Upon first seeing this Darien residence from the street, it’s easy to do a double take. With its stone gables, shingle roof and leaded glass windows, the house might seem more at home in the English countryside than on the Connecticut coast. Architect Greg Tankersley of McAlpine even built a swag into the ridge of the main roofline so it sags ever so gently. “To give it a sense of age, I want it to look like the roof had settled and failed a bit,” he says. “The homeowner loved the idea.”
From the outset, the owner, an unabashed Anglophile, wanted her home to capture the moodiness and quirkiness of a quintessential English cottage, while avoiding any reference to the local vernacular. “Her mandate was clear—nothing big, white or Colonial,” says Tankersley. Along with project manager Brendan Boatwright and interior designer Ray Booth, also from McAlpine, he delivered on that vision and then some.
With its enviable waterfront locale, not surprisingly, the structure is oriented toward the endless horizon of Long Island Sound. “She insisted on nothing—not even a tree—between her and the water,” says the architect. Even the placement of the back-porch columns was carefully considered so they wouldn’t interrupt the view.
But it wasn’t the sun and surf that captivated the homeowner; it was the drama of the sky turning gray and storms rolling in. “She’s a weather watcher and loves the darkness and moodiness of an approaching storm,” says Tankersley, noting expanses of windows in the living room and upper-level primary bedroom indulge that passion. “She wanted to be up in the clouds, so the bedroom is perched out over a porch.”
Inside, the experience is deliberately understated. Rather than greeting visitors with a grand staircase, the house opens to a modest foyer beneath a low plaster ceiling. The stairway reveals itself later, its simple form accented by an unfussy wrought-iron railing. “There’s nothing showy or precious on the interior,” explains Tankersley, who used reclaimed wood throughout. “The wood is a little ravaged and loved, so you feel the permanence of it.”
With that aesthetic in mind, Booth took a decidedly undecorated approach to the interiors. Instead of all new furnishings, he mixed new pieces with objects and collectibles that held meaning for the homeowner. “I did an inventory of things that meant something to her and incorporated her nautical-themed ship dioramas and other items that would tell her story,” the designer explains.
“We design mutts, not purebreds,” says architect Greg Tankersley, who referenced American Tudors and cottages from the 1920s for his design of this English-style cottage. Materials like stone and shingles along with an intentional sag in the roofline establish a sense of age and authenticity.
In the living room, an Aero Studios sofa and Century Furniture skirted swivel chair and ottoman in Pindler linen comingle with pieces from the owner’s previous home.
Saint Germain chairs from the Bright Group surrounding a large table plus a hand-forged iron chandelier through Rose Tarlow respond to the soaring cathedral ceiling in the kitchen. A rug by Tibetano grounds the space.
The kitchen island, designed to resemble furniture, is lit by an Arteriors light fixture. Cabinets are stained oak and countertops are quartzite.
Reminiscent of an English pub, a custom banquette in the lounge touts Jerry Pair leather and a pendant by Urban Electric.
In the powder room, Paul Ferrante sconces flank an antique French mirror through Collected By Schwung.
An unpretentious wrought iron railing leads to the landing where corner windows fill the stairwell with light.
A guest bedroom is furnished with custom twin platform beds from Stewart Furniture and Ray Booth for Hickory Chair crescent chairs.
In the primary bedroom, a chandelier from Visual Comfort illuminates a bed and media console from Holland MacRae, and the rug is through Marc Phillips Decorative Rugs.
In the primary bathroom, Palmer Hargrave sconces are through Ainsworth-Noah.
Al fresco dining takes place at a reclaimed teak table with oval back teak side and armchairs—all from Terrain.
Seating in the screen porch includes a twig-frame sofa and lounge chair topped with heavy canvas jute cushions; all items including the teak coffee table are from Janus et Cie.
In the living room, for example, repurposed chairs and lamps from her past join a new sofa and an antique cabinet filled with nautical items. In the open kitchen and dining area, a too-small existing table was replaced with a generously scaled one, paired with larger rush-seat chairs and cushions.
Among the home’s surprises is the pub room. “She routinely gets together with friends for cards and cocktails, so the room centers on a custom leather banquette wrapped around a game table,” says Booth. Intentionally fashioned after its English counterpart, dark paneled walls, European wide-plank floors and an enameled-black light fixture complete the cozy atmosphere.
Tankersley took the English references one step further in the kitchen. Recalling advice given to a former client searching for a home in the Cotswolds, the architect shares: “The Realtor said to look for a village with a pub and a church. We already had the pub, so I told the homeowner your kitchen is going to be your church.”
The soaring dining area makes good on that promise, with a cathedral ceiling and tie rods reminiscent of those found in old English churches. And noting the client was decidedly anti-suburban, the prep and cooking area are far from conventional. A large, furniture-style island anchors the space, surrounded by black countertops, stained-wood cabinetry and a dark-plaster stove wall.
While the resulting house oozes the requisite English charm, it is more importantly perfectly tailored to its occupant. “It’s very different from every house on the street,” says Tankersley, “But like her, it has no ego or attitude and that’s what makes it so charming and unique.”
