2017 Winners

Winner

Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Austin Patterson Disston Architects

Winner
Website Houzz

Amid a grouping of tall white pines that flourish on this property now stands a 40-foot dovecote folly that beckons family members and their guests. Not unlike the garden pavilions that once figured into the gardens of Italian Renaissance edifices, as well as English estates, this 106-square-foot folly, designed by architects from Austin Patterson Disston, serves as a structure solely for relaxation.

Situated amid the trees like a stage set, the dovecote is defined by 12-inch diameter wood poles, galvanized steel brackets, and a metal staircase with a sheep-and-goat-motif railing that leads to an upper deck and a studio. Small barrel arches at the top playfully reference a traditional dovecote.

Winner

Sage Design

Sage Design

Winner
Website Houzz

When a bathroom is able to get children excited about taking a bath, the design is a success. Sage Design was commissioned to create a master bathroom in a new home that would not only accommodate the couple, but also, on occasion, their five children, who apparently eagerly volunteer for a soak in a freestanding tub wrapped in a stainless steel finish.

Another notable fixture is a double vanity made of stainless steel—at once traditional and cutting-edge—with a top and backsplash clad in white marble.

A blue ottoman appears to float on Lucite legs and makes the bright, airy room feel like a living space.

Winner

Sage Design

Sage Design

Winner
Website Houzz

Yes, many families do like to gather in the kitchen, but Sage Design was cognizant of finding a way to make sure this active family of seven could congregate there to cook, dine and entertain. The client wanted to remove most of the upper cabinets, and Sage responded by replacing them with cantilevered stainless-steel shelves positioned on either side of the sink; other shelves appear to float on the wall.

The marble backsplash was continued up and behind the shelves for consistency; puck lights provide ambient lighting at night. An expansive island is composed of hammered stainless steel, a direct echo of the steel cabinets. Meanwhile, sleek glass doors conceal stainless steel appliances.

Winner

Amanda Martocchio Architecture + Design
with Gary Cruz Studio

Amanda Martocchio Architecture + Design
with Gary Cruz Studio

Winner

Architect Amanda Martocchio, in consort with Gary Cruz Studio, employed a consistent, calm color palette within this Darien home as a way to better reveal each of the carefully selected furnishings and accessories.

The house’s minimally furnished entryway, marked by a circular ottoman, serves as a focal point for five rooms that radiate from the space. Notable design elements include an oak and glass staircase positioned against a white paneled wall that is further highlighted by a multi-globed chandelier.

Curvilinear chairs used in the dining room complement the rectilinear space, while a sculptural pendant light casts light onto the tabletop. Throughout the home, materials and furnishings are kept warm and textural.

Winner

Haver & Skolnick Architects

Haver & Skolnick Architects

Winner
Website Houzz

The entrance to this Washington, CT, garden landscape is announced with an evocative antique lamppost and a simple gate that beckons through fieldstone walls.

All of the elements that Haver & Skolnick Architects introduced into the garden were meant to highlight the property’s rolling hills, capture the distant mountain views, and reference the land’s agrarian past.

The team of designers created a variety of memorable experiences. A winding driveway lined with maples and rhododendrons passes a chicken coop and ends in a courtyard with views of the nearby antique barns, natural cedar structures, a gazebo and dining pergola, and even a wagon shed.

Winner

Nautilus Architects

Nautilus Architects

Winner
Houzz

The team of designers restricted the structure’s color palette to gray, silver and black as a way to offset every architectural element and material. Concrete, steel, glass and stone respond to the natural setting and work to foster both solidity and a sense of transparency.

The site for this pool house, a prominent rise overlooking the Connecticut River near Lyme, is dramatic in its own right, but Nautilus Architects wanted to create a structure that would further define its setting.

Notable details include a black, steel-framed clerestory, a vigorously articulated cantilevering I-beam, and sliding pocket doors that open the building directly to the pool, transforming it into a pavilion.

Finalist

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Louis Fusco Landscape Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

This Old Greenwich waterfront property was struck by Hurricane Sandy, so the plan put in place is both sophisticated and storm-safe.

