above: A Cuff Studio pendant hangs over a custom pedestal table, styled with the clients’ copper vessels.

Better Together

Design pros unite to deliver a contemporary haven for a couple’s next chapter

INTERVIEW WITH MEGHAN DE MARIA and COURTNEY YANNI, MOSS DESIGN
MICHAEL GREENBERG, MICHAEL GREENBERG & ASSOCIATES and MARYBETH WOODS, MARYBETH WOODS ARCHITECT
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY VISCHIO // STYLING BY KATHLEEN FRIEDLER

Who lives here?

MEGHAN DE MARIA: They’re an older couple that lived in Westport and were looking to downsize. Michael Greenberg was the architect leading this project, and he worked on their previous home, where they raised their kids. As grandparents, they wanted something different. Mike was working with Marybeth Woods and called us for all the interior spaces. It really was a collaboration. We all worked beautifully as a team.

What was your overall goal with the design plan?

MICHAEL GREENBERG: Our goal with any project is to combine beauty and function. As a design build firm, one of our signature aesthetics has been the introduction of post-and-beam construction. It not only helps define program, but also adds warmth to the overall architecture. In this house, it’s emphasized in the front porch and pergola to create outdoor spaces, as well as in the interiors to bring scale to an open layout and frame out key elements such as the stairs and other double-height areas. Collaborating with Marybeth, we used new white oak as a medium, to complement the clean and bright cabinetry and create a layered backdrop for Moss’ furniture selections.

With a limited palette and more contemporary feel, this feels like a departure from the bolder color that Moss is known for. Would you agree?

MDM: Yes. Mike is known for his use of wood, and we really leaned into his architectural design and did a deep dive into that. It was very enjoyable, because it’s something completely different from the aesthetic that we’ve been known for. Ultimately, I think it shows that we’re very diversified in what we’re able to put forth as designers and as a firm.

COURTNEY YANNI: The clients also have a very extensive art collection that we really wanted to lead the story. We were pulling back on pattern and color, and letting the art have the stronger moments. Placing the art was an art in itself. They have such a vast collection, and we had to make sense of it in this new backdrop. But it’s a beautiful, very interesting collection. It was really an honor to work with what they had.

What directives did they give you for these living spaces?

CY: There were a lot of their own pieces—not just art—but furniture that they had collected through the years that they wanted us to incorporate. They were beautiful pieces, but again, it was about making sense in the new context, which is a big part of our job. What we love to do is mix periods. So, it was a fun challenge, and it wasn’t that out of our comfort zone, because that is normally what we like to do. We were just starting with the clients’ pieces instead of sourcing our own antiques and vintage pieces.

Tell us about this kitchen.

Marybeth Woods: They are big cooks. And like most projects, it was a marriage of two distinct aesthetics. One wanted more minimalistic, and the other wanted the warmth of wood and stone and a mix of materials.

So, we mixed in the oak with the white painted cabinets, darkened steel and bookmatched Lincoln Calacatta. The Galley sink and workstation in the island is sort of the big centerpiece. Then we pulled in the satin nickel, just to lighten it. We mixed that with the blackened steel custom hood and inlay on the back of the island. That picks up across the way in the custom steel bar shelf, the stair railing verticals and the black windows and doors.

It was a mandate to keep everything open. So, the oak then carries from the kitchen cabinets, down to the post and beam, the ceiling of the hallway and the base of the bar cabinets.

What did they want for their primary bath?

MW: They wanted a very spa-like restorative place. From their travels, they knew they wanted a Japanese soaking tub. We combined that with the shower to create a wet room with glass walls within the bath. Some of the touches that kind of warm it up are the satin nickel hardware and the very textured gray tiles. Everything has a unified, soothing palette.

Was it challenging to work with this open plan?

MDM: I think it’s actually enjoyable. There’s a real rhythm to it, right? Going from one space to the next, visually, and then seeing how they all connect.

CY: We’re always considering flows, so this really wasn’t a stretch.

MDM: Because Mike uses so much wood, it became about, incorporating other wood tones in a way that made sense in the space. We wanted to make sure it wasn’t overly saturated with the white oak, so we brought in that beautiful walnut table with the brass feet for the kitchen, and we also focused on not adding too much color.

Do you have a favorite room?

MDM: The primary bedroom. That Verellen bed was made for that house. It’s always hard to gain the trust of the client in the beginning, but they really dove in and came with us.

RESOURCES:
Architect: Michael Greenberg & Associates, Westport; michaelgreenberg-assoc.com
Interior Architecture/Cabinetry: Marybeth Woods Architect, Norwalk; marybethwoodsarchitect.com
Interior Design: Moss Design, Southport; mossdesignct.com
Greenery: Outdoor Design & Living Fairfield; outdoordesign.com