After 35 years of living in New Canaan, and earlier, North Stamford, the homeowner of this Savannah townhouse became immediately aware of how life differs between Georgia and Connecticut. “While it was very hard for me to leave our home in Connecticut, I got used to the attitude and love of life they have in Savannah. Here they don’t ask you what you do for a living, but instead, ask you what you drink.”
She and her husband have become used to the active and casual social life of Savannah, with their 1840 house now functioning as one of the city’s favorite gathering places. “When you go to a party in Savannah, you find yourself with everyone from 30-year-olds to 85-year-olds. It’s a different dynamic here than where we once lived.”
The homeowner has been a longtime friend of Lynn Morgan, the Rowayton–based interior designer. Morgan, a Savannah native, had purchased a house in her former city, too, and invited the homeowner and her husband down for a long weekend. Within three days, the couple had been thoroughly seduced by the charms of the Southern city, with its squares ringed by handsome townhouses and trees festooned with Spanish moss.
“My husband had a long list of requirements for a house in Savannah,” the homeowner recalls with humor. “No garden, no pool, no tennis court, no renovations, had to have lots of light, had to be an older home, in town, must be made of brick, high ceilings, and, because we’re getting older, an elevator. When we walked into this particular house, we just looked at each other and started laughing. A month later, we put in a bid.”
A mural of local foliage by Vanessa Platacis adorns walls by the front door, and the flower arrangements are by Kim Cheney at August Floral & Design Event.
In the entry hallway, a tapestry by Victor Vasarely hangs above the bench, while a work by Enoc Perez through Britz + County gallery hangs further down the hall.
Another work by Enoc Perez, commissioned by the homeowners, is set over the original fireplace in the living room. A pair of club chairs are covered in a Rogers & Goffigon stripe.
Breakfast is often enjoyed at the kitchen island that is set with Palecek chairs covered in a Jerry Pair leather. The lantern is from Urban Electric Co.
An antique crystal chandelier hangs over a table set with Dior crystal candlesticks.
The homeowner commissioned New York-based artist Anne Harris to paint a pair of murals for the dining room. The room’s décor began with the purchase of a Beauvais carpet, whose hues and patterns mimic those of the Lowcountry.
The homeowner’s office features a vibrant teal hue from Fine Paints of Europe and artwork by Paul Lange. The coffee table is from Bunny Williams Home.
The headboard and draperies in the primary suite are of fabrics from Bennison Fabrics, and the artwork depicting a bountiful vase of flowers is by Corey Mason through Brintz + County gallery.
The opposite end of the suite features a photograph by Cathleen Naundorf through Holden Luntz Gallery and a painting by Margaret Gerding through SoNo Fine Art.
The bathroom double vanity is lit by a Visual Comfort sconce, and the mirror is from RH.
A group of weather-resistant McKinnon and Harris furniture is covered with a Holly Hunt stripe.
Of the house they chose, Morgan says, “Everything about it is beautiful: its marble steps going up the landing, gracious windows, and the views of St. John’s church and steeple make it feel like London.” While the homeowner and Morgan had worked together for a spell as designers, Morgan concedes that almost all the chosen furnishings were the homeowner’s alone. Louise Brooks, of the New Canaan–based architectural firm Brooks & Falotico, had come down to perform modifications, including the creation of a home office from a bedroom, adding built-in closets in the primary bedroom, and making (mostly) cosmetic changes in the kitchen.
Even with their decision made to move full time to Savannah, the couple were, as she recalls, “Still not fully ready to leave Connecticut. We gradually started moving down, spending long weekends here, until it felt like home.” Few furnishings from their New Canaan home worked, scale-wise, in the townhouse, so the homeowner and her husband, along with Morgan’s help, embarked on a search for pieces.
“She wanted to keep buying trips confined to Paris,” says Morgan of her friend, “with some pieces found at Maison & Objet. Her husband, though, knew exactly the kinds of crystals he wanted for the dining room chandelier, and that was found in New Orleans.” The homeowner, meanwhile, anchored select rooms with Beauvais carpets, whose rich hues and forms dictated furnishing choices. “I give Lynn total credit for coming up with the pale greens in the living room that then work their way into the dining room,” she says. “Lynn is all about blues, too, and those began to appear.”
The homeowner also adopted Morgan’s penchant for stripes, evident at the foyer. Vanessa Platacis, a Savannah artist, was commissioned to stencil greenery amid the striping. “I have always loved Vanessa’s work, and so we decided to have her come in and paint the foliage, with birds.”
In the dining room, the homeowner had Anne Harris create a pair of murals depicting local flora and fauna. Over a four-month period, Harris painted scenes whose hues and motifs echo the Lowcountry. “The whole Lowcountry palette is soothing,” says the homeowner.
“So many people feel that when you buy a home, you have to have it done fast,” recounts the homeowner. “What I love about this home is that it was an evolution. We brought in pieces from my husband’s family in Brazil, we mixed in antiques we bought together to give this house soul. There’s family history here now. And that makes it home.”