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Luxe for Life

A couple is set to downsize until an 1855 Victorian with original mansard roof and wrap-around porch changes everything

When Linda and Rick Sticca were ready to retire, thoughts led to moving away to someplace warm all year long to play tennis and golf. Both are originally from New York but spent most of their adult lives in Rhode Island where they raised their family of three now-grown children in a five-bedroom, 6,000-square-foot suburban home in East Greenwich. After much consideration and some self-reflection, they realized they are happiest in the Ocean State, near family and friends, and that retirement didn’t need to mean becoming secluded. Newport checked all the boxes and so the house hunt began on Aquidneck Island.

With thoughts set on downsizing, the search began with small, oceanfront listings; until son Brandon came home from Miami for an extended visit and became heavily involved in the house-hunting process. After viewing multiple cottages in Newport and Middletown which were close to the water but away from everything else, Brandon suggested his parents reconsider their parameters and lobbied for a property right in the thick of the action in the City by the Sea. Linda immediately shot down the idea of moving into another large home, especially one built in 1855, until she saw the stately house.

The home was fully gutted and renovated in 2015. What initially caught the Sticcas’ eye was the open floor plan throughout the first floor. The foyer, dining room, and kitchen are essentially one large open room, separated only by a grand curved staircase in the foyer. On the other side of a wall in the dining room, the previous owners had an in-law suite made up of a small living room, even smaller bedroom, and a full bathroom. Brandon immediately knew the current configuration would not work for his parents and suggested combining the bedroom and living room space to make one large “cocktail lounge” and turning the full bath into a stylish powder room.

With a plan underway, the Sticcas were ready to call in the experts and turned to Lee Chartier of Inside Style, a design firm based in Wakefield and known for elegant interiors. Among other changes, Chartier prescribed a Parisian feel for the spaces earmarked to convert into the lounge. “They wanted to use the space as a relaxing place to sit, reflect, read, and have cocktails,” says Chartier. “The space has an elegant feel but at the same time is very comfortable and welcoming.”