersam Acorn office, 16 Bailey Avenue, Ridgefield, Conn. (behind the town hall) Copyright 2009, Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC

Box 1019 Ridgefield, Conn 06877 203-438-6544

March 2009

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Elegant home scenic setting LOCATION: Towering trees provide a dramatic setting for this colonial-style home in Wilton. PROPERTY: Situated on two acres, the site offers a nice blend of lawn, professionally landscaped gardens and stone walls. It backs up to a town conservation area, which adds privacy and the scenic beauty of a wooded quarry. HOUSE: Featuring finely crafted architectural details, this home has a nice open flow, ideal for entertaining. The rooms are well-proportioned and the multiple family rooms, cozy sunroom, and handsome gourmet kitchen are ideal for family living. There are five bedrooms and five full and two half baths. The lower level has an exercise room, wet bar, spa bath, full-screen-projection media room, a game room, and workshop. Panoramic windows and French doors lead to a private patio. GARAGE Three-car attached. PRICE: $2,795,000. REALTY: William Pitt Sothebyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Realty. Agent: Realtors3, Barbara Jasinski and John Karlson, 203-762-2220. Photography: Bryan Haeffele.

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of the Month March09

SBD KITCHENS

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If you know anything about building or design, you’re undoubtedly familiar with Palladio, one of the most influential architects in history. “Palladio, born in 1508, drew inspiration from classical architecture to create carefully proportioned, pedimented buildings that became models for stately homes and government buildings in Europe and America,” according to an excerpt from the Web site architecture.about.com. I had the opportunity to speak recently with someone who is very familiar with classical architecture. Sarah Blank, a certified kitchen designer (CKD) and owner of SBD Kitchens LLC (1472 Post Road, Darien), is an ongoing student of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Classical America (ICA&CA) in New York. She applies the principles of classical design to her everyday kitchen and home projects. Even her studio, which is modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s classically styled home Monticello, reflects her love of the classical.

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Sarah, a native of Middlebury, Conn., and graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology with a bachelor of arts degree in interior design, began her career at a kitchen firm in the Architecture and Design Building in Manhattan. Four years later, she started working for Fairfield County-based Kitchens by Deane, where she remained for 17 years. In 1999, she founded SBD Kitchens. “I finally reached a point where I felt I needed to expand my education and start my own business,” Sarah says. With a passion for preservation, Sarah enrolled in courses at the ICA&CA, an organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and allied arts, according to the group’s Web site, classicist.org. “At the ICA&CA, I was able to study with a great group of architects, designers, builders, and engineers,” Sarah says. “It completely changed my life, and I have acquired a good understanding of classicism.” Proportion And Flow

Proportion And Flow

they entertain often? Is theirs a casual or more formal lifestyle? Do they like people in the kitchen when they’re cooking? How high should the cabinets and counters be, depending on the clients’ height? “Every client has different needs,” Sarah explains, “and the information I glean in our initial meeting helps determine and shape the design plan.” Working mostly with older homes, Sarah, who with her husband and partner Charles Karas, has over 400 completed projects in Westchester and Fairfield counties, is often confronted with existing architectural work, like moldings, paneling and trim.

Wanting to learn a little more about classical architecture, I searched several Web sites and came across the following at cartage.org. “There is in classical architecture a system by which the geometry of each part is related to the geometry of the whole, giving an harmonious balance and repose to the entire façade, or total building, or both.” Or, as Sarah will tell you, if a room has proportion and flow, it will be pleasing. With a client base concentrated mainly in Fairfield and Westchester counties and Manhattan – as well as projects in Palm Beach, Nantucket and other parts of the country – Sarah and her team of designers adhere to the classical. “When you design a space, such as a kitchen, it’s not a matter of just putting boxes on a wall,” Sarah says. “The cabinetry and millwork need to be a part of the room, rather than applied to the room ... it all starts from the ceiling down.” Designing kitchens often leads to other rooms in the house, as clients �� came back with requests for more. Sarah focuses on the flow of the home – from wine rooms and entry halls to libraries and master baths – with the same attention to proportion and scale. �� “These are all important spaces where �� most families live today,” Sarah says. “I �� see spaces in homes that have a specific �� use as opposed to the wide-open floor �� plans of the 90s. There is a need for a �� butler’s pantry, supply closet and mudroom.”

