Ideal for dining, the main terrace overlooks Long Island Sound.
Bands of stained cedar, stucco, stone and glass give the home’s façade the look of a formally composed painting. The window to the right of the door offers a peek through the house to the water beyond.
The dining area features a glass-topped table designed by Tom Balsley—and wide views of the tidal marsh.
In the living room, wide-oak flooring sets the stage for a neutral palette; pieces from the couple’s African art collection play against the furniture’s modernist simplicity.
The kitchen, with a sleek stone island and cabinets from NuKitchens, is centrally located and links one cube to the other.
The original house was essentially a stucco box; the cedar master bedroom cube and gray master bath additions rise above it in the background. The terrace was dropped 30 inches to keep railings from obstructing the view.
An African sculpture lends color to the newly designed stairwell that replaced a tight spiral stair, giving the house graceful vertical movement.
The unexpected beauty of this cracked and weathered wooden heart seemed to Sarah a perfect symbol of love found later in life. She gave it to Tom for their third wedding anniversary.
An Eileen Gray table holds one of Balsley’s sculptures while a woven rug adds tactile texture to the refined living room.
The master bath’s windows face east, inviting the morning sunrise, and then wrap around the house, offering vistas of the surrounding landscape.
He draws and designs with colored pencils; here, a sketch from a new project the designer and his wife, Sarah, are working on.
An Eames desk chair sits in the corner of the master bedroom, where views of nature inspire Balsley’s designs.
A white-on-white color scheme creates a soothing atmosphere in the master suite.