Jewelry designer Faye Kim was looking for a place to set up her jewelry showroom when she bought a Cape-style house on a main street in Westport—she wasn’t thinking it would become her next home. But when Kim sold the house where she had raised her children, she ended up moving into the part of the house not being used as a showroom. And what was meant to be a temporary solution got her thinking. “Living there made me realize that I didn’t need all these rooms, like a formal dining room that I only use when I entertain,” says Kim, who lives alone. “I wanted every space that I had to be part of my everyday life.”
Kim started to imagine how she would makeover the house to suit her current lifestyle, but she wasn’t in a rush—she wanted to get it right. With time her ideas coalesced, and Kim started interviewing designers to help her realize her vision. It wasn’t until a customer introduced her to Jimi Napoli of Antonio Luca Design, who specializes in kitchens and baths, that she found someone who really listened to her ideas.
Napoli and Kim sketched out plans for how they could expand the house at the ground level only, but the relatively small lot and neighbors nearby sent them back to the drawing board. A better option was to make a smaller addition to the footprint and raise the roof on the second floor. In addition to more space, Kim wanted to let in more light. “I love old homes because they have great bones,” notes Kim. “The house was solid—it had a stone foundation—but it lacked space and light.”
The entry includes an antique live-edge table from Japan and a stone Buddha head that was a gift from her sister.
The timbers surrounding the sliding door were sourced through Conway Hardwood Products.
In the entryway, an antique cabinet, a metal Biedermeier-style chair and a lacquer bowl form an intriguing vignette.
In the living room, two wood stools serve as a coffee table, while new sliding doors from Amylyx are framed by Libeco linen drapes through Belgian Huis.
Custom cabinetry is complemented by porcelain countertops from U.S. Marble & Granite.
Kim found the antique brick veneers through Faceables Decorative Brick & Stone Coverings. The live edge tabletop hails from New England Antique Lumber.
Designer Jimi Napoli collaborated with New England Stair Company on the floating oak tread and glass stairwell.
The wallpaper in the powder room is through Pergola.
Custom tambour oak doors hide a linen closet at the top of the stairs; the bamboo light fixture by Motarasu is through Studio Nordhaven.
Three Provençal pitchers that Kim collected over the years are displayed on top of an antique Korean blanket chest.
Transom windows above the bed allow light into the primary bedroom.
When designing her home, Faye Kim made space for her eclectic collection of art, objects and furniture.
Downstairs, Napoli proposed that they move the kitchen and stairwell and make room for the formal entryway that Kim desired. With windows running up the spine of the new staircase and sidelights at the front door, daylight would flood the center of the house. On the kitchen and primary bedroom side of the house, Napoli suggested using transom windows to let in light while retaining privacy. To make it all a reality, Napoli introduced Kim to builder Karol Kostrzewski, who like Napoli, was an attentive listener who came up with solutions collaboratively.
A designer herself, Kim had specific ideas for some of the details, like a wall of antique brick in the new kitchen, which she tracked down through a dealer. In many instances, Napoli helped interpret Kim’s inspiration into something fitting for the house. For example, Kostrzewski thought the concrete floors that Kim imagined in her entryway weren’t well suited to the climate, so Napoli suggested a slate tile that would give a similar look.
For the art and furnishings, Kim didn’t need much help: She already had a lifetime’s worth of beloved art and antiques that she wanted to display. In fact, Napoli drew inspiration from Kim’s personal collection. Drawing on the Asian provenance of many of Kim’s furnishings, he designed tambour-style doors for a linen closet and the primary bathroom vanity. Kim’s collection influenced the home’s design in another way. “I tend to like knickknacks and little things, so I wanted storage, but I also wanted everything behind closed doors,” says Kim. Napoli delivered with minimalist, closed-door storage, especially in the kitchen.
The whole team describes the experience as a rewarding, collaborative effort. In fact, they liked working together so well that Kim hired Napoli and Kostrzewski to help make over her new store in Darien, which opened in February. Now that the jewelry showroom has moved out of her Westport house, we have a hunch Kim will be reworking the rest of the house with her collaborators soon.