Winner: Mark P. Finlay Architects
When well executed, a small dwelling can be as effective as its larger counterpart. Such is the case with this two-bedroom pool house as part of a larger design scheme for a property that includes a six-bedroom main house and a car barn. Just as Mark Finlay did with the other structures, he created a pool house that embodies regional vernacular elements of Litchfield County, notably a structure with a slate shingle roof, white clapboard siding and a columned portico. Inside, the ceiling is marked by vigorous beamwork, while the interior design by Anne Chessin Designs captures the homeowner’s modern aesthetic with swivel chairs in cheerful Ferrick Mason stripe, a Lee Industries sectional and a two-tier Visual Comfort chandelier. The bathroom boasts Ann Sacks Eastern Promise tile, and a fully equipped kitchen has cabinetry painted in Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue.
Finalist: Green & Grain Style
Maybe it’s every designer’s most important client—a parent. Here, the client was the designer’s mother. With retirement looming, she wanted to downsize and simplify her life, which meant finding a small, but amply scaled home. The right solution turned out to be erecting a ground-up structure on the designer’s Redding property. Zoning rules restricted the new dwelling to be no larger than 800 square feet, but what resulted feels far larger, in part because of its vaulting cathedral ceiling, a visual trick that always works to make a small space feel grand.
Since she likes to entertain, a custom ash dining table and banquette manages to seat 14 people. Elsewhere, a cast-stone fireplace adds solidity to the interiors, while her collection of art is easily accommodated when hung salon style up to the ceilings. Clean white walls, colorful fabrics, multi-hued paintings, and a mix of old china and books with new accessories makes for a small space with a big impact.
Finalist: Fiona Leonard Interiors
A yellow stripe on a staircase points the way up—ideally, for the homeowners’ teenagers and their friends. While everyone is welcome inside this home, young visitors are especially so upstairs in a thoroughly redone, reimagined attic. Although the home’s attic had already been finished, the children had lost interest in playing up there once they’d outgrown their toys.
The designer imbued the space with a new use by dividing it in half with walls and barn-like sliding doors that are also yellow striped. One space is dedicated to play, equipped with a game table, foosball and putting green, while the other is meant to function as a lounging area, with a kitchenette bar/ refreshment counter and refrigerator.
A modular sectional can be reconfigured depending on the intended use and number of teenagers in attendance. Playful décor, including sculptural ants affixed above shelving, makes the space whimsical and distinctive.
