This Design plan succeeds in enhancing the architectural details of a grand home, while still making it a livable space for children
by JENNIFER VIKSE • photo by Atsushi Tomioka
“[This home] truly represents how young families of today have embraced luxury and elegance,” said Susan Arann, ASID, CID, of Interior Designer American & International Designs Inc., based in Staten Island. The owners of this residence are detail-oriented, she explained, and were willing to spend a lot of time investing in it. In fact, they have worked with designer Arann for five years to complete the project, including seeking interesting, original pieces to make each room stand out.
“My clients wanted something unexpected and unique in each room,” Arann said. Finding the right “unique” pieces did present something of a challenge. “This entailed an immense amount of research and sourcing of unique furniture, accessories, and artifact pieces, all while enhancing the architecture of the home itself. The client asked for each room to have a unique theme and look.”
Arann also had to remain mindful that her clients are a family with young children, so wherever possible, she incorporated stain resistant materials and other kid-friendly touches.
The 10,000-square-foot home is of French Tudor style with Mediterranean influences, with four levels encompassing five bedrooms and four and a half baths.
From the outside, the home accents its brick façade with a myriad of iron railings and greenery. Its Spanish-style roof is the creation of the homeowner, who designed it with copper accents.
“The unique features begin in the front of the house,” Arann noted. “The Ludowici roof, exterior brick work, lead coated custom copper gutters, iron flower boxes, and elaborate railings lead up to a decadent and inviting arched front door with iron arched awning above and elliptical windows.”
Once inside, the two-story foyer greets with a stunning iron railing up the grand curvilinear staircase to a catwalk and Juliet style overlook. The foyer itself is lit by a chandelier with bronze tones, accenting the damask wall covering in red and gold hues. Sight lines from the foyer go into the dining room, billiard room, parlor, and family room, giving the eye a glimpse of the home’s interesting color palette. The foyer houses a pause table and mirrored dresser, both understated in their elegance.
Above the 9-foot front doors are stained glass windows with clean lines. The doors themselves are solid dark wood with iron embellishments, which fit nicely with the iron railing on the staircase, finished with a dark carpet runner. The porcelain tile floor runs from the entry through parts of the home as well as cherry hardwood, giving the whole a rich, clean feel.
Throughout, Old World moulding details, antiques, dramatic lighting, and wall coverings set this apart from other homes of its size. In addition, fabrics, adornments and furniture were selected to accommodate a young family.
“All of the walls utilize specialized paint finishes like patina and Venetian plaster, glazing or custom wallcoverings,” Arann explained. Ceilings throughout, which span from 9 to 22 feet, are also expertly designed and include features like coffered and tray variations, medallions, grids, domes, and even a cross vault ceiling in a hallway highlighted with stenciling. “The massive heights in the rooms allow for amazing features, including an interior Juliet balcony with stain glass arch window.”
In addition to dramatic windows and wall coverings, the home mouldings and other assets are notable. “The home is adorned with extensive architecture details, and an elaborate moulding package. Archways and columns assist in transitioning the spaces as you move throughout,” Arann explained.
Through the first arch on the right is the dining room, perhaps the most formal room in the house. A unique feature in this room is the homeowner’s grandparents’ serving heirlooms, in Emerald with gold banding. “A custom countertop in green was added to the carved server as well as new metal bronze hardware,” noted Arann. “A silver and bronze ornamental mirror adds grandeur to the niche and enhances the architecture of the space. The blue patina wall sconce ties in the blue of the custom color of tray ceiling.” The room is finished with heavy drapery and Crema Marfil porcelain tile flooring with Verde Green and Gold inlay. The walls are covered in wainscoting on the lower portion and Venetian plaster on the upper. Its ceiling is highlighted with three colors of glazing—vanilla, citrus, and ice blue. “The medallion was added as a focal point and glazed to accent the oval Schonbek crystal chandelier,” Arann said.
Beyond the dining room is an eat-in kitchen in textured burlap blue wallcovering from Thibaut, Arann explained. “It enhances the color scheme of taupes, creams, and blues. Crystal and amber chandeliers from Fine Art Lamps add sparkle to the space. This kitchen is rich in texture, including the ceiling,” she said. “There’s gold leaf over the kitchen table. The ceiling is amazing.” A double-sided see-through stone fireplace creates a warm gathering space.
