Whenever Caroline Cooling’s husband goes to the kitchen window of their Rowayton house and looks out, he gets a stab of good nostalgia. As he looks across Five Mile River to the Darien side, he can see his boyhood home. “He has a strong connection to the river,” says Cooling—an interior designer and partner at Anna Burke Interiors—who configured all the rooms of their new six-bedroom home. “He got his first boat license when he was nine. Just as he had done, our family now is building a whole new set of memories on the same river.”
Cooling and her husband, who now have three young children, had been living three houses away from where they are now. Expecting another child, they wanted a larger house. Upon touring a residence that was on the market, they and their architect, Matthew Dougherty, reached a conclusion. “Initially, we started to reconceive the original house,” explains the New Canaan–based Dougherty, “but once we really got into the existing structure, with its low ceilings, and hundred-year-old elements, it became apparent early on that we couldn’t save the structure.”
Dougherty, working in close collaboration with Cooling, conceived of a new house that would occupy the same footprint on the shoreline lot, but would be taller and, thus, larger.
Dougherty, who is unapologetic in his embrace of traditional design, drew up plans for a house that is both vernacular and respectful of typical Connecticut shoreline dwellings, but also distinctive and wholly of the present day. “One of the important aspects was to break down the masses on the outside,” he explains, “so that the house wouldn’t appear as some towering structure from the street or riverfront.” Its multiple gables and dormers accomplish that.
Vaughan’s Zurich pendant hangs in the foyer, while the wall sconce is from Hudson Valley Lighting, and the flooring sports a custom design painted by Floe Painting.
Lewis & Wood’s Fan Flower Sky pattern appears on the draperies and wallpaper in the dining room, where a Vaughan chandelier is set over the table.
In this living area off the kitchen, two custom sofas and an ottoman wear Thibaut performance fabrics. Barrel chairs (foreground left) are upholstered in a Rogers & Goffigon striped linen.
In the kitchen, Waterworks’s Easton faucet is fitted with oak handles, the cabinet hardware is from Classic Brass, and the double-arm lighting fixture is from Urban Electric.
A Wolf stove is complemented by tile from Riad Tile, and the wall sconces are from Hector Finch.
In the living room, Urban Electric wall sconces bracket the fireplace, while a Dowel Furniture coffee table tops Fibreworks’ Kochi rug in wheat.
A guest bedroom on the third floor—referred to as the Crow’s Nest—is accented with a Visual Comfort flush-mount ceiling fixture, Les Indiennes’s Big Daisy wallpaper, and a Roman shade in a Rogers & Goffigon striped fabric.
Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl is used in the primary bath, which has a Medera freestanding tub through Vintage Tub & Bath; a tub filler from Waterworks; and floor tile through Tile America.
After carefully negotiating FEMA and town regulations, Dougherty ensured that the new house sits securely some 20 feet in from the seawall. “Only a handful of spaces inside don’t have water views,” he says, “ones that are used seldomly, or where the family doesn’t linger—a pantry, mudroom, the back baths. All the main rooms have expansive views of water.”
Cooling—who grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Lake Forest, Illinois, a venerable suburb of Chicago—not only also loves traditional architecture, but especially rooms that come with water views. “Matt has such a beautiful aesthetic and elegant taste,” she says referring to Dougherty. “He totally got us. Our working relationship during the design and building process was a 10 out of 10.” And as for the resulting floorplan, she emphasizes the role the blue waters play in every room. “Living on the water is so calming for your nervous system, so grounding. I’ve become an amateur meteorologist, being able to watch storms roll in over the Sound, when winds kick in, the way waves arise.”
As for the interiors, Cooling knew that the kitchen would serve as the home’s metaphorical heart, especially since she admits to gladly cooking “21 meals a week. I’d say we spend 99.9 percent of our time in the kitchen and family room that melds with it.” Her chosen palette throughout the home is a neutral one. “I love the idea of living in a white box with art,” she says with humor, “especially on the waterfront because that makes for a more coastal, beachy feel.” She designed detailed millwork and paneling to imbue certain rooms with extra depth and dimension. She also insisted on a fireplace in the dining room, as a way to foster an element of coziness for the many dinner parties she hosts there.
Cooling took special care, too, with the entry foyer, by imbuing the white oak floor with pattern. “I have always loved stencils, especially for floors,” she says. “Stenciling is a wonderful way to create a sense of layers without having to throw down a rug.” She commissioned Floe Painting’s Stephen Dlouhy—an expert faux painter in Norwalk—to create the illusion of an inlaid checkered pattern.
Cooling and her husband are completely happy with their water locale. “I love architecture, and I am so impacted by my surroundings,” she emphasizes. “I’m the biggest home body, and this is exactly the right home for us.”