When a client enlisted TDV Interior Design founder Tyler Del Vento to reimagine her Darien home, the project was supposed to involve some light refreshes. However, “it turned into a complete renovation,” Del Vento remembers. “The kitchen needed to be gutted, fireboxes weren’t safe and needed to be reconstructed, flooring had to be redone, stairs weren’t up to code…It kept going.”
To complete the overhaul, Del Vento enlisted the help of Ryan Fletcher and his team at Norwalk’s Fletcher Development. “It’s the story of every project,” Fletcher laughs about the expanded scope, which his team took in stride. “It was a beautiful house that wasn’t fully captured in its original build. We were able to elevate it significantly.”
Together they redid the home’s kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, mudroom, lighting and a/v system—refining details with custom cabinetry and millwork throughout. While the luxurious details are unmistakable, the home is incredibly functional.
“It’s a very lively family, and it’s a very lived-in home,” the Weston designer notes. “Everything revolves around doing things together, whether it’s cooking or hosting or taking the golf cart to the beach.” With input from the homeowner and her mother (a design lover), Del Vento helped transform the house into one that could keep up with the family’s fun-loving lifestyle.
In the entry, a mirror from John-Richard hangs above a cabinet from Made Goods.
In the family room, a Bernhardt sofa is partnered with a Four Hands coffee table, while a Julie Terestman vase through Patrick Mele tops a table from Global Views.
The living room offers an adults-only respite, complete with a mirror, wood cabinet, floor lamp and chair from Soho Home; while custom Sandra Jordan alpaca drapes and a Baker sofa covered in Romo’s Lucien fabric add touches of luxury. The artwork over the sofa is by Sasa Mahr-Batuz.
Another formal space is the dining room, complete with a custom Baker table, Winter Garden wallpaper by Gracie, and Visual Comfort’s Liscia chandelier.
The wet bar features a Graff faucet, Colonial Bronze hardware and an LED backlit glass countertop from Walker Zanger.
Below the Visual Comfort pendant lights, a custom fluted island and Ton counter stools from Dyke & Dean offer room for prep and gathering in the kitchen.
Del Vento created a breakfast nook under the kitchen’s vaulted ceiling, painted in Curator Paints’ Looming Sky; the custom banquette wears Long Grass linen by Rebecca Atwood and Ultrafabrics’ Raindrop indoor/outdoor fabric for the seat; a Palecek chandelier hangs above.
Flora and Fauna handpainted wallpaper by Porter Teleo in the primary bedroom is complemented by a Ngala Trading Whisper chandelier and a hand-knotted rug from Harounian Rugs International.
The primary bathroom is wrapped in Thassos marble from Tile America; and the Kallista tub is through Bender Plumbing.
Watercolor wallpaper by Miles Redd for Schumacher continues the cool blues into the boy’s room, where the Abridged bunk from Crate & Kids offers room for two; the Sagittarius ceiling fixture is from Sazerac Stitches.
To serve as the home’s headquarters, Del Vento and Fletcher created a custom layout for the kitchen that includes a roomy banquette and an island to accommodate both prep and eating. A voracious organic cook, the homeowner was very involved in organizing storage, making sure that everything was easily accessible. But for the aesthetics, “they really let me run with it,” Del Vento notes. The designer opted for a fluted island with custom millwork and flush-mounted 22 System outlets. For the countertops, she turned to synthetic stone from Everest Marble for minimal maintenance.
“It was fun to watch the homeowner think about things from a functional standpoint and to come in with the design element and marry those two together,” Del Vento notes. “It’s a workhorse kitchen.” In the breakfast nook, the banquette features Rebecca Atwood Long Grass fabric for the back and an Ultrafabrics faux leather (diluted bleach cleanable) for the seat that can stand up to young children. The Curator painted cove ceiling and a Palecek chandelier add interest above.
The theme of functional luxury extends to the family room, where a deep Bernhardt sofa is designed for comfort. The Pivot table by Ashley Childers and sculptural Four Hands coffee table lend a softness to balance out the room’s sharper angles.
Still, not every room in the home was designed with kids in mind. “She really wanted to have an adult room,” Del Vento says of the living room, which features a decorative limewash paint on the walls and sumptuous Sandra Jordan alpaca-fringed drapes. “The family has a history of going to Africa, and the homeowner’s dad was an incredible gamesman, doing everything by the book and respecting the local environment,” she says. “That zebra hide was something he brought back many years ago. The homeowner is very close with her parents, and it felt like a nice piece to display in the middle of the room.”
A counterpoint to the breakfast nook, the dining room offers another more formal, adult space, with a customized Baker Petal table and Hickory Chair frames covered in Century performance fabric. Even the knobs on the built-in cabinetry feature the client’s initials. “The dining room opens to the foyer on one side and the wet bar from the other, so you see it from the kitchen, entryway, living room and her office,” Del Vento explains. “It was a really important connection room.”
Another room just for mom is the primary bedroom, where handpainted Porter Teleo Flora and Fauna wallpaper creates a serene respite. The Ngala Trading chandelier is handmade in Africa, tying in the family’s connection and offering an organic statement overhead.
Kids’ spaces were given equal attention to detail. For example, the boy’s room features Schumacher x Miles Redd watercolor wallpaper, a Sagittarius light fixture by Sazerac Stitches, and custom Christopher Farr Cloth window treatments. His bathroom was a full gut, and the other kids’ bath got a new floor, vanity, wallpaper and window treatments. Del Vento also created a custom mudroom (that she calls Grand Central Station) to house all of the family’s sports equipment, school supplies and beach gear.
“The homeowner thanks me every time I see her, and it’s so incredible,” the designer offers. “They’re such a fun and happy family, and it’s great to give them a happy space and let them grow there. It’s such a reflection of her.”