A brass-framed lantern from Nicholas Antiques and a trio of Joe Cariati blown-glass decanters atop a 19th-century Roy Padouk carved mahogany table from Niall Smith Antiques make a commanding entry statement.
The living-room sofa and ottoman are through Edward Ferrell+Lewis Mittman; cocktail table is by Madeline Stuart; and the pair of Louis XV chairs from Dennis & Leen are covered in Nancy Corzine fabric.
Artistic Frame chairs surround the Smith & Watson dining-room table. The decorative Chinese cabinet comes from Niall Smith Antiques, the rug is Doris Leslie Blau, wall sconces are Chameleon, and the chandelier was found at Marvin Alexander.
) Two islands, one topped with marble and one with wood, provide seating and work space in the kitchen. Artistic Frame counter stools wear Kravet fabric, and the custom International Iron Works pendants are through John Rosselli & Associates.
A gold leaf ceiling by Richard Pellicci encases the hallway that leads to the library. Light fixture is through Foundry, and antique prints are through The Avenue.
In the library/office, an Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman barrister sofa and Hickory Chair wing chairs surround a Leather Craft ottoman. The carpet is through Patterson, Flynn & Martin, wall covering and curtains are from the Old World Weavers collection through Stark, and end tables are custom by Diana Sawicki Interior Design.
Ralph Lauren Home navy velvet covers the library/office sofa.
Living room accent pillow has Houlès cording.
The wing chair is covered in an Old World Weavers fabric.
The living room ottoman cord and fringe are Robert Allen.
In the powder room, a mirror and antique prints from The Avenue and a sconce from Remains Lighting are backed by a Silk Dynasty wall covering. The Damask marble floor and brass and crystal faucets are through Waterworks.
A Hodsoll Mckenzie pillow with embroidery by Dawn Hutchins is a beautiful fit on an Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman bench.
In the master bedroom, the Alfonso Marina bed with rustic antique gold finish is through Ebanista. A cut crystal and brass column lamp found at Nicholas Antiques rests on an antique walnut burl nightstand through Harbor View Antiques.
You wouldn’t know by glancing at her work that interior designer Diana Sawicki has a contemporary side. The tufted velvets, brocade trims and gilded finishes seem to tell a very traditional story, but Sawicki insists the framework of her designs is all about clean lines. “That’s why my rooms don’t feel old or dated. There’s a modern aesthetic behind the traditional,” she says. “Everything is well edited and controlled.” She also admits to slight minimalist tendencies: “There’s never an excess of anything. I dislike fussiness, and I never over pillow.”
One glance around the living room she designed for a Fairfield County family confirms her statements. A mere two accent pillows and a paucity of accessories are interwoven into a utilitarian seating plan that would work equally well in a classic Colonial or modern ranch. Tying the space and the entire house together is her decisive use of the color blue. “I absolutely love blue for creating warm, inviting interiors, and it works really well in a traditional setting,” says Sawicki, who started in the entry where a saddle bench and mangeaise loveseat both wearing wool in a quiet robin’s egg tone only hint at the saturation to come. Step into the living room, and gradations of indigo, royal and sapphire fill the space. Sawicki cites the high gloss on the walls as somewhere between a light blue and navy, and the silk on the Louis XIV chairs as tending toward azure.
To establish what she refers to as a “warm masculine box” in the library, she utilized just two fabrics and two shades of blue: a delft-colored paisley pattern on the upholstered walls that repeats on the wingback chairs, and a handsome cobalt on the sofa. “This is a very personal, private space for the man of the house,” says the designer, who balanced the blues with a distressed leather bench and striped zebra rug.
Throughout this indigo ocean are measured touches of ecru, beige and buff. In the living room, it’s the creamy drapes and ottoman, while in the dining room, off-white dominates the soft ice blue in the floral pattern on the chairs. Upstairs in the private quarters, the barely perceptible greenish gray blue in the master bedroom headboard gives way to more prevalent creams and gold.
“There are multiple shades of blue in the formal rooms. In the casual areas, like the bedroom, I used paler greenish blues and cream tones,” says Sawicki. “The four-poster gold-leaf bed, wool damask bench and antique wood nightstands give the room its own personality.”
While she eschews fussiness, this designer clearly loves a well-placed detail like the tassels that complement the silk stripe on the dining room drapes. “So delicate you don’t even see them, but your eye registers the idea of another texture,” she says. And likening the crackle porcelain wall covering in the powder room to an old teacup, she adds, “The finish brings so much depth to such a small room.”
But the 12,000-square-foot house also demanded some virtuoso pieces. “The foyer is so enormous I was concerned it would look like a hotel lobby,” says Sawicki, who solved the problem with a nine-foot-long oval antique mahogany table with an intricately carved base. “It’s so breathtaking, people gasp when they see it, and the oval shape softens every corner of that space.”
In the dining room, it’s a Chinese chest with mother-of-pearl inlay and an 1830s Anglo-Indian chandelier that make a statement. “The chest is richly detailed, but the pièce de résistance is the chandelier that sparkles without being gaudy,” she notes. “When the lights are on and the candles are lit, this room is pure magic.”
BROWSE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS FEATURE IN THE FULL GALLERY BELOW
