Decorations

Natural materials such as concrete, stone, and wood give the architecture a rugged honesty.

“As much as it’s practical, it’s also a very good-looking thing: a sculpture piece. I call it the jewel on the side,” says Noguera of the unique skylight here.

Next to the entrance is an area map etched in aluminum by Black Mountain Marking.

Furniture and art were sourced from family and artist friends, with a mix of high and low, old and new. Artists that contributed to the project include wood sculptor Vince Skelly, ceramicist Sarah van Raden of Notary Ceramics, and furniture builder Nick Tretiak.

The staircase in the mudroom is made of raw steel kickplates and treads created from locally harvested sugar maples.

The overhanging third floor shades a private outdoor spa—complete with an open-air shower and a plunge pool—which is located off the master bedroom and bath.

William relaxes on an antique Art Deco settee in the living room.

Handcrafted furniture awaits in nearly every room, while reclaimed maple and oak hardwoods line the living areas throughout the main level.

Illustration by Peter Oumanski

On the main floor, custom sliders by Oakridge Windows & Doors open to a table and chairs designed by Paquette and built by Conrad Contracting. The wood paneling on the walls was salvaged from the original structure and resawn; each piece was scuffed with fine sandpaper and coated with Projectol.

Eleven-year-old Jamie sits on the bed with family dog, Bokkie. All materials chosen for this project have a specific relationship with South Africa and its design vernacular. The cork wall is a nod to the country's indigenous cork bush.

Red Line Woodworking fashioned new fronts for the existing solid oak cabinetry.

Catfish in the mudroom...Red Hook is a neighborhood by the water, so throughout the house we have flourishes, as it were, that pay tribute to the home’s location.

Swell lights by Pablo hang above Hot Mesh stools from Blu Dot. The millwork is by J. Spix Fine Cabinets.

The living room also includes a pair of Spanish chairs by Børge Mogensen, a vintage floor lamp, and a painting by Kate Blee. A guitar, made by Chris, rests on the ceramic tile floor.

Artist Christopher Florentino says his respect for Gene Leedy drove his update of the architect’s 1963 Ellison Residence in central Florida: “Being original is important to me. I don’t want Gene Leedy to come here and be like, ‘Damn, you killed my vision.’” In the living room, George Nelson’s Saucer Bubble pendant hovers over Eames classics, like an LCW chair, a Molded Fiberglass armchair, and a Molded Plywood coffee table. Christopher found the lounge, an Eames replica, in a dumpster and couldn’t let it go to waste. A Warhol print hangs from the sandstone block wall; the Ekko mobile is by Matthew Richards.

“The dining room wallpaper [Cole & Son’s Forest] helped bring the outdoors in, which was a parallel play on the large windows selected by the architects. Selecting wallpapers that had a forced perspective also provided a sense of depth for spaces like the dining room and powder room,” says Santos.