See SBD Kitchens page 20

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Getting To Know You

Sarah begins by determining exactly how her clients use these rooms. Do

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Create your own garden corner, like the one in this vignette, with cedar shingles, wainscotting, distressed storage doors, and antique marble sink.

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SBD Kitchens continued from page 19 Sarah advises her clients to hire only highly trained architects when building or remodeling. “In classicism, everything pretty much lines up – doors, cabinet frames, moldings, trim,” she says. “Everything has to work together and flow smoothly from one area to the next.” A Showstopper

The SBD studio and showroom is a veritable work of art in itself – from the clean lines, brick work, triple-hung windows to the floor, green shutters (Jefferson’s green), white trim, and the facade’s faux limestone columns, which were painted then sprayed with sand. The studio features a kitchen with creamy white cabinets, stainless-steel appliances, a German nickel sink, a Belgian limestone floor, and a summer-beam ceil-

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ing. “It’s not just about the cabinetry,” explains senior designer Andrew Thomas Carr, CKD, “but how the cabinetry fits in with the rest of room.” The studio also has a large butler’s pantry designed in the style of McKim, Mead and White (iconic architects from America’s Gilded Era), using quartersawn oak with an Old World finish, according to Andrew. There is a garden room, wine cellar, master closet, and library. “Anyone visiting the studio will get a good idea of the type of work the company produces,” he says. “With our architectural millwork, we can make anything that we design.” Sarah concludes, “It’s imperative that our work be timeless and never dated. I get my inspiration from the talented men and women of the past, and strive to carry what I’ve learned into the future.” For more information, call 203-972-8341 or visit the company’s Web site, SBDKitchens.com. ■

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Homebodies continued from page 9 to take me out on the town that night, but got involved with a phone call to his girlfriend first. With my brother preoccupied, I proceeded to help myself to 11 glasses of cinnamon schnapps from Dave’s dorm room “liquor cabinet,” resulting in a horrific bout of schnapps-induced vomiting, and the first – and worst – hangover I’d ever have in my life. Needless to say, to this day I can’t even chew cinnamon gum, much less ingest a drop of schnapps. Family Man

Dave, a thoughtful, humble, self-deprecating guy, is happily married, living with his sweet wife and four wonderful kids in Ohio. It was during visits to his home, over the last few years, that I realized just how my brother has fulfilled the promise of his youth. He has grown from a good kid into a good guy. First, at the bar mitzvah of his son, Ben, I could see how much Dave’s friends and co-workers (did I mention Dave’s a doctor?) cherished him ... everyone from the rabbi to Dave’s next-door neighbor sought him out, joked with him, asked for his advice. I was awed by the admiration, respect and love he so obviously evinced from his “Ohio” family. It was during our next visit, for his daughter Rebecca’s bat mitzvah, that I observed first-hand what a terrific guy my brother had become.

My niece was having an evening reception in a beautifully renovated barn, with flashing disco lights and a DJ to entice all of the kids to the dance floor. After a while, I noticed one girl, a student in Rebecca’s bat mitzvah class, dancing by herself. She’d been alone most of the night, and I realized fairly quickly that she had Down syndrome. While the adults stood watching to the side, the kids continued to cavort, and it was with a lump in my throat, and pride in my heart, that I watched my brother ask the girl to dance. The only adult on the floor, he partnered the girl through some dreadful rap music (there’s nothing like watching your 46-year-old brother dance to Jay-Z) and thanked her gallantly when it was done. I don’t know if the girl will remember my brother’s kindness, but I will. And to me, he’ll always be the warmhearted, considerate good kid I am lucky enough to call my brother. ■

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

March 2009

Home Moaner continued from page 7 Harmon and I caught each other’s glances having a silent conversation about the challenge that threatened to eat up much of the afternoon. There could be any number of serious systemic dysfunctions contributing to a clog of this vintage. Many years of soap and toothbrush bristles could have formed a stubborn obstacle virtually anywhere under the pink tiles that lined the walls. “We might get lucky …” I said to no one in particular. “Maybe you can find my wedding ring. I think I dropped it down there when I was rinsing out a sweater,” Helen remembered. “How long ago did that happen?” I asked. “Oh, a long time ago,” she replied. As she walked down the hall, Harmon and I quietly chuckled. “Man. That ring is out to sea by now,” he said. A cursory probe down the drain hole of Helen’s clogged sink provided nothing optimistic. It was clear. We needed to snake the drain. A plumber’s snake consists of a long stiff cable with a twisted wire cage on the end. The idea is to push the cage end of the cable into the pipes while twisting the cable simultaneously. Since the cable is very rigid, the process is cumbersome at best. Twisting the snake forces the basket to find its way around corners and

