Once in a great while, every interior designer’s fantasy comes along: a beautiful vintage home, entirely renovated inside and out—and entirely empty as well. “It was a blank canvas, but even the canvas was beautiful,” recalls Amie Weitzman, a New York-based decorator who formerly served as design director for Joseph Abboud as well as a designer for the Ralph Lauren Home Collection. “The bones of this house and the architectural detail were very elegant. You couldn’t hope for more in a job, where you know you’re going to make this complete transformation. I would call it a gift.”
Her clients were a couple with two young sons who had recently relocated from Manhattan to Scarsdale. Eager to put down roots, these former apartment-dwellers lived in a rental while searching for the perfect house. A year later, they found it in a four-story Colonial built in 1913. Like many older homes, it had endured several misguided renovations. The new owners hired architect Rosamund Young, to overhaul the home inside and out, maintaining its old house feel—high ceilings, ornate moldings, mullioned windows—as well as remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms. When Weitzman and her partner Michael Halpern entered the picture, the canvas was primed and ready.
Like Weitzman, the homeowner had a background in the fashion industry, so their tastes dovetailed beautifully. “She told me right up front what kind of color palette she liked,” recalls Weitzman, “and it was very, very close to the range I work in: taupes, grays, camels. Stone colors. And she didn’t want the rooms to be heavily layered.” Adds Halpern: “She wanted the overall effect to be airy and functional and clean, all without losing the good bones or altering the elements that give it warmth and personality.”
In keeping with the home’s vintage style, the homeowner shied away from anything verging on mid-century or beyond. She preferred spare silhouettes and a casual yet sophisticated vibe. “The house was old and she didn’t want to push it beyond that classical modern mode,” explains Weitzman. “She had a comfort zone, and that’s where she stayed. She really knew what she liked.”
To ensure continuity of finishes and shapes from room to room, Weitzman custom-designed many of the elements, including the Parsons-style dining table and kitchen table, the living room coffee table, the family room sectional and the sunroom chaise. In the master bedroom, the nightstands and upholstered headboard were also made to order and upholstered in fabrics that could stand up to two active boys. “Everything had to be completely child-friendly,” Weitzman explains. “They’re not formal people; they want to use every room. So we had to be mindful of that when picking fabrics.” Weitzman added spark to the neutral palette with pillows and decorative objects in vibrant orange and purple.
Selecting accessories, “is my favorite thing in life,” says Weitzman. “I live for that moment. I think accessories should be minimal. Just put out the few important pieces that complement the room. And always under-do.” Her eclectic mix ranges from high-end Calvin Klein crystal to a Crate & Barrel Starburst mirror and a sculptural Jonathan Adler vase. “I like to custom-make things because prices are better and I can control the quality, but I’ll buy things anywhere,” says Weitzman. She feels that the modern, tailored décor works beautifully to highlight the home’s traditional details. “Usually when I walk into these old houses, there are 50 things I want to remove. This house does not have that feel at all. There’s nothing extraneous. I respect what the house is, but we’ve gone in another, more modern direction. We didn’t push it too far. So it feels just right.”