Porcelain flooring in a brick patterned random design covers the kitchen. Granite countertops in a dark mocha blend with rich color scheme andbutcher block are balanced by cream cabinetry. The
moulding is painted in Benjamin Moore High Gloss Vanilla Milkshake, with tray ceiling in ice blue. The functional furniture was selected to coordinate with cabinetry, according to Arann.
Not even the ceiling in the hallway was overlooked. “In the hallway, a high gloss paint offsets the Venetian plaster in a matte finish to accentuate the repetition of columns and arches, which was the biggest challenge in this project,” Arann said.
Also in the billiard room, a gallery wall comes alive with an oval frame and built out as a mirror image, showcasing family photos in black and white. “The photos are kept clean and simple in black and white, with no mattes,” Arann explained. “They are highlighted with three square recessed wall washing lights. This sets a fun, relaxed tone for the room that opens up to a fully custom radius, mahogany wood bar with back bar. The adult gathering space is complete with bar sink, ice maker, and upper glass and mirrored shelving for display. A billiard room would not be complete without a table, which my client wanted to keep traditional in green felt and dark wood. Custom art work was provided by a local artist, and dear friend of homeowner to accentuate the theme of the space.”
Arann added that her favorite room in the home is the parlor. “When we met the room was empty,” she said. “A blank canvas. The color palette is rich—full of blues, golds, creams, and whites. The tufted sofa in a butter tone was the first furniture piece selected. From there we decided everything else needed to have a special shape. The room was done further to accentuate a special set of chairs that belonged to the homeowner’s grandparents. The room, which wasn’t the first one to be finished, but was on the minds of both the homeowners and the designer from the start. From the moment I met them, that room was in the back of our minds. We were very fortunate to be able to repurpose her grandparent’s chair,” she said.
The bedrooms are located on the home’s second floor. The master was done to be romantic and elegant. The room was designed around the couple’s oversized headboard in bronze silk. “The color palette is ecru, bronze, and pale turquoise with wood accents in a combination of cherry and mahogany,” the designer explained. A vignette seating area was created in front of the foot board and bird sculptured lamps rest on each nightstand. Furniture is dark wood, a rich look the couple enjoys.
“We spent a lot of time on that custom bedding. We looked at many fabrics. With children, bottles, with a headboard and footboard in silk, we had to test fabrics,” Arann recalled. “The bed features custom bedding, pillows, and a faux fur throw pillow and throw.”
Across the room, a double-sided fireplace sits beneath fine moulding, with carefully selected sconces among tone on tone wallcoverings. “It’s very subtle,” the designer observed.
The en suite features a claw-footed tub bedecked by thick drapery on either window, a terracotta mosaic floor, his-andher vanities, a steam shower, toilet, and bidet.
The kids’ bedrooms are designed with color palettes that can grow with them, yet are functional and allow for sleep and play. Each room allows for ample natural light and serves as a sanctuary. “The bedrooms upstairs were each custom designed for the children with vibrant colors and themes that could mature and grow right along with them,” Arann said.
The children, however, spend most of their time in the family room—done in dark colors to mask any stains—or the billiard room, once a toy room, now finished with a dark wood bar and pool table. The room does not feature a large TV because technology makes it unnecessary. “Technology has played a big part of that design,” Arann explained. “Kids have iPads, they can watch TV; they want to sit by mommy and daddy. The couple also opted not to have a TV in the children’s rooms.”
Staying warm in this massive home is easy with radiant heating throughout the two main floors. “The home also features two double-sided fireplaces and one wood burning fireplace so you are never too far from a roaring fire to keep cozy,” Arann explained.
Additional features include a fully functional wine cellar in the basement, two full kitchens and a home office in the attic.
The designer and homeowners also agreed on several ecofriendly options. “Lighting fixtures were upgraded to LED, and heirloom furniture in the parlor and dining room was repurposed. Wallpaper in areas like the billiard room and kitchen are made of recycled materials, and low-VOC paint is used throughout. All thermostats are energy-saving Nests brand,” Arann said.
The back of the home is complete with patio, pool, and hot tub. When one steps out in front onto the five-house cul de sac, there are Greenbelt views surrounding the area.
Susan Huckvale Arann, CID
1110 South Avenue, Suite 2 / 800.568.4882 / designamericanyc.com