through bends and eventually – some of the time – the end of the snake will find the clog and dislodge it. Harmon made his first approach and actually made some headway. After he had pushed about 15 feet of the snake into the hole at the bottom of the elbow, he sensed he had hit something, pulled the snake out and retrieved a disappointing blob of gook that didn’t look like it was the problem. The drain was still slow so he went back in and this time it proved more unyielding, with Harmon pushing only about six feet of the snake in before yanking it out and delivering an even smaller bit of yutz. We gave it several more passes, and about an hour later, as we put the trap back together and I was getting ready to go downstairs to let my in-laws know that we were unable to unclog the drain, we discovered the drain was clear! While Harmon gathered his tools and poured the Tupperware container of drain clogging goop into the commode, I went downstairs to deliver the good news. When I returned to help Harmon carry his equipment out to his truck, he took something off the windowsill and pressed it into my palm. “After I flushed the stuff we pulled out of the pipe, I looked down into the bowl and this caught my eye.” It was Helen’s long lost wedding ring, lodged in the muck for years and saved from a burial at sea. And what’s more, it was Valentine’s Day. Straight flush beats two-of-a-kind. ben.guerrero@sbcglobal.net ■

Escapes

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�� HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

Bedtime stories continued from page 13 19th Century, and a paneled headboard was finished to match the original finish in warm honey tones,” he said. White House Bound

Once the bed was assembled, Jeff and his crew put it on a truck that left Seekonk at midnight for a timely delivery the next morning to a warehouse in D.C. Sammy Russell, longtime driver for Leonards, will probably have some stories to tell his grandchildren, too! “Selling a bed to an occupant of the White House has been a tremendous kick, and has generated quite a stir among our employees,” Jeff said. “Over the

years I’ve purchased beds that former Presidents had supposedly slept in, but selling one to the current President is a first for us!” Of course, you don’t have to be a celebrity – or the United States President – to purchase an antique or reproduction bed, or any other fine furnishings from Leonards. You can simply stop by the Westport store at 1026 Post Road East, or visit the company’s Web site. The Leonards story began in 1933, when Lester and Hazel Leonard started a small antiques shop in Seekonk, according to Jeff. “It soon gained a reputation as one of the few workshops that could resize beds and restore all types of antique furniture,” he said. Jeff ’s father, Bob Jenkins, became the manager of the shop in 1957, and Jeff worked there while in college. In 1988, Jeff purchased Leonards from his father, and subsequently expanded into several locations and online ordering. “Three of my sons – Aaron, Andre and Jeff Jr. – continue the family tradition as apprentices in the shop,” Jeff said.

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

March 2009

Room Service

First and foremost, the store carries a large selection of antique and reproduction beds, according to Patty Jaumin, Westport store manager. “What makes Leonards unique is our ability to custom-size pre-1850 antique beds, making them comfortable for modern-day use.” Many of the beds are made of tiger maple, mahogany and cherry, and customers can mix and match such posts as ball and claw, pencil post and Empire acanthus. The choice of finials includes feather-carved urn, ball-top urn, pineapple, egg, melon, and acorn. “We carry reproduction headboards and footboards to coordinate with the antique posts,” Patty explained, “and we offer our clients a large selection of styles, from simple, traditional country to more elaborate English style beds ... there’s something for almost every taste.” The store also offers a trade-in policy on its antique furniture; it will take back a client’s custom-fitted Leonards bed after five years for a full-store credit. Throughout the store, antique and reproduction pieces are arranged in small bedroom vignettes, with the various items differentiated by colored price tags – white for antique and blue for reproduction. “We sell more antique beds than reproduction,” Patty said, “although many people prefer reproduction pieces, particularly those with young children or very busy, active lifestyles.”

