Traditional Home - Summer 2018

Written by: Jenny Bradley Pfeffer | Photography by: William Waldron | Original Article

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Sometimes three truly can be the magic number.

When architect Thomas Kligerman took on a renovation in Greenwich, Connecticut, he hit the design trifecta. The Colonial Revival house had existed as three very separate entities. Originally built in 1898, the house had been added onto significantly—once in the 1920s and again in the 1980s. While still a handsome home, the property was suffering a multiple personality crisis. Its Colonial details didn’t dovetail with the large 1986 addition, and interior flow was nonexistent. “It was a beautiful house for the most part,” Kligerman says. “But it felt like a series of passageways that never arrived in any particular room.”

Although the homeowners wanted to keep the original charm, they needed a home that would accommodate their family of six. And, believe it or not, Kligerman saw the episodic nature of the property as an inspiration. “I love the fact that this was three different houses in one,” he says. “It’s difficult to design a house with such a looseness and genuineness when you start from scratch.”

To resuscitate the home’s once enchanting nature, Kligerman began by tackling the problem child—the 1986 addition. By retaining the footprint but removing the addition, Kligerman was able to design a new space that felt in keeping with the rest of the house.

“The entry felt frail and fussy,” architect Thomas Kligerman says of its pre-renovation form. “Now it is more in character with the home’s history but stripped down and sculptural.”

Cozy Kitchen

“We honored the character of the Colonial portion,” Kligerman says. “But people live in different ways than they did then.” To address today’s style of living, he improved function without expunging the integrity of the home’s Colonial style.

The kitchen, for example, would have been a utilitarian warren of rooms used to cook, never to dine, in its original form. Today, a corner window highlights hand-scraped hickory cabinets refined with contemporary hardware that nods to Colonial strap hinges. Cream-color quartz countertops temper the rustic cabinets and oak floors.

Hickory cabinets and oak floors bring a sense of authenticity and warmth. Contemporized hardware draws from Colonial inspiration.

Breakfast Area 

A cozy breakfast area, enveloped in hickory and oak, opens to a lush garden. 

Designer Terri Ricci furnished the space with simple forms—a concrete pedestal table, leather-clad dining chairs, and linen window treatments—paired with a vintage Tiffany pendant.

Beautiful Dining Room

Throughout the house, designer Terri Ricci, who often collaborates with Kligerman, used a clean, Belgian-inspired palette—complementing updated millwork, vintage rugs, and a smattering of antiques.

An early-20th-century Tiffany turtleback tile Moorish chandelier feels right at home against the original dining room ceiling. Chairs dressed in velvet, Tiffany sconces, and an Arts and Crafts dining table feel as though they’ve witnessed many a Prohibition-era dinner party.

Sunlit Space

“Clean lines and patinated wood tones work well with paneling to keep the rooms from feeling too formal,” Ricci says.

A new window bay integrates flawlessly with the home’s original details.

Barn Great Room

With the home now representative of a single era, Kligerman had one more design challenge. Jumping headfirst into the 21st century, he designed a 3,500- square-foot barn to replace a similar structure too dilapidated to save. “The original barn was unsalvageable,” Kligerman says. “We did use the exact footprint, though, so in a way the new barn is locked into history.”

Used as a guesthouse and as a venue for parties, the new structure feels as urbane as it does welcoming and bucolic. Large pocket doors with X-braced screens open to a great room with vintage French factory lights, reclaimed wood beams, and a weathered Connecticut fieldstone fireplace.

Large-scale furnishings, layered rugs, and an earthy palette make for kid- and pet-friendly zones that still feel sophisticated enough for adult gatherings.

Outdoor Living Areas

“We highlighted what people love most about barns—hand-scraped floors, high ceilings, timber—while having the coziness of a home,” Kligerman says. “The whole project feels consistent, but every building has a story.”

Bedroom

Exposed rafters and a whitewashed ceiling are balanced with “weighty Belgian furnishings,” Ricci says.

Bath

The classic lines of a clawfoot tub and a Barclay sink  up the charm factor in a guest bathroom.