New Tradition

Thoughtful renovation brings timeless architecture, durable materials and highly considered details together in a Greenwich home designed for today—and the next 50 years

INTERVIEW WITH ALISON DOWNEY, DOWNEY
INTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ORI HARPAZ
EXTERIOR PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALAN TANSEY

What was your jumping-off point was for the design?
Most of our work is ground-up or large-scale renovation.

I think this had been drawn as a modern farmhouse, and the architecture was good. Luckily, it had great stonework and architectural detail, and good bones with symmetrical gables. I just wanted to elevate the home.

I had been inspired at the time by some of the architects in the South, in Louisiana and Tennessee. I was also just thinking about Greenwich—it’s so much more historic and refined.

So, we created this enclosed porch area. It’s all limestone, with stairs leading up to the home, limestone around the front door and the windows, and then the darker, dramatic siding, and then we added the finish on the exterior stone to make it feel more aged. It feels like there’s some history to it but also feels fresh. We wanted it to feel like it belonged in the neighborhood and not out of a box.

But the exterior is where we start, and then we let that inform the interior. That’s why you have the entry floor—the black and white is antique marble—and then there’s the more classical mahogany railing style. It just flows throughout.

Yes, this home feels very classic, but also unmistakably current. How do you feel like you straddle that line?
Everything that we do is very rooted in classicism. Those classical elements of architecture are really fundamental to our work because it’s what’s going to stand the test of time.

There’s a reason it always comes back.

For this house, it became about upgrading it to make it that much more special, like adding the mahogany doors with the circular design and the polished nickel hardware.

For example, the kitchen is classic in terms of the cabinetry details. It has the molding profile, it has a classic Arabescato Carrara marble, but by doing the black accents on the white cabinet, it’s just something that you don’t see. It’s not an all-white kitchen.

And actually, those black accents are black oak, which is what we used for the island.

For the light fixture, normally you see two pendants. I think this shape lent itself to one fixture in the center. The hood is black cast stone and brass metal. And then there are the polished nickel finishes. It’s a reinvention, but with classic elements.

The British Racing Green Lacanche range is trimmed in brass.

What about the rest of the living spaces?
This was really for a sophisticated, well-traveled client. We do a lot of work in the Hamptons, and this was a nice departure, to focus on year-round finishes again. We were creating a sense of history.

And we were always thinking with the end in mind. The formal living room is right off of the entry with formal dining room to your right, and that living room is where we added the Calacatta mantle to the fireplace. But then the family room right next to it is more of an intimate space where they can be a little bit less traditional. That’s where we added the tile on the fireplace wall. It was balancing the classic with the contemporary; it’s a little edgy but still of the moment.

Tell us about the powder rooms.
For the main powder room, we couldn’t put a mirror over the vanity because of the window.

The door behind you—which is the pretty mahogany door—is mirrored on the backside.

The flooring a beautiful mosaic pattern by Artistic Tile and then the vanity is all bespoke. We got the legs from a company in England and then had our millworker make the top.

And we do the cafe curtains a lot. In that instance, you want light, but you need privacy. We wallpapered it and the added sconces from Vaughn.

I don’t love to tile the walls in powder rooms, because it can feel a little utilitarian. I try to treat them more like a water closet, more like a room. It’s such an important room.

For the mud room bath, we took a cast concrete sink and added a custom little walnut cabinet underneath it. The space is small and you’re contending with the door swinging to the room, which is going to get in your way. So it became a lot of function before form.

The wallpaper is fun, especially coming off of the mud room. I wanted to make it so that you’d come off of this beautiful, classic black-and-white mud room, but then be surprised when you opened up this powder room. It’s a nice place to run to the loo before you leave the house.

In that mud room space, we also got rid of a closet and in the center, and added a floating desk. We wanted them to have a spot for keys, to put your bag down and check your lipstick. All those moments can be more beautiful if you think about them for a little bit longer.

Tell me about the primary bath.
We spend a lot of time on the millwork and this bathroom is a good example. It starts with the architecture, and we saw what we were dealing with. For a his and hers, we had to include a makeup spot, but then we had all this extra space. So, we added those tall cabinets where they can store all their linens and things.

Then we came up with the idea for the backsplash that goes under the cabinet.

It’s a bit of a trick because it looks like it’s really expensive, like it’s custom fabricated. But we just bought the tiles and put them together to create that backsplash.

Were the cabinets supposed to feel complementary to the ones in the kitchen?
Yes, definitely. In terms of the profiles, I didn’t want Shaker. I wanted them to feel more classic.

But then again, we changed it up with some painted cabinets and a lot of mahogany finishes. Those tall cabinets are actually back-painted glass.

The floor outside the shower is another really beautiful limestone. It’s another thing we did to really make it feel connected.

I always try to think about a hotel, with both functionality and just capturing that experience.

What does luxury mean when you’re designing a modern family home?
I think it’s really thinking through the functionality of our current lifestyle; thinking about how we the use technology and all the things we have to plug in. And no one really uses the front door. The mud room is really the main artery. The materials that we use, they’re really durable, and we really try to have a place for the bag, for the shoes, for the dog leash. That’s what people complain about when design doesn’t get it right.

I always think about all the feedback we ever get and how we can bring that to the next project.

I observe trends, but I just try really hard to avoid them because I know that’s going to be a time stamp. I always think about longevity; in 50 years, this should not look dated.

How would you define your own style?
It’s layered, textured.

All surfaces, whether horizontal or vertical, have to be thought of.

I’m a big fan of contrasts, but all rooted in a timelessness that is appropriate for the home and the person who lives there.

RESOURCES:
Interior Design: Downey, New York, 212-933-0499; downeyinteriors.com
Developer: Parlato Development Group; parlatodevelopmentgroup.com
Architect: Gary Savitzky Architects; garysavitzkyarchitects.com