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Collection by Erika Heet

Modern Homes in Connecticut

Although New Canaan gets the award for modernism in Connecticut (Breuer, Johnson...), the Constitution State has been known to welcome other forms of modern architectural experimentation. Here are a few examples from Dwell’s pages.

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The swimming pool offers an alternative plunge to the nearby Bantam River.
The swimming pool offers an alternative plunge to the nearby Bantam River.
Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.
Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.
The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.
The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.
Bassam (left, with Fellows) hung redwood garage doors that match the house’s exterior.
Bassam (left, with Fellows) hung redwood garage doors that match the house’s exterior.
The second-floor bridge that leads to the front door flows from the outside in. “Tractor seat” stools designed by Bassam perch on a floor of pristine white terrazzo.
The second-floor bridge that leads to the front door flows from the outside in. “Tractor seat” stools designed by Bassam perch on a floor of pristine white terrazzo.
The undulating white-cedar door is a replica of one Santiago admired at a sushi bar in Japan.
The undulating white-cedar door is a replica of one Santiago admired at a sushi bar in Japan.
With the free-floating birch pod defining the space, and the massive Venetian chandelier accentuating the volume, the great room is, indeed, great. The Suarezes wanted the living area to be a place where the family could be occupied individually while still together. Bonnie works in the kitchen while Santiago (seated on an IKEA couch borrowed from one of their sons until they find something else) works on the computer.
With the free-floating birch pod defining the space, and the massive Venetian chandelier accentuating the volume, the great room is, indeed, great. The Suarezes wanted the living area to be a place where the family could be occupied individually while still together. Bonnie works in the kitchen while Santiago (seated on an IKEA couch borrowed from one of their sons until they find something else) works on the computer.
The house that started it all: Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan. He and David Whitney used to invite great minds from the architecture, design, and art worlds to the house for evenings of discussion and debate. When the Glass House opened to the public in 2007, its programmers continued the invitation-only tradition.
The house that started it all: Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan. He and David Whitney used to invite great minds from the architecture, design, and art worlds to the house for evenings of discussion and debate. When the Glass House opened to the public in 2007, its programmers continued the invitation-only tradition.
A sibling of Johnson's Glass House is the Breuer-Robeck House, a privately owned historic property in New Canaan, designed by noted modern architect and furniture designer Marcel Breuer.
A sibling of Johnson's Glass House is the Breuer-Robeck House, a privately owned historic property in New Canaan, designed by noted modern architect and furniture designer Marcel Breuer.