When Kerry and Dan Wilson were relocating their family of five (now six) from Maryland to Connecticut in 2021, they were searching for a home with history and character. They found both in spades at this 1830s captain’s house near the harbor in Southport. Originally built by shipping scion Lot Bulkeley, the home features an Italianate wraparound porch, large transom windows, and a charming entrance gate and picket fence.
The couple worked with Fairfield-based J.P. Franzen Associates Architects to update the house and Westport design studio Eleish Van Breems Home to create comfortable, soulful, antique-filled interiors, all while paying mind to the property’s historical significance. “You want to have forms that speak to tradition but have a modernity to them,” says company partner and cofounder Rhonda Eleish. “It was a complete transformation into a very peaceful environment that is soothing, with soft colors that are really simpatico with the exterior and connected to a captain’s house near the water.”
To start the transformation, Franzen’s team gutted the first floor, redid the foyer stairs to address an odd layout with unwieldy steps, renovated the kitchen and family room, and refreshed the second floor. The architects also completed a large addition that sits to the south of the main house featuring a mudroom, powder room, sunroom and office, plus a second-floor bedroom suite. Due to the home’s prominence in town, the team had to navigate Historic District Commission guidelines and deliver a layout that felt like it had always been there. “We redesigned the staircase in the Colonial style, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think it was original,” offers principal Jack Franzen. “We used mouldings and doors that were period style, along with traditional cabinets with inset drawers and doors.”
At the side entry, a McKinnon and Harris bench offers a respite between Eleish Van Breems Home planters; the sconce is through Remains Lighting.
J.P. Franzen Associates Architects redid the staircase in the Colonial style, creating a new entryway complete with Ralph Lauren pendants through Visual Comfort and an antique chest of drawers and bench sourced by Eleish Van Breems Home.
Phillip Jeffries Bermuda Hemp wallcovering gives a textural backdrop to antiques like this Gustavian chest of drawers.
In the living room, a pair of Lee Industries sofas finished in Holland & Sherry fabric are joined by an early 19th-century long-case Swedish clock and 20th-century Baker mahogany coffee table.
In the kitchen, Design Within Reach stools pull up to the roomy island, topped with Grothouse walnut butcher block.
The dining room features Swedish reproduction dining table and chairs by Eleish Van Breems Home, made in Sweden and handpainted and finished in their Connecticut studio. The vintage chandelier has a three-tier wrought-iron frame with crystal flowers.
In the sunroom, a Baker Furniture sofa and lounge chairs wear a Castel fabric, while a Dunes and Duchess Tiki floor lamp and Baker Sunflower cocktail table add to the indoor/ outdoor vibe.
Kingsley Bates club and lounge chairs surround the pool, while Janus et Cie counter stools provide seating in the outdoor mini-kitchen.
In the primary bedroom, an antique Swedish Rococo cupboard (circa 1760) is complemented by a Rug & Kilim custom rug.
Now that the layout could accommodate the Wilson’s large family, they turned to Eleish Van Breems to create an indoor/outdoor design that was soothing, liveable and layered. “Dan and I have always been drawn to older homes. We love the character, the details and the styles of old houses,” says Kerry Wilson. “I love antique furniture, and I wanted the space to have a mix of new and old. EVB helped put my ideas into a cohesive vision.”
That vision, Eleish says, broke down to a “whole-house project” that included an airy, light-filled color palette and a mix of performance fabrics and luxury fabrics that were soft and cuddly, plus liveable antiques. “They’re not too precious, but they’re formal enough for the living/dining room and lend a level of elegance to the space,” she adds. “It’s the type of house that is beautifully put together but very conducive to living in.” Antiques span a 20th-century Baker mahogany oversized butler’s tray coffee table, long case Swedish clock from the early 19th century and Gustavian chest of drawers circa 1785 in the living room to a simple Gustavian-style bench (1880) in the entryway.
Along with antiques, Eleish Van Breems Senior Interior Designer Alexis Blake custom-designed pieces and sourced items from the studio’s in-house reproduction line of Swedish furniture. The team also worked with North Carolina–based vendors like Lee Industries to upholster pieces in soothing yet durable fabrics.
Blake also worked with Fairfield’s Outdoor Design & Living to create the pool surround, barbecue and outdoor entertaining area. “They’re a cooking family and wanted to have a livable, functional space outdoors,” Blake confirms, noting that the team added a seating area with firepit, extendable teak dining table with chairs, and a small outdoor kitchen complete with a sink and grill. “It’s a nice extension off the sunroom that feels very warm and connects to the terrace. It’s that indoor/outdoor living that feels very Scandinavian,” Eleish adds, and the Wilsons welcome that lifestyle.
“We all gravitate to the sunroom in the morning; the family room off the kitchen is in constant use; and if anyone needs a little quiet time they head to the ‘green room,’ or formal living room,” Kerry notes. “We host dinner parties, birthdays and holidays in the dining room. But I think my favorite room might be the foyer. I love the light in that room, the windows, the view to the yard. My daughter and I play the piano there, and it’s actually where I do yoga because it’s so pretty and peaceful, even with the kids and dog circling me.”