Today, the pool and entertainment terraces wrap around the home as natural extensions of its interior spaces.

For example, the expansive pool and dining terrace are raised up to the level of the house, with gracious stone steps leading onto the lawn, gardens and sandy beach.

Finalist

Linherr Hollingsworth, LLC

Linherr Hollingsworth, LLC

Finalist
Website Houzz

This project resulted in an office and creative space for the design team that built it, located in an old shovel factory in Norwalk.

In the small space, the designers managed to pack in reception, kitchen, work and lounge areas, all the while relying on favorite materials to confer an ease and elegance, including a white lacquered floor, matte clay walls and bleached wood beams.

Finalist

Laura Kaehler Architects LLC

Laura Kaehler Architects LLC

Finalist
Website Houzz

The owners of a circa-1940s Colonial longed for a larger kitchen and family room. The designers responded with a one-story wing on the back of the house, laying out an airy, open scheme to maximize the square footage.

The soaring ceilings and walls of glass in the main living area create a sense of elegance, while the adjacent kitchen and lounge spaces are more relaxed.

Finalist

Laura Kaehler Architects LLC

Laura Kaehler Architects LLC

Finalist
Website Houzz

This kitchen is in a newly constructed guesthouse, part of an open-plan wing comprised of the kitchen, a breakfast area and a family room.

Its focal point is a central island with stone waterfall edges and dramatic pendant lighting fixtures. Warmth is conferred by white oak floor finished in a soft gray and by the light that pours in through the oversized windows and the glass doors that step out onto a covered stone porch.

Finalist

Matthew Dougherty Architect, LLC

Matthew Dougherty Architect, LLC

Finalist
Website

The kitchen flows seamlessly to the dining area with a modern table and a mix of white and Plexiglass chairs.

This sleek, modern kitchen offers a crisp contrast to the more traditional exteriors of the owners’ New Canaan Colonial.

Finalist

Wadia Associates

Wadia Associates

Finalist
Website Houzz

This handsome, whitewashed-brick Colonial only looks like an antique. It was actually built in 2016, with interesting materials used throughout, including re-purposed oak floors, carved and coffered ceilings and arched windows and doorways.

The master suite is especially lovely, with its window seat overlooking Long Island Sound and a spa-like bath.

Finalist

Clean Design Partners

Clean Design Partners

Finalist
Website Houzz

In this Greenwich home, the designers were charged with a gut renovation of all four floors, a project that also added space to the second floor to enhance the master suite. “This house has a lot of drama!” said our judges, who also praised the dynamic colors chosen.

Downstairs, one of the focal points is the kitchen and dining spaces.

“Every decision, from the floor stain to the accessories, was meant to keep this house feeling open and fresh.” — CLEAN DESIGN PARTNERS

Finalist


with Lear + Mahoney


with Lear + Mahoney

Finalist

The plan for this hilltop Greenwich property features an innovative mix of both wild and formal elements. Our judges loved the drama of the espaliered lime trees, as well as the boxwood parterre gardens.

The designers also improved the entrance to the house, removing a turning circle and replacing it with a cobbled parking space framed by brick walls that were lime-washed to add texture.

Finalist

Sabine’s New House
with Saniee Architects

Sabine’s New House
with Saniee Architects

Finalist

Here’s a classic-looking house with farmhouse styling that adheres to both smart and green building practices. It was designed with geo-thermal heating, low-VOC materials and lighting and irrigation that can be controlled via a smart phone.

Called the Greenwich House, it offers fun features as well, including a covered porch with an outdoor entertainment center.

Finalist

Robert A. Cardello Architects

Robert A. Cardello Architects

Finalist
Website Houzz

Its bold floor and shower tiling energize this stunning master bath.

Otherwise, the room is a study in white and gray, from the gleaming, freestanding white porcelain tub to the graphite-colored floating vanities.

The judges also praised the wall of floor-to-ceiling window centered behind the tub with views onto a natural setting outdoors.