Leonards also carries antique and reproduction chests of drawers, bed steps, dining-room tables and chairs, nightstands, bedside tables, coffee tables, end tables, and sea chests. Patty and the rest of the Leonards interior-design staff help customers choose bedding, linens, custom bed hangings, mirrors, lamps, artwork, and a host of other accessories for their homes. “Most of the bedding, which we feature on the beds, is traditional in style and light in color, like ivory or white, to complement the wood tones,” Patty said. Bedspreads, blanket covers and duvets are all available, and some can be ordered with monograms and different color trims. For customers wanting to shop at home, the company’s Web site offers a large selection of antique and reproduction furniture that can be shipped virtually anywhere. Even, it would seem, the White House. For further information, call 203-222-7031 or, toll free, 877-898-7031; or visit the company’s Web site at leonardsdirect.com. ■

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�� HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

French Normandy continued from page 11 luxury and aesthetic delights that emanate from every room. With her impeccable sense of space and use of materials like crystal white marble, textured travertine tile, mahogany, limed oak, walnut, onyx tiles, and custom paint, there’s no doubt she succeeded. The renovation provides every possible amenity: central sound and air conditioning, high-efficiency insulation, upgraded electrical service, recessed

lighting, security system, Viking range, Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, two Viking drawer dishwashers, Miele built-in cappuccino/espresso coffee station, laundry room with super-sized washer and dryer, and a white marble-topped folding table. To this add nine fireplaces, antique crystal chandeliers, French Provincial handpainted ceramic tiles, shuttered windows, French doors, and walnut hand-hewn beamed ceilings. Ms. Rakowski’s planning, taste, research, and professional skills are apparent everywhere – with each new addition and the astute retention of authen-

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

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tic historic details. The house is situated on beautifully landscaped property with a swimming pool and pool house/guest house, with bedroom, living room and bath. A wall between the kitchen and original sitting room was removed, joining the butler’s pantry and kitchen to a family room with open hearth. Off the family room, a spiral staircase leads up to the bedrooms and down to the lower level, where there is a unique room, reminiscent of an English pub, with leaded glass windows, fieldstone walls, bar, wine closet, and game table. Adjoining is a billiard room with coffered beam ceiling and a finished playroom. Five bedrooms on the second floor have fireplaces and baths. The spectacular master bedroom suite has his-and-her bathrooms and dressing rooms. Her bath is part of a delightfully feminine French salon with room-size dressing area, mirrored closets, crystal chandelier, and sconces. There’s a make-up vanity area, soaking tub and bidet. His bath is decidedly masculine, with a sunken whirlpool tub with TV, shower with Rainshower body spray, limestone tiled floor, and linen closet. It opens to a mahogany dressing room with built-ins. There is so much to see and discover in this house that it truly has to be visited to appreciate the way Ms. Rakowski has captured the romance of the past and the luxury and efficiency of the new, creating an ambiance of pleasure and splendid living. Maison de Printemps is the result of all this loving care, architectural knowledge and design expertise. It is an outstanding property, in the midst of other (but not equally unique) exceptional homes. The stunning turreted stone exterior extends

an invitation to a totally fulfilled lifestyle, where sunroom and study, home office, library, living room, and dining room flow together, while assuring privacy. Elegance and practicality seem made for each other here, resonating grandeur, charm and extraordinary comfort. For more information, call Alison R. Ashman, Higgins Group, 1530 Post Road, Fairfield, 203-254-9000. ■

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�� HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

Design is the ‘business’ of creativity by Polly Tafrate Are you a teenage girl or boy or an adult with an interest in the field of design? Is it fashion that interests you? Interiors? Architecture? Are you beginning to assemble your portfolio or perfecting the one you have before submitting it to design school? Or, are you just interested in exploring and learning more about design in general? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’re in luck. You don’t have to go to New York City to take classes; you have the opportunity to work with Olena Turkalo, founder and owner of Olena Interior Design Professionals. “I have an

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enormous amount of information to share,” she says, “and I love to work individually with creative, serious students in my Ridgefield home studio.” A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Olena has enjoyed a 30- year-plus career in the design industry – half of it designing women’s and men’s apparel for companies like Polo and Perry Ellis and the other half working for high-end New York interior-design companies (B-Five Studio, Victoria Borus Design), which led to designing home-furnishing products at Alexander Julian Inc. in Ridgefield. Olena works with teens and adults who have an interest in design, even if they haven’t decided which discipline. This could be the next step for students who have found a love for art and wish to take it to another level. There’s no minimum age, nor skill level. “Knowing how to draw is not a prerequisite,” she says with conviction. “You don’t need to draw like an illustrator; you need to learn to successfully communicate your ideas.” Maybe your predilection is interior design. Olena will teach you how to plan, develop and custom design every component specific to a room, being mindful of all materials used and the influence of proportion, color and texture. If it’s apparel that tweaks your interest, you’ll design an original clothing collection, homing in on such elements as fabrics, pattern-making, styling, details, and trends. It could be your love is for shoes, jewelry or handbags. If so, then that’s

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

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March 2009

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Design pro Olena Turkalo at work in her home studio with Kalynna, one of her students.

