Every year, countless visitors flock to Italy’s Amalfi Coast, drawn by the enchanting beauty of its hill towns. Perched on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean, these charming villages seem to step gracefully from their lofty heights down to the sea. “I wanted to be able to create that same gracious feeling of living on a hillside but in a modern setting,” says architect Christopher Pagliaro about the renovation of a home nestled in a charming Connecticut waterfront hamlet. “It sits atop of a bluff on Long Island Sound, but the original house—which encompasses seven levels—felt disjointed, did not realize the incredible view opportunities, and the interaction between indoor and outdoor living was nonexistent.”
Not surprisingly, the homeowners were attracted to the spectacular vistas but acknowledged the property’s shortcomings, which included the lack of a defined entry. “We wanted an experience that started from the street and continued into a courtyard before opening the front door and seeing the water,” says the husband.
Additionally, the existing property lacked a garage, which resulted in a new structure being built on the foreground of the narrow lot. “By default, the garage would become the welcome and gateway to the remainder of the property,” says Pagliaro, whose contextual New England seaside form speaks to the streetscape in both style and scale. Immediately beyond the entry gate, a stucco and glass architectural form with a central tower dubbed “the link” provides the connection between the garage and the main house and also serves as a social area for welcoming guests.
Because the main structure was constrained by zoning—including height and footprint limitations—much of the transformation came through internal reconfiguration and a cohesive exterior refresh. New shingles, better fenestration, and stone details unified the form outside, while the layout was revamped to maximize the panoramic views that had previously gone underutilized. “We flipped the kitchen to give the cockpit of the house a better view to the water, and replaced the expanses of stationary glass with doors that actually open to create an indoor/outdoor relationship that failed to exist in the old house,” says Pagliaro.
From the street, the materials and architectural forms are classic New England.
In the kitchen, Hector Finch pendants light quartzite counters from Dushi Marble & Granite, while a Lacanche range sports brass trim, and the runner is from Surya.
Seating in the main living area includes a linen sectional from Jenni Kayne Home and swivel chairs from Vanguard Furniture. The cocktail table is from Palecek.
“It’s not your typical beach house, but it’s important to have those elements that say beach,” says interior designer Tina Anastasia, whose choice of Serena & Lily wicker furnishings respond to that idea. Glass railings ensure nothing obstructs the water views.
Specialty travertine was selected for the patios to reinforce the overall exterior color palette; landscape design is by Artemis Landscape Architects.
The primary bedroom is awash in soft blue accents like the area rug from Prosource. The antique burnished brass pendant is from Visual Comfort.
A William Holland unlacquered brass tub is the centerpiece of the primary bathroom, and the marble on the floors and walls is from Tile America.
A custom mural by Area Environments brings a touch of the outdoors into the passageway that links the garage to the main house; the sideboard is from Knock on Wood.
Rustic elements like a canopy bed from Woodbridge Furniture and a Currey & Company wrought-iron and seeded-glass light fixture define the bedroom located above the garage.
Builder Pat Sweeney of Sweeney Construction renovated the home, which has seven levels that range from the waterfront dock up to the top-floor office.
Natural materials reign and interior designer Tina Anastasia of Anastasia Interior Design responded to the homeowners’ request for a “tonal house with a European feel” with her selection of a handpainted Moroccan-style marble tile floor that sets the stage in the entry. “It features gray green, creams and warm golden browns, and those colors repeat in pretty much every room in the house,” says the designer, who added creamy white quartzite kitchen countertops, white marble bathroom tiles, and lime-washed stone for the fireplace surround to the mix.
She then complemented the warm tones of the hard surfaces with linen slipcovers on the great room sectional topped with rust toned accent pillows, brown leather dining room chairs, and woven rattan kitchen counter stools. The primary suite is awash in whisper blue accents. “The dreamy hue honors the water view,” Anastasia says. And the unlacquered brass bathtub ties back to elements in the same material seen elsewhere, like the entry lighting and kitchen hardware.
When it came to the guest rooms, the homeowners say, “We wanted to create some unique spaces for our friends and family.” As a consequence, each chamber has its own name and theme. The Zen room, for example, features a whitewashed carved teak headboard flanked by wooden beaded chandeliers for an Asian flavor; the Bright room—so named because it has so many windows—bursts with saturated versions of the rusts and greens seen elsewhere; and the canopy bed in the Lodge room located over the garage provides a rustic touch.
On how she kept it all together, the designer explains, “When you do an eclectic house, you want to sprinkle that main palette throughout, so it doesn’t feel like you are in a different house each time you enter a new room. I pulled those color threads throughout to create unity.”