A good first impression can go a long way, and for Dana Ferraro (principal of Fairfield-based Molly Patton Design) and her client Michelle Ruiz Andrews, there was instant chemistry. Ruiz Andrews and her husband, Daniel, were in the process of relocating from NYC to Connecticut with their two school-aged children. “I remember our very first meeting at the house…they had just gotten the keys and were taking me on an initial walk-through,” Ferraro recalls. “Michelle welcomed us with baked goods and treats. I could tell instantly from that interaction it was going to be such an amazing experience.”
Along with the good vibes, the project was a designer’s dream. After years of apartment living, the Andrews were starting fresh, ready to invest in long-lasting pieces to furnish their new, larger space. “It’s the best-case scenario for a designer—when you aren’t tied or attached to anything and can build a room from the ground up,” Ferraro adds. She was also taken by Ruiz Andrews’ effortless, cool-girl aesthetic. “You can tell she has this strong sense of personal style,” Ferraro says of Ruiz Andrews, a freelance writer for Vogue and Vanity Fair. “She had on this plaid dress with a turtleneck, fun boots. I was like, ‘She gets it.’”
The designer knew that the family would likely be open to designs that pushed the style envelope. For example, Ruiz Andrews passed along a photo she loved of a forest green family room. “It could have turned really traditional, with antlers and leather and crane prints,” the writer explains. “But Dana dreamed up adding vintage yellow slipper chairs and a powder blue lacquered end table with some giant white urns.”
Ferraro admits to “hoarding” the yellow slipper chairs, antique shop finds she couldn’t pass up. She knew as soon as they painted the room that the chairs would be the perfect addition. “With the cornflower blue side tables, it was a powerful tri-color combination,” she adds. “It’s funny because they’re not the main pieces in the room, but to me, that’s what brings impact to the space.”
In the family room, designer Dana Ferraro mixes vintage finds (like slipper chairs in their original yellow velvet and a bamboo side table) with contemporary pieces including a custom Stark area rug, Century Furniture cocktail table and a Highland House Furniture arched side table.
In a cozy corner, antique artwork is a family heirloom from the client’s grandmother. Drapery panels are from Ballard Designs.
A custom banquette covered in Perennials fabric turns this corner into an oft-used breakfast nook. Woodbridge Furniture chairs are paired with a table from Noir. Serena & Lily swivel chairs provide seating in the adjacent sunroom.
The dining room features Sandberg wallpaper, drapery panels from Stout Textiles, chair fabric by Namay Samay and a rug from Momeni Rugs.
In the living room, a low custom chaise wears a Lee Jofa fabric and a custom sofa boasts a rich purple Romo linen. Striped Farrow & Ball wallpaper completes the layered aesthetic.
A Universal Furniture bed in the guest room wears Ballard Designs bedding, and the rug is from Momeni Rugs.
Benjamin Moore’s Tissue Pink paint is the perfect backdrop for a vintage chinoiserie desk, red bamboo chairs and RH Teen bookcases.
A vintage console is paired with contemporary poufs, a Target find, in the office.
For the main pieces, Ferraro opted for made-in-America construction and neutral hues. A Stark antelope rug and oversized cocktail table by Century Furniture complete the space. “We love setting up in the family room with our popcorn and Mike and Ikes for movie night,” Ruiz Andrews adds. “It’s an amazing, cozy place to watch both the Super Bowl and the Oscars.”
This was exactly the unfussy vibe the family was going for after decades of apartment living. “We were excited to have our first house be a space where our kids could run around and we could truly host our family and friends,” Ruiz Andrews adds. “We envisioned a living room where adults could have drinks and laughs and great conversations, sort of like a salon; a kitchen where everyone gathers and eats chicken parm on Christmas; a dining room for Thanksgiving and dinner parties.” Ferraro aimed to deliver, but with unexpected elements. For example, leafy Sandberg wallpaper is paired with red-striped Stout Textiles drapery, a contemporary Gabby Home dining table, and a vintage buffet in the dining room. “Even the new things are offset with something old,” the designer notes.
In other instances, Ferraro preferred to create custom pieces from scratch, like the living room’s plaid chaise and rich purple sofa. The room is one of the first visitors see when entering the home, which doesn’t have a traditional foyer, and she didn’t want the chaise to have high arms that would block the view to the rest of the space.
Still other spaces were designed with practicality in mind, like the childrens’ rooms. Ferraro invested in pieces that would last and grow (like a custom splatter-painted bed in the seven-year-old boy’s room), paired with more affordable things that could be swapped out throughout the years.
The real workhorse of the house is the breakfast nook, where Ferraro created a custom banquette. The previous homeowners had a family room set up there, but the designer envisioned more. “It’s the most beautiful space with all the win dows and a beautifully wooded yard,” she remembers. Now, Ruiz Andrews says it is her favorite part of the house. “That’s where we drink coffee and eat waffles and Pop Tarts and talk before school. And our family and friends from out of town love to sit there with us and spot the groundhog and bunnies and deer—and the occasional fox—running around the yard,” she muses. “It’s also where we read our newspapers and magazines and books—I love seeing the New York Times and Vanity Fair stacked with the kids’ graphic novels and yearbooks. That’s the happiest place for me as a writer.”
Ferraro was able to create a writer’s oasis for this working mom as well. In the office, the designer helped source the perfect shade of blush pink to complement Ruiz Andrews’ books, magazines and collected tchotchkes. A leather-topped console and a vintage chinoiserie desk serve as hero pieces, juxtaposed with vintage bamboo chairs painted in Rustoleum Red. “Dana’s ability to find treasures knows no bounds,” Ruiz Andrews says of the unexpected finds. “Vintage adds soul to a house,” Ferraro adds. “If you have a room full of everything shiny and new, it just feels expected. I’m a huge fan of mixing it up.”