Finalist

Rinfret Ltd.

Rinfret Ltd.

Finalist
Website Houzz

Our judges were wowed by the fact that this Greenwich master bathroom started as a cramped space, fitted with dark-wood cabinetry. The shower experience is truly spa-like now that the steam fixture is infused with lavender oil and the space has views to the outdoors.

Our judges were wowed by the fact that this Greenwich master bathroom started as a cramped space, fitted with dark-wood cabinetry. The shower experience is truly spa-like now that the steam fixture is infused with lavender oil and the space has views to the outdoors.

Finalist

Wadia Associates

Wadia Associates

Finalist
Website Houzz

Before its renovation, this grand, circa-1930s Colonial had fallen on hard times. But the new owners and design team saw its promise and rescued the home, updating and enhancing it throughout.

One knockout feature is the elegant stone pool house with its arched and columned doorways, massive fireplace and inviting seating area.

A covered porch was also added to the main house, along with a new sunroom.

3rd place

Anne Penniman Associates

Anne Penniman Associates

3rd place
Website Houzz

The transformation of a sloping 20-acre site in Lyme involved rerouting a steep driveway through a picturesque woodland landscape, enhancing native forest and grassland habitats already in place, and capturing as many scenic views as possible of the Connecticut River. The client, who serves on major philanthropic boards, also stipulated to Anne Penniman Associates that outdoor entertaining areas be sufficient in scale to accommodate event tents and be protected with retaining walls.

As an homage to the meandering river that flows just beyond, the designers created a series of stone walls that meander through the site while weaving together lawn paths, rain gardens and planting beds.

3rd place

Carol Flanagan Interior Design

Carol Flanagan Interior Design

3rd place
Website Houzz

Although interior designer Carol Flanagan, her husband and their (now grown) children had long enjoyed their 1920s farmhouse-style Greenwich home, it was time for a major update. With the children out of the house, Flanagan teamed up with Two Tall Trees to open up every room to the light and the views that characterized the property.

3rd place

Douglas Graneto Design

Douglas Graneto Design

3rd place
Website Houzz

Sometimes a single decorative detail is all the inspiration needed to create an entire room. Douglas Graneto Design’s client fell in love with a glass mosaic tile pattern, one whose essential form assumes a precise geometric grid. Graneto decided to exploit that by positioning the mosaic as a kind of oversized mat in the center of the room. The mat would not only have practical gripping applications, but also serve as the room’s main decorative element. To keep the entire bathrooom space light and serene, the designer chose to mimic the glass tile throughout, ingeniously adding crystal accents to the light fixtures and window treatments.

3rd place

Carol Flanagan Interior Design

Carol Flanagan Interior Design

3rd place
Website Houzz

Once their three grown children were out of the house, interior designer Carol Flanagan and her husband started their empty-nester phase. Her plans for updating and renovating their Greenwich home, a 1920s-style farmhouse, involved a major re-do of the kitchen.

In conceiving the plans, the couple assessed how the roles of the kitchen and other rooms had changed. Recognizing that natural light and views were among the house’s best attributes, Flanagan and architects from Two Tall Trees fashioned an open-plan kitchen where family members could work and socialize. Windows, doors and rustic beams were added, along with period details to create a new aesthetic.

3rd place

Amanda Martocchio Architecture + Design

Amanda Martocchio Architecture + Design

3rd place
Website Houzz

This century-old home on Darien’s waterfront had been remodeled so haphazardly over the years that the interior and exterior had become disjointed, even dysfunctional. Amanda Martocchio Architecture + Design was enlisted to rediscover the inherent virtues of the residence while bringing it up to date for a modern-day family.

New windows were installed, a warm-gray stain was applied to cedar shingles, vertical siding was added between windows, and a zinc roof imbued the exterior with texture and form.

Inside, a reconfigured layout involved moving the well-used kitchen to the very heart of the home, while a new family room features a wall of French doors leading to a patio.

