Modern Elegance Drives The Design Of This Greenwich Dwelling

After years of looking for just the right home, a couple instead found just the right lot. The verdant slope, not far from the Fairchild Wildflower Audubon Sanctuary, had a stone fence but nothing more, though it did come with approved plans. By working with designer Monica Fried and their longtime friend, architect Rosamund Young, the couple was able to turn that footprint into the abode they had been looking for.

“Adhering to the existing footprint while massaging the dimensions and roofline allowed us to sculpt the home into a romantic, modern house, utilizing natural materials responsive to the Connecticut context,” says Young, noting the home’s exterior stone and slate roof. “This house was very much inspired by the surrounding landscape, but we also took inspiration from some of the local homes we’d drive by.” Set back from the road and approached by a curved drive—the clever work of landscape designers Rosalia Sanni and Jonathan Hopkins—the home is hidden, then revealed, furthering its sense of belonging.

In collaboration with general contractor George Greige, Fried and Young created an interior envelope that feels grounded and harmonious and that offers a little surprise in every room. “All of the major spaces, while consistent with the entire home, have something special,” Young explains. The curved stair in the entryway, a master class in plasterwork, is a case in point. “It was critical to the home because it softens the edges,” the architect adds. But there are myriad other delights too, like a secret cocktail bar hidden behind the living room’s walnut paneling and a shady covered terrace that can quickly be screened.

“When we looked through the clients’ collection of inspiration images, they were all clean, calm interiors—Belgian, or almost Californian, in their relaxed nature,” shares Fried. “They didn’t want anything busy or distracting.” But they also didn’t want a colorless home. “I’m a big fan of neutrals and bringing the color in through the art,” the designer continues, noting how the palette of the Alex Prager photograph in the living room inspired the blue rug and the orangey-red fabric of the side chairs. “There’s color, but it has a neutral effect and reads as just cozy,” she notes.

To balance the richness of the living room’s palette and paneling, Fried took an equally sumptuous approach to the dining room, which sits just across the entryway. “We chose a soft black paint to make the space feel intimate, especially by candlelight and for dinners,” she explains. And what sets this room apart, architecturally, is the neoclassical molding. “The formality of the dining room called for it,” adds Young. Subtly adding further pattern into the space are a marble table, walnut chairs and antique burl-wood mirrors.

Fried continued that play of wood grain and marble veining in the adjoining serving bar that leads to the family’s main living area: the kitchen. There, she and Young devised millwork to relate back to the living room’s paneling, giving the blonde-wood cabinets a similar raised detail. “The goal was to keep the kitchen beautiful, with an island they could serve off of and then a prep kitchen behind the range wall,” explains Fried. For the breakfast table, she used a set of vintage Monk chairs designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa with black leather seats that create a visual tie to the dining room. And the adjacent family room “is just a great hang out space,” the designer says. “It has a beautiful view of the gardens and it feels enveloping.” Two pieces from Andy Warhol’s “Moonwalk” series add color—and a feeling of possibility.

Upstairs, the primary bedroom is a light and bright space with lots of windows and “soft tones of blue, gray and ivory,” says Fried. “They wanted the space to be restful but not sterile, and the settee under the window gives them an extra place to relax.” Their bathroom was given a similarly tranquil spirit with “all the colors and textures you’d expect in a spa,” she notes. And in a tender move, the stair landing just outside the bedrooms became a comfy family nook. “It’s a place where they can sit and chat before bed,” says the designer.

From the front door—from the front drive, really—the home emanates a quiet contentment. “It’s fresh, warm and layered, and the clients’ art collection really shines through,” says Fried. “The house just has a unique and modern elegance about it.”