When interior designer Carey Karlan of the Darien, CT-based Last Detail design firm was hired to furnish this 6,800-square-foot Darien home, she knew her clients had specific tastes that would inform the entire project. The owners lead an active, family-oriented life with three young children and three dogs. They also have a beloved vacation home in Colorado and an affinity for natural, organic elements and artisan-crafted pieces with a story behind them.
Darien architect Bo Malpass of Warrington Homes, who designed the house, is known for big rooms, open sight lines and expansive windows to connect the interiors with the outdoors. The Peartree Point home has views of Long Island Sound and his style capitalized on those. Malpass incorporated a cascading rock water feature off the dining room, as well as unexpected glass ceilings in the art gallery. Light and nature take center stage throughout the residence.
The clients wanted the home to be comfortable and practical with an earthy feel and nothing fussy. Karlan acheived this by incorporating handcrafted materials, reclaimed woods and natural textiles such as grasscloth, mohair and wool. She called on Woodland Furniture to provide custom pieces such as the muscular table in the dining room and the wood coffee table with iron legs in the family room. Colorado-based Matt Downer Designs was tapped to create a dramatic black walnut mobile-style chandelier with an industrial pulley system. A polished Precambrian quartz stone (retrieved from an abandoned mine) is suspended from a hand-forged iron hook and acts as a weight to raise and lower the fixture. Pops of color such as orange and bright blue are used throughout the home to provide a counterpoint to the earth tones.
Ultimately, the house is highly functional and a perfect reflection of the owners’ style—a rugged, outdoorsy look with a vaguely Western vibe.
Photographs by Paul Johnson
