Family-Friendly Coastal Connecticut Home Reveal

The Fastest & Cleanest Design Install Ever!

For some perspective, it usually takes a full month to complete and finalize a design for a single room, and then an additional 1-2 months (or more depending on the client’s timeline and custom furniture) to have all of the items processed and delivered to a client’s home. In this case, our team was able to expedite the design, order procurement, furniture delivery and install processes extremely smoothly (despite the challenges of COVID-19 and Tropical Storm Isaias to boot) within a mind-boggling six-week timeframe. 

This was a big test for me and my team in terms of doing our first big install since the pandemic hit. Our client was very concerned about COVID risks and everything had to be done in a extremely mindful way. Ultimately, there was a timeline for everything, and it all had to be carried out with the utmost of health and safety precautions in place. 

And because this was an e-design project, and on such a tight timeline, the client didn’t have the option to see pieces or samples in person first, so she had to rely on the skills and experience of our team and trust that it would arrive in the color scheme and material intended. This was, honestly, a first for me as a design professional. This was the first time we had a homeowner who bought a home sight unseen, designed it sight unseen, and had the design installed virtually sight unseen.

A Perfect (Tropical) Storm 

After six weeks passed in the blink of an eye, it was finally time to cross our fingers and dive into the installation process. And if you’re wondering whether 2020 was going to go ahead and send a Tropical Storm up the Eastern Seaboard right as we were expecting important deliveries, the answer is a resounding yes! 

First, there were crossed wires with the local delivery company, so the sofa and master bed didn’t arrive on time…and then to top it off, Tropical Storm Isaias hit and knocked out electricity to the area. Ultimately, this was a lesson in logistics: you should assume that by the install day, 60% of your stuff isn’t going to be there, so you always want to pad out a week. Having been in the design industry a long time, I know that an install doesn’t take four days, it takes about two weeks.

“I Feel Like I Live in a Magazine!”

However, like the sunshine after the rain, the most amazing thing about this whirlwind of a project—where so much could have (literally) been washed out to sea at any moment—is that everyone involved was overjoyed with how this home came out. The final result is very relaxed and reads as modern classic with coastal and eclectic touches and undertones, which is basically a fancy way of saying the client was obsessed and sent me a video where her kids were literally jumping for joy when they first saw their new home.

Two days after, the client texted me that her husband woke up and said: “I feel like I live in a magazine. The food tastes better, the air smells better.” There’s immense pleasure I get from that, and from seeing our team in action–it’s extraordinarily rewarding and fulfilling! 

Cozy, Coastal & Chic (Yes, You Actually Can Have it All)

Each room of this Westport home tells a story, makes a statement, and feels instantly livable. All of the styling elements (like the shelf decor and wall art) had to feel artful, cohesive, and sophisticated, but still super-vibrant and playful so that the whole family would instantly feel at home in every room.

From the eye-catching (and oh-so-comfy) chairs, daybeds, and ottomans in the living room, guest bedroom, and sitting areas, to the adorable kids’ playroom, every item has a distinct purpose. Ultimately, I leaned into small details that lent beach-y and bohemian flare to the more streamlined anchor pieces. 

In the sitting room, a rattan coffee table draws in playful coastal elements (let’s face it, nothing makes a room feel “upscale beach-y” quite like some well-placed rattan furnishings), while the Modern Classic silhouettes of the channeled faux leather arm chairs and sleek chaise lounge (complete with industrial-inspired nailhead details) anchor the look firmly on the side of sophisticated. I honestly might just steal some of these motifs for my own home, which I’m currently in the process of refreshing! Standout pieces that brought the materials story together include the woven mahogany and rope dining chairs in the breakfast area, the burled ottomans in unique novelty shapes in the master bedroom, a variety of rug textures throughout the home, and the soft plush elements in the playroom (like the cozy-cute bean bags and jute pouf).

Seriously, don’t you just want to curl up with your favorite book on one of those kitty-cat beanbags? I’m going to have to make sure my own kids don’t see this playroom because otherwise I’ll have some shopping of my own to do!

Making a House a (Turn Key) Home

One final aspect that made the result of this design project so mind-blowing–is that our team took on the task of making the space turn-key ready for the client. This means that we didn’t just design the home—we made sure that it was fully ready for the family to move into right away.

You need a very robust and logistics–oriented team to do a project like this, especially given the turn-key element, because it’s about more than just the design itself. We had one designer designing, one team member doing all of the turn-key shopping, the designer’s assistants doing the other rooms subsequently and approving the revisions because we simply had to move things through the pipeline at a lightning-fast pace. It’s our commitment to organization that sets us apart from other design firms.

Making sure a home is turn-key ready is a service that falls under our custom design package offering and truly lets our team outfit a home with every last detail. Essentially, our team creates a list of small items that a client might not even be thinking about during the interior design process that they will need to feel at home in their new space once they settle in, like bedding basics, baking gear, oven mitts, and dish cloths, for example. For this Westport interior design project, the turn-key list included small essentials like a waste bin, bath accessories, toilet paper, paper towels, kitchen utensils, dinnerware, wine glasses, knives, flatware, a doormat, cutting boards, coffee pods, hand soaps, and so much more.