above: Classic millwork meets modern lines in this multi-room space, where arched openings and crisp furnishings strike a timeless balance.

Character Builders

A new home with an old soul was designed to age gracefully

INTERVIEW WITH JENNY WOLF, JENNY WOLF INTERIORS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY READ McKENDREE/JBSA

For anyone who’s unfamiliar with your work, give us your designer backstory.
I actually started in fashion, working for Ralph Lauren. I managed their retail development department, setting up shops, department stores and specialty stores across the country. I was installing one of their stores at the Greenbrier Hotel, and I was overwhelmed by the work that Dorothy Draper had done there. When I got back, the first thing I did when I got off the plane was buy Dorothy Draper’s book. I was hooked and decided that was the path I wanted to take.

I went back to school at Parsons at age 30. After graduation, I had a baby, took on my first client and started my company all in the first year. I primarily focus on residential work, but we do commercial work, too. And of course, now I have the retail venture, The Huntress, which was always a dream of mine; more or less a passion project. It’s kind of a fun exercise and love letter to the world of things that I to want to share.

Tell us about this project.
We were given the task of creating old-world charm into a new build. We wanted to make sure that it felt like an old house, and I think we were successful in that. We achieved authenticity without the home feeling contrived. Wadia & Associates obviously played a large role in that, too.

Were you involved at the building stage?
We were involved in every single decision from the beginning. My client had a lot of input and really cared about the details of the project. So, I was filtering that and working directly with Wadia to make sure that we met her goals of wanting it to feel a certain way. All in all, I would say it was a five-year project. It was really intensive with no details spared; from the consideration of the lighting to the light switches.

How did you connect with the client?
She found me to do this project, and then in the middle of it, she bought a townhouse in New York City, so I was working on both projects in tandem. And now I’m working with them on more projects as well. They’re a lovely family and this is really a family house.

What did your client want for this house?
Even though the kids were out of the house, they were very much part of the weekend plans. And the family loves to entertain. We really put their lifestyle into every span of the house. You can see there’s that beautiful outdoor seating, overlooking the water, and it’s a very large dining table.

There was an emphasis on making sure there was a place to house the wine, along with the beautiful butler’s pantry and bar areas. Things like that that were conducive to entertaining.

I think she likes the mix of old and new, and she has really great taste. She’s fantastic at styling things, so we had a lot of fun pulling everything together.

What was your starting point?
We started the same way we start every project, where we just review a ton of inspiration images and try to think of the overall aesthetic. We’re looking at images of completed rooms so we can understand the direction that we’re going, with both the decorative piece of it and that sense of architecture.

We had endless meetings, and then I was homing in on what the final product would look like. And that informed all of the details, finishes and the materials that we selected.

My client just made it easy and fun, because she would be shopping in France, and we’d be sending imagery back and forth of antiques and things that she found. There’s nothing more fun than that.

How much did the home’s waterfront setting affect the way you approached the design?
It’s light and airy, but there’s nothing nautical about it. But it definitely lends itself to looking inside and out, especially with that outdoor dining on the water. They wanted to entertain and enjoy the views, and we kept a soft color palette so as not to detract from those views.

Tell us about this kitchen.
The kitchen is the heart of this home, and she’s a big cook, so that was very important.

I think we spent the most time on the kitchen, and we worked with DEANE, who were fantastic. It was a very, very close relationship. Every detail was considered, from her little coffee station to the interior of every drawer. It was just really well thought-out.

I think we started with that black Lacanche stove. I always have something black or dark—which you’ll see throughout the house—to cut the sweetness of the space and make it feel a bit more transitional.

This dining room is lovely. Tell us about it.
We knew that we wanted a beautiful mural wallpaper. And the client had found those gorgeous French chandeliers at a local antique store. So, the room immediately took shape around those items.

The windows overlook the garden on one side and the water on another. We made sure the trimming was not too heavy-handed so that you could really enjoy looking outside. The table, also an antique, has mini leaves so they can host parties. The sideboards were something we had found at auction.

We did the beautiful built-ins, which I think were really successful, and then painted all the trim and lacquered the ceiling in that same color. Maybe it was even a shade a little bit lighter, just to reflect the light from the chandeliers around the room. A lot of those colors we carry throughout the house.

What was the plan for the bedrooms?
They were between the city and this property, and I think they just wanted them to feel calm. The rooms are traditional, but they’ve got a healthy mix of old and new.

For the boys, we took on a more masculine look, with the windowpane plaids and wood and leather. In the girls’ rooms, we wanted them to feel soft and feminine. Everybody had a little bit of say in what direction they wanted their room to take, which I think is important.

Did you source all the of the art?
The portraits are from The Huntress (Wolf’s store). I love that kind of old-world sensibility in a house. There’s also a lot of more modern photography in there. I like that juxtaposition—oil painting with newer photography—so there’s a good deal of that throughout.

There wasn’t a lot of art in this one, because there’s wallpaper, and it’s beautiful, and we were very intentional with the pieces of art that we brought into the space.

Where are some of your favorite places to source antiques and accessories?
I love going to the Paris flea market. There were some pieces from there that found their way to this house. Then there’s Doyle auction house. I do a lot of sourcing in Hudson, and of course, my own store. I’m collecting things all over.

This is our style issue. How would you describe yours?
I think it’s organic, but not like in an organic modernism way. It’s more about pieces to build upon; pieces that tell a story.

I believe that if you buy things you love, you can always find a way to make them work. When you’re purchasing something, you don’t always have to know where it’s going to go, but you have to have a feeling about it, you know? That’s when you bring someone like a designer in to help you kind of pull it all together. I think I’m kind of like the channel, between a client and getting to that end result.

RESOURCES:
Interior Design: Jenny Wolf Interiors, Pound Ridge, New York; jennywolfinteriors.com
Architect: Wadia Associates, New Canaan, 203-966-0048; wadiaassociates.com
Kitchen Design: DEANE, Inc. Stamford, 203-327-7008; deaneinc.com