In a departure from the more traditional style of their main house, these homeowners desired a pool house with a more modern aesthetic. Enter Coh-Lab Studio, specifically architect Eliane Maillot and architectural designer Phil Ward. The husband-wife team are longtime friends with the client and had designed retail and office spaces for them in the past.
“They wanted a place where their families could stay when they visited that could also be used to host events and parties,” note Maillot and Ward. “Because it wasn’t the main house, they wanted something a bit more modern, but that still felt contextual to the Old Greenwich aesthetic.”
Designed as a series of pavilions, the structure—built by SBP Homes—complements the main residence and features large operable window-walls that capitalize on views of the surrounding landscape and pool. “It is modern but still has a traditional roofline and wood siding common to the area,” explain Maillot and Ward. “Breaking down the program into three smaller volumes also reduced the scale of the pool house.” All of the social spaces face the pool and the yard, since that was the focus of the site, while two bedrooms are tucked in at the back of the house for privacy. The first gable closest to the main house contains a gym, a bathroom and a gaming mezzanine for the clients’ teenage son.
“It was a great experience seeing this fully formed design concept turn into reality,” says Adam Sherer, SBP Homes project manager. “We still marvel at what a welcoming space they [design team and homeowner] envisioned and created as both a work of art, as well as a place you want to have a pool party—it’s impressive how the architects and designer threaded that needle of achieving both.”
A fluted travertine gas fireplace stretches to the ceiling of the living room, where furnishings include a B&B Italia sofa, Exteta coffee table and side tables, and Capitol Complex armchairs from Cassina.
In the main dining area, Maxalto chairs surround a custom white-oak table, and the handwoven area rug is through Tibetano. Island and backsplash are of natural quartzite through ABC Stone. Barstools are from Fredericia. Artwork is by Liam Stevens through Alzueta Gallery.
“My favorite detail is the composition of the curved sofa, the plastered walls and the beautiful tile artwork by Gloria Garcia Lorca,” says interior designer Maripi Aspillaga of Nima Design. A central courtyard is accessed through large sliding window-walls by Reynaers.
The bathroom features a floating vanity crafted from fluted travertine.
In the courtyard, B&B Italia chairs surround a teak-and-ceramic Kettal dining table.
Tuuci umbrellas and Kettal chaises invite lounging by a new pool by Regal Blu Pool & Spa, which has an inverse knife edge. “The water sits basically flush with the patio and drops to a continuous drain at the edge,” notes Phil Ward. “It feels almost like a reflecting pool that’s embedded into the patio.” Landscape design is by Tara Vincenta of Artemis Landscape Architects.
A soft, pared-back palette delivers warmth inside, where an eye-catching floor-to-ceiling cylindrical fireplace crafted of fluted travertine anchors the corner of the living room. “We had these beautiful tall ceilings, and we wanted this to be a feature that’s unique to this client and to this house,” notes Maillot. Adds Ward: “Each one of the volumes has a little bit of a sculptural or showpiece effect. In the living room, it’s the fireplace that docks to the bench/credenza, and in the kitchen, it’s the curve in the backsplash and island, which has curved stone below—the same kind of matching curve.”
Another longtime friend of the homeowners, interior designer Maripi Aspillaga of Nima Design, was tapped to furnish the interiors. “The architectural team did an amazing job designing and selecting all the finishes for the house, and the homeowners wanted to make sure the furniture selected complemented this,” says Aspillaga. “Keeping a warm monochromatic palette and exploring interesting shapes and textures for the furniture helped me showcase the beautiful space, not compete with it.”
Aspillaga selected durable or outdoor performance fabrics throughout, while incorporating the homeowners’ wish for a palette of whites and neutrals. “They had a lot of inspirational images of amazing modern hotels in Europe. They wanted a space where their kids can hang out, plus have guests and parties without worrying that the furniture might get damaged or dirty,” she says. “In terms of the furniture, it is very similar to the main house but in a more casual approach. The main house is a bit more formal.”
Italian furniture—a B&B Italia sofa, Cassina armchairs, Exteta tables, for example—is the predominant choice in the main living space. “The homeowners love European furniture and design, so we kept all the furniture selection from Italy, Spain and France,” explains Aspillaga. “I love when you first enter the living room and you feel you’re transported to a beautiful boutique hotel anywhere in the world. It’s a very calming and beautiful space overlooking the pool and landscape.”
Concludes Sherer: “Phil and Eliane knocked it out of the park with the concept and created an incredible structure. In a word, I would say our favorite element of this pool house is its ‘balance.’ There is an incredible balance, albeit asymmetrical, to the proportions of the structure, the ‘three gables.’ The rooms are perfectly balanced in their scale and size; there is a perfect balance of flow from inside and outside spaces; and there is a balance between the structure being a self-standing ‘guest house’ as much as it is a ‘pool house.’ It has the perfect balance that hopefully the clients and their guests will love and appreciate for years to come!”