above: Michelle Barone, Nicky James, Naïka André, Sarah Ponden, Ryan Salvatore, Mary Burr.
Furnishings available at Mongers Market: Salvaged wood doors, from $100 at Boiler Room booth; Metal factory stools, from $35 at Boiler Room booth; Transom window, $325 at Boiler Room booth; Nuevo “Tivat” black metal floor lamp, $475 at Word of Mouth booth; Red vintage Saarinen for Knoll executive chair, $425 at Word of Mouth booth.
PORTRAITS BY KYLE NORTON // SHOT ON LOCATION AT MONGERS MARKET
Burr Salvatore Architects
PRO SNAPSHOT
An award-winning, full-service firm, Burr Salvatore is a partnership of architects who met at the Yale School of Architecture: Mary Burr and Ryan Salvatore, who both spent the early years of their careers at the legendary firm Robert E.M. Stern in Manhattan. The husband-and-wife team works on both ground-up construction and renovations of scale. “We really like hands-on clients,” Burr says. “Many of our best projects have resulted when clients are heavily invested in the process.” burrsalvatore.com
ROOM WE LOVE
This family room in a traditional waterfront colonial affords its owners incredible views of Long Island Sound and Manhattan with a design that emphasizes the great outdoors.
“It’s really more about what’s outside—the fabulous view of the New York City skyline—than what’s inside,” Burr says.
To play up the view, the team chose expansive windows and doors and opted for lighter touches on the detailing. This helps “to blur the boundary between inside and outside and to bring the waterfront site inside the house,” she says.
In harmony with the location, the team played on themes from maritime architecture with brass tie rods on the exposed trusses and two mirrored port holes “to pull the eye up into the dynamic ceiling.”
To play up the view, the team chose expansive windows and doors and opted for lighter touches on the detailing.
GO-TO SOURCES
For the post-and-beam structure and the floor, the team sourced a lightly white-washed fir. “There’s a wonderful warmth to it that lends an amazing degree of coziness to what is otherwise a big space,” says Burr. The light fixture is a classic lantern by noguchi and the field stone for the fireplace was supplied by stone farm in Monroe, a great place to pick up reclaimed material.
Sarah Ponden Interiors
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With nearly 20 years of experience with interiors, Sarah Ponden handles design projects of all sizes, supported by her sister who tends to the business side of the firm. Originally from Pennsylvania and previously based in Stamford for five years, Ponden still works on projects here as well as throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties, New York City and the Hamptons. Describing her style, she says, “I’m more on the modern end with lots of layers and mixing and matching, high and low.” sarahpondeninteriors.com
ROOM WE LOVE
At this new build in Harrison, New York, Ponden was able to create a home completely tailored to her clients, a young couple who were moving up from Manhattan and starting a family.
“Every tile, every detail, every inch was custom,” she says of the whole project and her favorite space, the dining room. “I wanted it to be comfortable and family-friendly but still really chic. It’s sophisticated and moody but you could have a daytime party there.”
Key details include the wallpaper from romo’s black edition, which mimics a watercolor, flocked with metallic texture. A study in highs and lows, the room features a light fixture from west elm and a mirror from cb2 that looks like it could be Holly Hunt. “It feels so good because we really understand each other,” she says. “We sourced some things and they found some things and it all gelled perfectly. That relationship shows.”
“I wanted it to be comfortable and family-friendly but still really chic. It’s sophisticated and moody but you could have a daytime party there.”
GO-TO SOURCES
For a dining room, Ponden suggests starting with the table and chandelier first. The carpet, the bottom layer, comes last. Here, the dining chairs are from arhaus; “I love a chair that has so many style points,” she says. The single-slab table is from rh and the sideboard is by john richards.
Madison Hudson Design
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This boutique firm owned by Michelle Barone, whose background spans retail fashion to visual merchandising, is named for her two children’s middle names. Barone is the principal designer, working with a team of three other creative, talented women. Though her designs evolve with every client, she says, “I have my own personal style, a mix of modern and traditional.
“It’s always better to have a nod to the past. It has to have a balance.”