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Julie Rozar

what you’ll design. “Everything needs to start with a particular customer base in mind. If this isn’t clearly defined, then you’re working blindly and your collection won’t be focused; it won’t have continuity,” Olena says. And for those of you who are fledgling architects, you’ll work with Olena in the way that many architectural firms do – hand-in-hand with interior designers. There can be a significant difference in the outcome of a residence when an interior designer is consulted prior to construction. While architecture and interior design are separate skills, they’re both needed for a successfully designed end product. “I’ve been in beautiful homes that have wonderful architectural details and are magnificently constructed, but there’s no room to properly place furniture or the window placement can be awkward. Some architects don’t focus on how to live in the house, rather their attention is on how to build it,” she says. Olena describes design this way: “Every man-made object existing today has to be designed before it’s manufactured. This includes each component in a car, plane, watch, street light, brick, shoe – everything. This industry is huge. It encompasses many different businesses, so product designers are needed for every facet of our lives, not just the ones that quickly come to mind, like fashion or interiors.” “Differentiating between good and bad design is important,” Olena says. “It’s

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�� HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

Creativity continued from page 29 not a subjective thing I speak of, not a matter of liking or disliking something. Bad design is irritating, while good design is just like a harmonious choir, with all the components singing together beautifully. Conversely, examples of poor design would be a dining room table that’s too high to sit at comfortably or a refrigerator with shelves that are too small to hold a plate without rearranging the whole interior. If the product doesn’t simply and easily accommodate the need, then it shows poor design.” “There’s much more to it than being wildly creative and doing fun projects. It’s a business, and business is about making money and being successful, which is, after all, where most of us want to end up. Look at it this way: Design is the business of creativity and function.”

Unlike “shadowing,” a program many schools encourage, where you follow a professional around for a week or so, if you study with Olena, you won’t be watching. You will be working in your field of interest as you learn the skills, craft and business of design. “Each week I’ll help you focus on projects that teach you to start thinking like a designer and develop your own individual style, which is so important. Your portfolio will mature.” This takes time, so the student needs to commit to a set number of sessions. “Once you learn to think design, then you can design anything. It’s not hard when you understand the process and gain some construction skills. The way to start is to try.” Olena extends a sincere invitation to join her in her home studio to work with a pro! Olena Turkalo, design tutor, Ridgefield, 203-241-1894; olena@olena.biz; Web site, olena.biz. ■

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March 2009

Alice Ball House continued from page 5

to house a museum and cultural center highlighting New Canaan’s place in the Modern movement, and offer exhibit and meeting space for artists, students and town residents. For more information, see philipjohnsonmodern.com or call Prudence Parris of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty at 203-326-1695, or e-mail pparris@wpsir.com. ■

designing with art and collectibles, and the purpose of the project, she said, was “to show how Midcentury Moderns can be adapted for today’s lifestyle, and how architecture, art and interiors can be thoughtfully integrated into a design whole.” She adapted the house for an imagined art collector living in the house as is. The décor was a collaborative process by design professionals, artisans and art�� ists, she said, and included a few pieces �� custom-made for the project. Two days �� of tours open to the public were held to raise funds to benefit the New Canaan �� Historical Society’s effort to restore the �� Landis Gores Pavilion. The pavilion, �� originally built as a pool house for an �� estate that is now town property, is

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SILVERMINE TAG SALE Art materials & equipment Start your spring cleaning early! Clear out your studio, garage, basement, closets, and attic and donate any used and unused art materials, equipment and art books to a fund-raiser for the Silvermine School of Art’s Scholarship Fund to be held on March 21, Saturday, from 10 to 5. Items may be dropped off at the Silvermine Guild Arts Center auditorium on March 19, Thursday, from 11 to 5 and March 20, Friday, from 9 to 12. Please call the school office with any questions about donating items or to arrange for early drop offs at 203-966-6668, Ext. 2, or e-mail school@silvermineart.org. The Silvermine Guild Arts Center is at 1037 Silvermine Road in New Canaan.

March 2009

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HOME, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.

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