$9.7M
Tucked high away in the New England trees lies a modern twist on country living in this uber modern home designed by world renown architect Rafael Vinoly.
As you drive up the long private driveway to this modern home you are immediately transported to a property on the West Coast perched high on the cliffs of Malibu. Your eyes are met with a rare structural gem made predominantly of concrete and glass – a stark contrast to the traditional wood shingle homes you typically see in Connecticut.
Set on 5 acres, this sculptural piece of art was designed by one of the luminaries in the architectural world, architect Rafael Viñoly. Internationally known for his striking designs across the globe including ‘The Walkie-Talkie’ in London, the ‘Tokyo International Forum’ in Japan, the ‘Samsung Jongro Tower’ in South Korea, and the tallest residential building in the world at 432 Park Ave in New York City.
Our Vinoly Project is one of only a handful of private residences he designed in his career.
In the foyer you are immediately treated to the view of two swimming pools – the one inside with a glass ceiling and the one outside. When staging this area, we choose to keep it to a minimum to draw your eye to the architectural details and the water reflecting the natural light. We brought in plants to soften and balance the energy in the space and juxtapose the manmade materials.
The custom-built 16,000 square feet house was designed with the vision of it being no ordinary home. Built in 1997 at a cost of approx. $20 million, Viñoly was contracted to design this personal residence as an art gallery for the owner to display her collection of original paintings.
The full height glass windows and doors in the Great Room absorb the painterly views over the ridge. The outside seamlessly becomes an extension of the inside.
Every house has a story to tell and it’s our job to understand what it wants to say and to then tell the story through strategic design and our interior marketing strategies. Thanks to the combined efforts of our LTW Design team the final look and feel emulated the bones of this unique property.
Art was key for us in staging this property to give a nod to the history of the house as a personal art gallery. We used oversized paintings to serve as an anchor in all the main rooms and the foyer. The positioning of these paintings then set the tone for where furnishings were placed. A crisp and clean lined modern aesthetic was what we delivered in our staging, in keeping with the architectural details.
Creating a beautiful modern aesthetic is all about the materials you use. Clean, simple lines are key but can feel cold and flat which is why we brought in accessories that have depth and dimension to add warmth and soften the lines.
We always love how textured accessories breath life into a space.
When staging the master bedroom, we again opted for minimalist furnishings and chose a clean and neutral palette of black, white and gray to make a bold statement and complement the architectural features while grounding you in the room and providing a definition between the inside and outside.
This grand and distinctive property boasts not only an indoor and outdoor pool, a gym, combined living, dining and kitchen area, master bedroom, and lower level studio apartment – it also has a connected tower house accessed via a glass bridge from the main house. The tower house features a guest bedroom and a floating steel staircase leading to an office and a rooftop deck with unobstructed views of the Hudson River Valley.
The beauty of this house lies in the dialogue the home has between concrete and glass and the way those materials communicate and blend the home into its natural surroundings. Concrete homes are known for their durability and cost-saving features, combine this with the picturesque setting on the ridge, this structural beauty will be home to one very lucky new owner and quite possibly their own art collection.