Her firm takes a budget-friendly approach and has the ability to design a single room. Clients can hire MHD to make design recommendations only and purchase the furniture and accessories themselves or have the company handle the whole process through to install. madisonhudsondesign.com
ROOM WE LOVE
For this New Canaan house, Barone and her team were tasked with finishing an adjoining sunroom and living room. “The house is in a beautiful setting, and we wanted to keep the sunroom with its plentiful windows relatively neutral so that our clients can feel almost as if they are sitting outdoors,” says Barone, who layered textures of boucle, wood, stone, metal and greenery to pull the room together. By contrast, the living room called for a deep color for a “cozy but elegant feeling,” a rich charcoal hue called Hopper Head by farrow & ball. Textural fabrics and touches of greenery create a soothing place to relax by the fire.
“The house is in a beautiful setting and we wanted to keep the sunroom with its plentiful windows relatively neutral so that our clients can feel almost as if they are sitting outdoors.”
GO-TO SOURCES
“We try to shop local and use women-owned businesses,” says Barone, whose picks include bespoke floors in Norwalk, artist katy garry of Pelham and diane browne of browne & co in Darien. For some clients, MHD will do a “quick zhuzh at the end of the project,” sourcing accessories and finishing touches from Browne & Co. Clients can then decide what they want to keep. “It’s a way to try before you buy,” she says.
Nicky James Interior Design
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Growing up as the son of a craftsman, Nicky Cuppari wandered around job sites and envisioned unique spaces from an early age. After studying at NYU, he has spent the past 12 years working in art and design, helping many clients in Stamford and beyond. He helps to “uncover the essence” of people and bring that to life through furniture, lighting, color and décor while always keeping functionality in mind. “I hate designing rooms that are just pretty rooms,” he says. “They should be enjoyed and lived in.” nicky-james.com
ROOM WE LOVE
For his own home in Shippan, James completely transformed a 1970’s spec house, gut-renovating the first floor. His favorite room in the house is a sitting room that’s connected to the kitchen. “I wanted to go for a cozy, ultramodern look,” he says of the space, which is an ideal spot to sit and have cocktails or just relax. The sofa is a “throwback from the ’60s” and the art is personal: He noticed the graffiti on the side of a building while walking in Spain and decided to take a photograph. A year later, while working on his house, he remembered the image and decided it would make a cool print.
“I wanted to go for a cozy, ultramodern look.”
GO-TO SOURCES
Creating an eclectic, one-of-a-kind mix for his sitting room, James picked up the coffee table at mongers market in Bridgeport. The sofa was a flea-market find that he covered in a snakeskin-textured leather. Metal sconces from Denmark were purchased from 1st dibs.
NJA Interiors
PRO SNAPSHOT
A native of Stamford, Naïka André of NJA Interiors, has been designing for thirteen years and launched her own firm six years ago. “I love working with busy families who don’t have the time to create a space that functions for them,” says André. Her personal style blends vibrant colors, textures and art, and draws inspiration from travel—whether her own or the client’s. She is also known for mixing high and low sources and tracking down pieces with personality. njainteriors.com
ROOM WE LOVE
In this Brooklyn townhouse, home to a multigenerational family, André was hired to create a lower-level family room that’s comfortable for lounging yet versatile enough for entertaining. “[The client] and her husband had such fun and bright personalities, and I wanted the design to reflect that,” André says. At the heart of the space is a sofa covered in an emerald green velvet that’s easy to clean.
“People who want these color sofas seem to find me,” she says with a laugh.
The adjacent furnishings are multifunctional: a coffee table with storage, an ottoman that doubles as a drinks table (with tray on top), a colorful woven basket that acts as 3D art as well as a place to stash blankets. The art ranges from framed pieces by artists discovered on etsy to a feather juju hat, a ceremonial piece from CAMEROON, handmade by an African artist.
“[The client] and her husband had such fun and bright personalities and I wanted the design to reflect that.”
GO-TO SOURCES
“We love chloe winston lighting design in Norwalk,” André says. “They have great indoor-outdoor fixtures.” She likes to use jaipur rugs, many from India, and selects some accessories such as pillows and art from etsy. In addition to her trade connections, André is partial to a good bargain and found the floor and table lamps for this family room at homegoods.
