Renovating an antique home is a balancing act between respecting history and making space for the new homeowners’ taste and lifestyle. Designer Michelle Hogue is an expert at preserving the best of the past while giving her projects a modern, personal touch. “When my clients walk into their home, and they feel seen and heard, and feel like their house represents who they are—it makes my heart smile,” says Hogue, who led the thoughtful update of this historic Victorian.
The clients are a couple with three school-age daughters, who had moved to New York City from North Carolina in 2015. They fell in love with the Northeast, but as their family grew, they weren’t feeling as smitten in their increasingly cramped Manhattan apartment. During the pandemic, they started exploring the suburbs, and decided to buy a weekend home in Ridgefield, with the intention to eventually move there full-time. Though they hadn’t planned on undertaking a major renovation, when this 1850s Victorian came up for sale, the fantastic central location, quirky architecture and mature landscaping made it too good to pass up.
Since the family planned to continue living in New York during the update, the homeowners knew they needed a designer they could fully trust to listen to their needs and manage the process. They’d seen Hogue’s work on the 2019 This Old House idea house in New Canaan—an 1840s Greek Revival that she and her team had updated while preserving its historical integrity—and asked her to strike the same balance in their home. Hogue, who is also a general contractor, takes a “blueprints to bar soaps” approach to her projects, considering every single detail. As such, “we spend a lot of time in the design phase,” says Hogue, to make sure that when her client walks through the door, they feel totally at home.
The homeowners wanted an aesthetic update, but even more importantly, they wanted to make their home a hub for the girls and their friends, and to create a place where they could host extended family for holidays and reunions. Throughout the house, Hogue created spaces for socializing on every scale, and balanced more-angular architectural details with curvier, graceful furniture that reflects the couple’s more contemporary taste. Each room has its own personality. “It makes for a magical hosting experience,” says the wife, and the family enjoys rotating throughout the spaces when they have guests over for different events.
Hogue divided the large living room with back-to-back sectionals from Vesta, creating even more spaces for entertaining. The floor lamp is from RH, and bronzed metal coffee table is also from Vesta.
A black banana-leaf Bodhi basket from Four Hands and handpainted candle holder from Luminara add graceful curves in the living room.
Designer Michelle Hogue sits on a custom bench in the light-filled living room.
Located just off the kitchen, the sunroom is lined with wraparound windows, while a Ralph Lauren Home chandelier hangs over a dining table and chairs from Vesta.
Windowpanes were handpainted black to frame the grounds outside the solarium.
A book art piece from Natural Curiosities hangs over the fireplace in the library. Walls painted in Benjamin Moore’s Narragansett Green surround contemporary furniture from Vesta, and a Currey & Company teardrop chandelier hangs overhead.
The glamorous powder room is painted in high gloss to complement the mosaic Artistic Tile floor, while a Waterworks washstand and wall sconces from Visual Comfort & Co. add elegant shine.
The primary bedroom has a bed from CB2, cozy bedding from Parachute Home and Ralph Lauren Home sconces.
The playroom’s wall decals are from West Elm. A large chalkboard and Maisonette dollhouse provide hours of entertainment.
The living room’s back-to-back sectionals are popular spots for lounging or reading. In the large, light-filled sunroom, Hogue left the original leaded transom windows, and created separate seating and dining areas. She created a sunny new sightline through the entire house and expanded the small kitchen by combining it with a dark and unused formal dining room. A new roof, leveled floors, all new mechanicals and the removal of lead-based paint ensure the house will be in good standing for years to come.
Though the home is largely decorated with lighter colors that feel more modern, Hogue pushed her clients to consider some historic hues as well to integrate some of its original style and make the palette feel richer and more cohesive. “We really gravitate toward lighter, more serene colors,” notes the wife.
“Left to our own devices we would have ended up with a very white, neutral house.” But they now agree that the deep Narragansett Green wall color in the library was the perfect choice, as well as the Hale Navy color used on the exterior. “We wanted to create a house that was current and updated, but that you wouldn’t know was just renovated,” says Hogue.
The family is now in town full-time, and the home has become the go-to spot for after-school hangouts and family gatherings. When they first began, “we didn’t know what this house could become,” says the wife, but thanks to Hogue’s careful consideration and personal touch, it’s everything they had hoped for.