2nd place

D2 Interieurs

D2 Interieurs

2nd place
Website Houzz

When a European family moved to Westport, they wanted their American Colonial-style home to reflect the old world they knew while also being decidedly modern in feel. D2 Interieurs undertook an ambitious gut renovation that included a new kitchen, the remaking of a butler’s pantry into an arts-and-crafts area for a young child, the installation of trimless windows and doors, a new home office, and a renovated master bathroom and powder room. Within the great room, a custom D2 sectional rests atop a custom D2 rug, along with a custom-designed coffee table. An original Eames chair symbolizes the prevailing modern vibe that now characterizes the home.

2nd place

Wesley Stout Associates

Wesley Stout Associates

2nd place
Website Houzz

Wesley Stout Associates recognized that as both a home and working farm, this Sharon property, dubbed Q-Farm, needed to combine traditional farm elements with practical home living needs. Situated high on a ridge overlooking the Housatonic River Valley, the designers positioned a pool court so that it embraced the scenic, far-reaching vistas.

They sited a terraced garden below and erected sculptural fencing on the sweeping meadows that serves to protect the farm inhabitants, which include pigs, chickens and cattle. Just as the self-sustaining farm is a model for modern-day farming methods, so too is the landscaping an exemplar of how a garden can be both practical and beautiful.

2nd place

Wheelock Design
with Alisberg Parker Architects LLC

Wheelock Design
with Alisberg Parker Architects LLC

2nd place

The traditional and the avant-garde meld seamlessly in this kitchen that was the result of a close collaboration between Wheelock Design and architects from Alisberg Parker. The chief design motif references Scandinavian minimalism through its embrace of natural materials and an emphasis on subtle textures throughout the room.

The open-plan kitchen, which incorporates an inviting breakfast nook, features traditional-fronted cabinetry, a quartz backsplash, panel-fronted appliances, medium-stained hardwood floors, and a handsomely designed waterfall-topped island that is able to seat three. Hanging retro light fixtures, coupled with metallic accents on the hood and faucets, and decorative hardware heighten the prevailing midcentury feel.

2nd place

Beinfield Architecture
with Clarity Home Interiors

Beinfield Architecture
with Clarity Home Interiors

2nd place

This diminutive, freestanding changing room/bathhouse adjacent to a home’s swimming pool proves that a small space can assume many simultaneous identities. The inspiration for the design and layout harkens to clean, precise Japanese aesthetics. The cabana has four distinct uses: a communal concrete washbasin wall; two changing areas where privacy is maintained via sliding acrylic panels, not unlike shoji screens; and one side that contains a shower room; and the other a toilet chamber. Beinfield Architecture and Clarity Home Interiors were adamant about using natural and green products throughout, including a polished concrete floor at the entrance and a natural stone backsplash.

2nd place

Wheelock Design
with Alisberg Parker Architects LLC

Wheelock Design
with Alisberg Parker Architects LLC

2nd place

In what is regularly cited as one of the state’s most picturesque sites, overlooking a Connecticut River cove in Lyme, a new 600-square-foot pool house by Nautilus Architects melds seamlessly with an infinity-edged pool. The architects erected a terrace plinth to support the structure, as well as contain the pool and an outdoor living space. The pool house functions as both a casual retreat on the property and a self-contained dwelling, complete with a kitchen, built-in bar-height table for dining, a defined seating area, and a changing/shower space. When 25-foot-wide pocket doors are slid out of sight on the pool side, the dwelling transforms into an open-air pavilion.

2nd place

Neil Hauck Architects LLC

Neil Hauck Architects LLC

2nd place
Website Houzz

Neil Hauck Architects LLC managed to incorporate three distinct design themes within a spacious New Canaan residence and pool house. Both the main house and diminutive pool house innovatively reference the quintessential New England farmhouse that is typical of the region; the spaces within an attached garage and game room evoke a kind of modern-day barn, complete with post-and-beam framing; and the element linking the two structures is a glass-enclosed stairwell, seemingly free-floating, and made of solid American black walnut.

The modestly scaled pool house echoes the detailing of the main dwelling, particularly in its clapboard siding and restrained color palette.