Cottage Considerations

A gracious home designed for comfortable family living

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Eric Williams

“This home is centered around our children and the life they lead,” said the wife of her refined Laurelwood estate, designed by architect Gary Nance and built by R.J. Klein Associates.

Both avid readers of design magazines, the homeowners brought a clear vision to the table during the planning process. The wife has a particular affinity for cottage-style architecture, and the home’s stone façade certainly displays a bent toward the summer “cottages” of New England. “We reworked classic patterns found in traditional home design for today’s living,” said Nance. In deference to the wife’s desire that the home not read as a sprawling two-story estate, the children’s bedrooms on the second floor have a clipped roofline that brings down the visual scale while adding architectural interest.

The exterior is defined by the extensive use of granite stone. The seemingly random yet orderly pattern and mortar style were attained through an extensive trial and error process. “The residence would fit right in among estates in the Connecticut countryside,” said Nance.

Guests can access the front door via a motor court comprised of granite pavers, although most prefer the side entrance near the garages that are reached from a cul de sac. “Utilizing the cul-de-sac behind the home allowed us to minimize the visual impact of garages and the necessary turnaround room,” said Nance. Slatted-back rocking chairs, hanging ferns, and an abundance of annuals add a cottage-like appeal to the secondary entrance, which opens into a large room that rethinks the commonplace mudroom. Serving as an ideal staging point, a substantial granite-topped island centered in the room has loads of drawer storage beneath and a contemporary drum pendant light fixture above.

A greenhouse was added to the home at the wife’s request. The abundance of windows floods the back hallway and connecting spaces with natural light.

A powder room between the rear entry and kitchen is a testament to the wife’s encompassing involvement in the project. “[The wife] had a huge impact on every aspect of the architecture and interior design. She has an amazing eye and selected all of the tiles and fixtures,” explained Nance. Simultaneously contemporary and classic, antiqued subway tiles stretch floor-to-ceiling. A pair of tall cabinets with an ebony painted finish designed by Nance and built by Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork bookend a trough-style sink on stand with dual Vola faucets.

Simultaneously contemporary and classic, antiqued subway tiles in a first floor powder room stretch floor-to-ceiling. A pair of tall cabinets with an ebony painted finish designed by architect Gary Nance and built by Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork bookend a trough-style sink on stand with dual Vola faucets.

One concession made to the wife’s desire for a diminutive cottage, the husband points out, is the narrow back stair that empties into the kitchen. “It’s as narrow as code would allow,” he added.

Like the rest of the home, the homeowners had a distinct vision for the kitchen: high contrast with white cabinets and dark floors and countertops. Rob Klein of Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork was tasked with putting something together that was both simple and sophisticated. While this may sound easy, Klein explained that the key is a proper layering of design elements that provide the desired effect without feeling “too catalog.” “Every decision has a lot more weight because of the simplicity,” he added.

A pair of cabinet towers with shiplap siding on the back and resting on marble plinth blocks flank the Thermador range and polished hood, a custom-designed piece based on a sketch by Klein made during a meeting with the clients. A combination of glass front and closed storage and a Carrara subway tile backsplash add visual interest. The same marble is found on the island’s toe kick and incorporated into the box newels of the back stair. Cabinetry from renowned supplier William Ohs forms the backbone of the design; the result so enraptured Bill Ohs that his company used this kitchen as the prototype for their subsequent Hampton’s Classic collection.

"I wanted to make sure that the nicest dining spaces were usable for daily use and a multitude of children coming in and out," said the wife, who was adamant that the home not contain any "museum spaces."

As a result, the dining room, with its warm brick walls and table for ten, can easily accommodate family dinner or more formal affairs. From this room, one can see through to the front motorcourt and on to the greenhouse and pool area.

Whether it is the homeowner’s 14-year-old Boston terrier soaking up the afternoon sun from her plush bed or guests at a dinner party, everyone seems to gravitate to the homey confines of the screen porch. A fireplace permits three-season use, and Nance added deep ledges where the screened walls meet the brick for additional seating.

Serving as a gateway to some of the most unique areas of the home, hardwood floors give way to natural stone as a line of demarcation between the porch and kitchen. This side of the home encompasses a greenhouse, half-court gymnasium, and state-of-the-art exercise facility all linked by an enclosed breezeway with ample natural light. Indiscernible from the outside, Nance designed the latter two areas as “sunken” rooms so that, in his words “you don’t have a monolithic appendage jutting out from the house.” A wall of windows in the wife’s office overlooks the basketball court and the children’s computer room for keeping tabs on activity in both.

The husband requested that the exercise facility resemble what one might find in a repurposed warehouse loft. Here and in the basketball court, Nance added windows high on the walls, exposed wood trusses, and commercial-grade high bay overhead lights.

A long central hallway at the front of the residence leads to a comfortable sunken living room, the study, and the master suite. In the former, the color palette accentuates the brick fireplace and calls to mind the majesty of fall foliage. A display ledge atop the three-tier wainscoting in the study provides an ideal spot for displaying art and other objects of personal significance.

The restful master suite is artfully designed. “We like to pick up pieces from our travels,” said the husband. Such souvenirs are carefully sprinkled through each room, including the master bath, where the chandelier provides a frequent reminder of a trip to Murano, Italy. A study in elegant simplicity, the walls of the master bath are sheathed in wide beadboard plank above marble tile half walls. Cabinetry by Conceptual Kitchens & Millwork is consistent with baths elsewhere in the home; the color of the painted finish is a dramatic representation of the veining found in the room's prominent use of marble.

In addition to the screen porch, there are ample areas for al fresco entertaining, including an open-air pool house. A granite stone hearth and sidewalls reach upward to the apex of the vaulted ceiling clad in beadboard reminiscent of the master bath. During the growing season, the space is resplendent with potted greenery and flowers.

Nance and Klein are quick to cite the homeowners’ precise vision and each other’s expertise as reasons that the home remains one of their most memorable projects. “It’s extremely well thought out from top to bottom. There’s not a lazily designed room anywhere,” remarked Klein. Nance agreed and added, “This home has a timeless quality with bold details in an informal manner.” However, the best testament was offered by the husband who remarked, “We enjoy living in every inch of this house.”